It's just slowing down..

I had this 'de javu' feeling couple days ago. Many indicators say that we are facing economic downturn. Start from the economic growth. Although Statistics Indonesia reported that 2008 economic growth is 6.1 percent, a little bit close to the target 6.2 by the government, it doesn't mean that it's the end of the world. Okay, we're not achieving the target but lets take a look other indicators. IHSG, although it was sharpening down but it's about to make more correction. Exchage rate.. it's fully influenced by global economic situation. Inflation rate, it's a little bit out of the track from inflation targeting that held by the central bank.

The concern of this economic slowing down is the unemployment rate. Statistic Indonesia have not announced it yet, but many experd already give their prediction. The unemployment rate is raising. The concept of unemployment itself is still in debate. According to Statistic Indonesia, people who work for less than one hour a day is considered as unemployment. How about people who have business like 'ojek' or just do a little trade at home? They are not considered as unemployment. So, if the unemployment rate is not raising up, it's just simply because there is shifting from formal job to informal job. We are not closing our eyes to the figure of unemployment rate supposed to be. But please be optimistic..

Back to the topic, when I read the headline of the jakarta post today, it is written that growth hit hard by global slowdown. Here's the quotation..

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) reported on Monday that the economy expanded 5.2 percent in the fourth quarter of 2008 from a year earlier, slower than the annualized growth rate of 6.4 percent booked in the previous quarter.

Worse still, on a quarterly basis, the economy contracted by 3.6 percent in quarter four from the previous quarter, although BPS head Rusman Heriawan added that a similar contraction had occurred in the same period in the last two years.

”This was not surprising as the economy usually contracts in the fourth quarter compared to the third quarter, as industrial output slows and harvest time ends. But the crisis made the contraction (in 2008's fourth quarter) deeper."

Another victim of the global situation is our economic engine - export. By the crisis, the export is moving down. We still have another engine, the government spending. But how to make this engine more efficient to move on? It's the government to do list priority. It's just slowing down.. keep on moving, keep on optimistic and keep on working..

And it's all coming back to me now

Deciding one decision is not as simple as one two three. It takes a lot of energy to think and rethinking. When I have to choose between this and that, I will have the pros and cons table before making my decision. One thing for good is if it is not the right one, at least we've considered it again and again, and we'll feel no regrets.

Destiny, that's what I call if it didn't suit me at all. And I have to accept it, face it, live it. Never regret everything that you've decided, that's what my mom always told me. And I always believe that everything is happened because of something. And it's all coming back to me now.. face it!