Bandung Mayor Oded M Danial has said that Bandung has a big opportunity to quickly rise from the COVID-19 pandemic through economic recovery.

As one of the pioneering smart cities in Indonesia, it will be easier to adopt advances in digital technology, which can support the now massive online trade, he pointed out.

“Almost all residents, even from all walks of life, already have their own gadgets. Even if we add up, there are more gadgets than the total population,” Danial said here on Thursday.

He said he also expected economic growth in Bandung to run accordingly. Control and participation of all elements of society to access economic resources can be easily realized, he said.

“We must also provide opportunities to the MSME sector, which has proven to be a savior of the city’s economy from crisis to crisis. Because people can feel its real nature,” he added.

Head of the Bandung Mayor’s policy consideration team, Asep Warlan, said that the policies regarding the organizing of economic activities must be supported by policies on spatial planning, infrastructure, location security, investment, employment, local taxes, and retribution.

“In addition, there is also the need for business licensing, distribution of goods and services, management and protection of the environment, land, ease of funding sources, and a clean, competent, and responsive bureaucratic apparatus,” Warlan added.

He said that local governments must provide equal treatment to investors, ensure legal certainty, ensure business certainty, provide ease of doing business, ensure business security, and develop as well as provide protection and investment opportunities to MSMEs and cooperatives.

“The priority business fields are business fields that meet the criteria, in terms of capital, labor intensive, creative industry, high technology, pioneering industry, export orientation and research, development and innovation,” he added.

Source: Antara News