Indo President Calls For Concrete Steps to Overcome Poverty

from Asia Pulse

MAJENANG, Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono called on all parties on Thursday to overcome poverty and unemployment with concrete steps and not just slogans.

"It is not enough to put up only ads but there must be concrete steps to overcome it," he said in a dialogue with local community members and micro-businessmen.

The head of state said prosperity, marked by the decreasing number of poor people and the unemployed, would not come from heaven but had to be achieved through efforts by all parties.

"Difficult it may be but we must not surrender nor remain idle. We must continue to strive to achieve it by all the ways and means at our disposal," he said.

According to the president, one of the fields that could promote development of economic ventures was micro-businesses such as household craftsmanship.

"The government will give support with credit and other facilities but on the other hand businessmen must be tough and willing to work hard," he said.

President Yudhoyono's visit to the region was part of his Ramadhan tour of a number of towns in Central and West Java. The Majenang district is known for its cottage industrial products such as bamboo crafts, banana, eels, cassava chips and other kinds of food products.