Indonesia’s Next Leader Must Turn EV Dollars Into Jobs, Growth
- A quarter of 2023’s $50 billion FDI went to base metal sector
- Yet jobless, poverty rates up in areas with those investments
The logistics unit of the General Elections Commission delivers election materials by motorbike to remote polling stations in Lampung on Feb. 11.
Photographer: Perdiansyah/AFP/Getty Images
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Indonesia’s election on Wednesday is raising questions over whether the nation’s bid to become an electric-vehicle hub poses enough economic benefit to outweigh environmental risks.
The three presidential contenders are proposing different ways to continue President Joko Widodo’s policy of using the country’s mineral riches to become an EV producer. A deadly furnace explosion in December was the latest flashpoint, stoking discontent among Indonesians contending with unemployment and poverty despite the surge in EV-related investments.