Indonesian Young Entrepreneurs Association (Hipmi) chairman Bahlil Lahadalia says he appreciates the government’s commitment to infrastructure development, while highlighting the need to focus the spending on eastern parts of Indonesia.

Bahlil said the government’s commitment, highlighted by the increased spending allocated for infrastructure projects, could help to create more equitable development in Indonesia, reducing the economic inequality gap in the country.

“We hope the infrastructure development can provide a stimulus to economic growth in the eastern part of the country,” he said in Jakarta on Monday.

The government proposes to allocate Rp 404 trillion (US$30.25) for spending on infrastructure next year, up from the Rp 387.7 trillion that it expects to spend this year.

In the budget policy read out to the House of Representatives on August 16, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo reiterated his commitment to focus on infrastructure development in the eastern part of the archipelago, including Maluku, Sulawesi and Papua. (mrc/ags)