Desy Nurhayati, Jakarta – The impacts of the global financial crisis should not be politicized to attack the incumbent government in the upcoming general elections, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono warned.
Yudhoyono said the crisis and its impact on the country had drawn public comments, some of which were "incorrect and being politicized".
"It is misleading for people to suggest the economic situation is stable and that the global crisis will not have any impact on our country. Let's not waste out time by responding to such inaccurate, dishonest and politically-motivated comments," he said during a ceremony marking the National Day of Solidarity at the National Monument (Monas) square in Jakarta on Tuesday.
"The most important thing is the government will continue its hard work addressing the impacts of the crisis," he said.
The president called on the nation to unite in facing the crisis amid the rapid changes occurring at a national and global level.
He also repeated calls for regional administrations to support the government's social safety net programs, following the rejection of the community empowerment scheme (PNPM) by some regions.
"Let's support the programs for the sake of people's welfare. Don't block the efforts because in the end you will be held responsible by your people," he said.
The government has on many occasions reiterated its three scheme approach to combating poverty: Direct cash assistance (BLT), the PNPM and loans for small and medium enterprises (KUR).
During the ceremony, the president handed over Rp 12.2 trillion (US$1.1 billion) in loans from the KUR scheme to more than 1.5 million debtors. The loans were provided by six state-owned banks.
The National Day of Solidarity, which falls on Dec. 23, was initiated by the late former president Soeharto. The origins of commemorating the day stem back to the historical March 1, 1949 attack led by Soeharto when he was a military commander of Brigade X in Yogyakarta.
The attack, in which Indonesian soldiers seized Yogyakarta for six hours in a stance against Dutch colonial forces, is regarded as one of the most important days of Indonesian unity.