A motorist (L) fills up his motorcycle with subsidized gasoline at a kiosk in Jakarta on Friday. Just weeks before Joko Widodo takes office in Indonesia, a ham-fisted attempt by the outgoing government to tackle huge fuel subsidies has sparked panic buying and highlighted the most pressing economic issue confronting the country’s next president. With economic growth slowing, observers say Indonesia can little afford to keep pouring around a fifth of the annual budget into keeping fuel prices artificially low, a program that diverts money from much-needed reforms and has long caused concern among investors.SD-Agencies
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