Feb 10 Indonesian President Joko Widodo said on Wednesday he would like to see lower interest rates to lift economic growth and bolster industry but he cannot interfere in the monetary policy of the central bank because it is independent.
"I would like to see a lower interest rate but I cannot force Bank Indonesia to cut the interest rate because they are independent and the government respects the way Bank Indonesia conducts monetary policy," Widodo told Reuters in an interview.
Widodo added that he was very optimistic that the government's target of a recovery in economic growth to 5.3 percent in 2016 could be achieved after a slide to 4.8 percent last year.