Daniel Moss, Columnist

Indonesia Should Forget 8% Growth and Face Reality

Time for a reality check.

Photographer: Yasuyoshi Chiba/AFP/Getty Images

Indonesia has a problem with towering economic goals — it can’t seem to shake ambitions that border on the implausible. Consider targeting 8% growth, something last achieved in 1995.

No leader can be without aspirations, but objectives should reflect reality, not remain stuck in a nostalgic fantasy. President Prabowo Subianto, beginning his second year in office, should break with his predecessors and offer a more grounded view of how fast the sprawling and densely populated archipelago can actually grow.