Returning from Dubai, Sri Mulyani brings terrible news to the world!
Photo: Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Giving a Presentation at the KSSK Press Conference: Results of the 2023 KSSK IV Periodic Meeting. (CNBC Indonesia/Tri Susilo)
Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that polarization in the world is currently increasingly frightening. Deglobalization is increasingly occurring, due to divisions between countries, resulting in economic relations also getting worse.
In fact, he admitted that when he visited Dubai to attend the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) 28, the division in relations between the countries became increasingly visible, due to increasingly heated geopolitical tensions.
He shared one of the illustrations of the increasingly fragmented relationship when sitting together with Sigrid Kaag, Deputy Prime Minister of the Netherlands. Sigrid told him that European countries were now placing more importance on their group and considering people outside their group as enemies.
"This is something that is very, very concerning and will definitely influence the policies of many countries in the world, especially western countries, as well as Europe," said Sri Mulyani at the 12th Annual International Forum on Economic Development and Public Policy (AIFED) in Bali, Wednesday. (6/12/2023).
According to Sri Mulyani, trade wars in the form of trade and investment barriers are currently occurring in many countries, creating continuous disruption in global supply chains and eroding the principles of free trade.
"This is what we all used to believe, that most economists believed that free trade was something that should happen to provide a mutually beneficial relationship," stressed Sri Mulyani.
"Now we see trading as a matter of winning and losing. And that's probably either the textbooks need to change, or the way we look at things has changed," he said.
According to him, protectionism has even become an everyday policy that is now being pursued by many countries. This condition is exacerbated not only by geopolitical and security issues, but also technological wars such as during the Cold War in 1946-1991.
"We are becoming divided whether you are divided by geography, by sovereignty, by ethnicity, by race, by religion or now also divided by artificial intelligence, because everyone is divided by AI," he said.
He admitted that this condition also affected fiscal and monetary policies to protect each country. From a political perspective, according to him, fiscal instruments are a tool to represent the interests of voters.
"Global fragmentation which has given rise to increasing nationalism and populism will of course put enormous pressure on fiscal instruments, because ultimately the fiscal, namely the budget, is a reflection of people's aspirations. "So sentiment towards nationalism and populism will definitely be channeled into fiscal policy," said Sri Mulyani.
Pulang dari Dubai, Sri Mulyani Bawa Kabar Mengerikan Dunia!
Foto: Menteri Keuangan Sri Mulyani Memberi Pemaparan Konferensi Pers KSSK: Hasil Rapat Berkala KSSK IV Tahun 2023. (CNBC Indonesia/Tri Susilo)
Menteri Keuangan Sri Mulyani Indrawati mengungkapkan, polarisasi di dunia saat ini semakin mengerikan. Deglobalisasi semakin terjadi, akibat perpecahan antar negara, mengakibatkan hubungan ekonomi juga kian memburuk.
Bahkan, ia mengaku, saat mengunjungi Dubai untuk menghadiri acara United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP) 28, perpecahan hubungan antara negara semakin nampak, akibat semakin panasnya tensi geopolitik.
Salah satu gambaran semakin terfragmentasinya hubungan itu ia ceritakan saat duduk bareng dengan Sigrid Kaag Deputy Prime Minister of Netherlands. Sigrid menceritakan kepadanya bahwa negara-negara Eropa kini semakin mementingkan kelompoknya dan menganggap orang di luar kelompoknya sebagai musuh.
"Ini menjadi sesuatu yang sangat-sangat memprihatinkan dan pasti akan mempengaruhi kebijakan banyak negara di dunia, khususnya negara barat, juga Eropa," kata Sri Mulyani dalam acara The 12th Annual International Forum on Economic Development and Public Policy (AIFED) di Bali, Rabu (6/12/2023).
Perang dagang dalam bentuk hambatan perdagangan dan investasi, kini pun menurut Sri Mulyani sedang terjadi di banyak negara, menciptakan gangguan bekesinambungan dalam rantai pasokan global, dan mengikis prinsip perdagangan bebas.
"Ini dulu yang kita semua percaya, bahwa sebagian besar ekonom percaya bahwa perdagangan bebas adalah hal yang seharusnya terjadi memberikan hubungan saling menguntungkan," tegas Sri Mulyani.
"Sekarang kita melihat perdagangan sebagai sebuah kemenangan dan kekalahan. Dan itu mungkin apakah buku pelajarannya perlu diubah, atau cara kita memandang sesuatu sudah berubah," ungkapnya.
Proteksionisme bahkan menurutnya menjadi kebijakan sehari-hari yang kini ditempuh banyak negara. Kondisi ini diperburuk tidak hanya akibat masalah geopolitik dan keamanan, namun juga perang teknologi seperti saat Perang Dingin atau Cold War pada 1946-1991.
"Kita menjadi terpecah apakah Anda terpecah berdasarkan geografi, berdasarkan kedaulatan, berdasarkan etnis, berdasarkan ras, berdasarkan agama atau sekarang juga terpecah oleh kecerdasan buatan, karena semua orang terpecah oleh AI," tuturnya.
Ia mengakui, kondisi ini yang juga membuat kebijakan fiskal dan moneter turut terpengaruh untuk melindungi masing-masing negaranya. Dalam kaca mata politik, menurutnya, instrumen fiskal menjadi alat untuk merepresentasikan kepentingan pemilihnya.
"Fragmentasi global yang menimbulkan meningkatnya nasionalisme dan populisme tentunya akan memberikan tekanan yang sangat besar pada instrumen fiskal, karena pada akhirnya fiskal, yaitu anggaran, adalah cerminan aspirasi masyarakat. Jadi sentimen terhadap nasionalisme dan populisme pasti akan disalurkan ke dalam kebijakan fiskal," ucap Sri Mulyani.