Indonesia’s economy grew by an annualised 4.9 per cent in the final quarter of last year, its slowest growth in six quarters, after the government of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono more than doubled fuel prices.

Strong growth in the first half of 2005 – the economy grew 6.5 per cent in the first quarter – came to the rescue of south-east Asia’s largest economy with official figures showing it grew by a cumulative 5.6 per cent over the entire year, up from 5.1 per cent in 2004.