Jakarta (ANTARA News) - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the 2010 State Budget had been drawn up in a "conservative" way to protect it from the various impacts of economic uncertainties at regional and global levels.

"The national budget for the first year of the government created based on last year`s general elections provides a baseline for the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to later make forecasts on income, spending and financing that are as conservative as possible and without far-reaching implications," she said at a discussion on the 2010 national budget at her office here on Monday.

She said the challenges posed by the global crisis and regional economic conditions had to be closely watched although some Asian countries like China, India and also Indonesia had seen good growth.

"There have been reversals for the better in economic developments at regional and global levels during the last two quarters. However, we must not be complacent as the consequences of the crisis in 2008 will not just vanish," she said.

The minister said economic indicators like the price of oil, rupiah`s exchange rate, inflation and interest rates were not constant factors. Drawing up the annual state budget while having to take account of these factors was always challenging task. In addition, the government, had to be able to predict the changing conditions on a daily basis.

She said assumptions always had the potential of proving to be wrong although the government was always striving to efforts to set the budget as accurately as possible.

In view of that, she said her office held an open seminar to discuss the 2010 budget as a form of accountability, familiarization and public education.

Among the invitees in the seminar were economic observers and first echelon officials of the finance ministry including the president director of LKBN ANTARA Ahmad Mukhlis as the moderator.(*)

Editor: Aditia Maruli
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