*  *  *  Respected Soedradjad Djiwandono, Governor Abdullah, fellow Governors and distinguished participants, I am thankful to Governor Burhanuddin Abdullah for inviting me to participate in the Annual International Seminar 2007. We deeply appreciate the excellent arrangements, warmth and hospitality of Bank Indonesia. In particular, special thanks are due to Deputy Governor, Ms. Miranda Goeltom.
I also sincerely appreciate the thoughtful selection of the topics for discussion during this Seminar, which are of significant contemporary relevance to all of us. The role of financial sector policies in growth and employment would naturally have significant relationship with the institutional arrangements for overall public policy of the country concerned.