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Prabowo forms National Economic Council, grants it no policymaking authority
The council's deputy head told reporters on Tuesday that it would not venture into policymaking or technical decision-making, which would remain the authority of ministries and agencies.
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Familiar face: Newly appointed National Economic Council chairman Luhut Pandjaitan (center) attends the inauguration of cabinet ministers and heads of government agencies at the State Palace on Oct. 21, 2024. (Antara/Hafidz Mubarak A)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto has formed the National Economic Council, a group of seasoned economists and other experts responsible for offering the President policy recommendations on strategic issues and priority programs.
The council’s deputy head, Mari Elka Pangestu, told The Jakarta Post on Thursday that the body had no authority to manage ministries or agencies, nor to create regulations.
Separately, she told reporters on Tuesday that the council would not venture into policymaking or technical decision-making, which would remain the authority of ministries and agencies.
The council was established through Presidential Regulation No. 160/2024, which Prabowo signed on Tuesday. It stipulates that the council is responsible for formulating recommendations and policy directives to accelerate, debottleneck, implement and monitor priority government programs.
Wijayanto Samirin, an economist at Paramadina University, told the Post on Wednesday that such priority programs might include food and energy self-sufficiency and downstream development, which the President has highlighted on multiple occasions.
In September, the Finance Ministry identified several priority “quick win” initiatives that included the free meals program, food estate programs and others in education and health care.
If the Economic Council worked well, Wijayanto said, the body would be able to “streamline multilayered and multisectoral policies to secure the execution of priority programs”.
