Under The Subnational Competitiveness Webinar Series, ACI conducted the Webinar for South Sulawesi province on 26 August 2020, titled “The Inaugural Provincial Dialogue on the Economy and Development 2020 for South Sulawesi”. The Webinar was attended by senior officeholders from various government agencies from South Sulawesi province, members of Indonesian Employers’ Association (APINDO) of South Sulawesi and academics from the Hasanuddin University.
Watch the video to view highlights from the South Sulawesi Provincial Dialogue and download the full webinar report below.
Stakeholders’ Inputs
Business Sector
Drs. La Tunreng, the head of DPP APINDO of South Sulawesi, explained that the worst hit sectors are mostly labour-intensive sectors such as manufacturing, tourism, construction and transportation sectors. He also added that the informal sector and the MSMEs, which have supported the economy during the 1998 and 2008 recessions, are currently the first to be affected by the pandemic. This is due to the Large Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB) policy that restricts mobility and economic activities in South Sulawesi.
Government Sector
Drs. Firda, from the Department of Economics, Development and Welfare of South Sulawesi’s Governor Office, explained that the South Sulawesi government has allocated a budget of Rp500 billion (USD 33.8 million) to improve healthcare facilities, aid economic recovery, and provide a social safety net for affected parties. The budget will be adapted to the evolving situation. Additionally, the South Sulawesi government has also implemented COVID-19 Tourism and COVID-19 Ambassador programs.
Academic Sector
Prof. Dr. Abd. Rahman Kadir, argued that the prolonged economic pain is likely to be caused by the unpredictable demand and supply in the near future. In the new normal situation that is characterized by ‘less contact economy’, he believes that there will be a shift in economic structure, industrial structure and consumer lifestyle. Thus, it is important for the government to develop technological infrastructure, including the information and communication (ICT) infrastructure to benefit in the “new normal”.
ACI PERSPECTIVES 