VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati confirmed that her ministry has budgeted Rp414 trillion (around US$28.9 billion) for the National Economic Recovery (PEN) Program in 2022 to assist residents and businesses next year.

“We have prepared Rp414 trillion for the 2022 PEN Program in healthcare, social benefits, and economic recovery enhancement posts," Indrawati stated here on Tuesday.

From the total Rp414 trillion, the ministry has allocated Rp117.9 trillion (around US$8.25 billion) for healthcare, Rp154.8 trillion (around US$10.8 billion) for social benefits, and Rp141.4 trillion (around US$9.89 billion) for economic recovery, the minister revealed.

Budget allotment in healthcare and social benefits is open for revision based on developments in the handling of COVID-19 and actual needs, the minister stated.

The total budget allotted for economic recovery is based on existing programs of ministries and institutions, fund transfer to regional governments, and other finances, currently, on provisional figures pending the final number, she explained.

In detail, the budget allotted in the healthcare post would be allocated for COVID-19 testing, tracing treatment, COVID-19 patients' treatment under the cost-sharing scheme with the BPJS social security agency, and incentives for health workers, Indrawati expounded.

The budget will also be allocated for the provision of vaccine doses, vaccine tax incentives, healthcare treatment in regions, and other necessities in the healthcare field, she stated.

Meanwhile, budget allocation in the social benefits post would be divided into the family benefits program targeting 10 million recipients; basic foods benefits targeting 18.8 million recipients; unemployment benefits for 2.9 million recipients; and other benefits allocated for residents that have lost their jobs as well as villagers, the minister informed.

The budget allocated in the economic recovery enhancement post would be allotted in infrastructure and connectivity development; tourism and creative economy industries; food resilience programme; industrial areas development; government investments; tax incentives; and other benefits for business actors, she stated.

"As in the 2021 planning, we are optimistic that the budget management in ministries, government institutions, and regional governments must remain flexible. We also hope to no longer experience another surge in COVID-19 cases, as we must ensure that the social and economic activities’ recovery continued," Indrawati remarked. (Antaranews)

Indonesia should try and attract more foreign investment for funding its green transition, the World Bank has said.

“It is essential to get the private sector’s investment and finance in also bilateral cooperation. This transition needs everyone. And for that reason, this is time for Indonesia to make itself attractive to the private sector and (obtain) foreign direct investment (FDI) to facilitate technology transfer and partnership,” World Bank country director for Indonesia and Timor Leste, Satu Kahkonen, remarked during a webinar held as part of the Sweden-Indonesia Sustainability Partnership Week and televised here on Monday.

Green transition necessitates technical assistance from the international community in the form of policy advice, technology transfer, as well as finance, according to the director.

“Technical assistance and policy advice are the first steps. We can learn from global experiences, including from Sweden or elsewhere in the world, the lessons learned to help accelerate and allow Indonesia to leapfrog,” she explained.

In terms of financial assistance, international finance can help the transition, but green financing will be very costly, she pointed out, adding that Indonesia does not have sufficient resources to support the transition.

“We doubt that an international financing institution like the World Bank can help and those (financing) are limited,” she remarked.

Private investment will not come in if it is too difficult or too costly, she revealed.

Indonesia has moved forward by issuing the Omnibus Law, particularly in job creation, however, it is not enough, according to Kahkonen.

“It would be important to address the remaining policies and regulatory barriers that hinder the investor and technology transfer, including pricing, subsidy policies, and non-tariff barriers,” she highlighted.

Kahkonen elaborated on three job areas that should be focused on during the green transition: direct green jobs, indirect green jobs, and transition jobs.

Direct green jobs refer to jobs that require specific green skills and those skills are in demand in the areas of biodiesel, water treatment, waste reduction, environmental engineering, electrical engineering, and energy conservation, she said.

Indirect green jobs are those that produce green products and services and do not require green skills, for example, construction, energy and utilities, manufacturing, agriculture, and transport, she added.

Transition jobs refer to jobs where workers need to switch jobs, like in the coal industry, to support the green transition, she said.

“Indonesia should take actions now. The first step that Indonesia could take is starting to train the skills of current and future workers with the skills needed in green jobs, especially the contents of the formal education system. Green jobs tend to require skills concentrated in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics,” she explained.

Furthermore, Indonesia should start developing an advanced labor market information system to quickly identify changes in occupation and skills in demand, she said.

“The green transition is going to be a difficult journey but the journey cannot wait. Many advanced countries have started this process and have already reached the goals. This is good news for Indonesia. We will stand ready to support, we all will be on this journey together,” she remarked. (Antaranews)

Low immunization coverage during the COVID-19 pandemic can potentially cause extraordinary outbreaks (KLB) of several diseases that can be prevented through vaccination, according to the Health Ministry's official.

"Low immunization coverage can potentially lead to outbreaks in cases of diseases that can be prevented by immunization," Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Health Ministry Maxi Rein Rondonuwu stated during a hearing meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives on Monday.

Until November 2021, some 147 suspected diphtheria reports with 90 specimens were examined in the laboratory, and 23 of them were confirmed, Rondonuwu added.

In addition, 54 cases of measles and 91 cases of rubella were also reported. More than 80 percent of the reports from patients came with incomplete immunization status or unclear vaccination history.

The national immunization program had experienced success in 1980, including the eradication of smallpox, a polio-free certificate in 2006, and the elimination of maternal and neonatal tetanus in 2016.

However, complete basic immunization coverage nationwide until October 2021 had only reached 56.5 percent of the target of 78 percent of the population. The provinces of Bengkulu, Banten, South Sumatra, South Sulawesi, and Bangka Belitung recorded the highest immunization coverage.

Complete basic immunizations for children include Hepatitis B, BCG, Polio, and DPT.

"There is a decline in immunization coverage from 2019 to 2020 because of the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the difference in immunization numbers before the pandemic is not too big," Rondonuwu pointed out.

Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin had requested a survey to monitor national immunization coverage annually. The program is proposed since the periodic surveys every five years had not provided an accurate result of the achievement.

Several challenges encountered during the implementation of the immunization program during the pandemic comprised the procurement of vaccines that was hampered by distribution to districts and cities due to vaccine storage warehouses in the regions being full.

"Procurement of the COVID-19 vaccine and other vaccines for immunization will be conducted together to avoid overcapacity at the warehouse," Rondonuwu remarked.

In addition, health workers during the COVID-19 pandemic tended to concentrate on handling COVID-19 patients. The pandemic condition also compelled the integrated health services posts (Posyandu) to close down.

"People with doubts about vaccines and in remote areas also pose a challenge for us in expediting immunization coverage," he added.

Rondonuwu ensured that the Health Ministry had readied a strategy to overcome all these challenges. One of the approaches was the involvement of the Indonesia Defense Forces (TNI) and National Police (Polri) to penetrate remote communities as well as to edify about vaccination for the community.

The agenda of the DPR Commission IX Hearing Meeting was attended by the Director General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health, the Director General of Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices at the Ministry of Health, the board of the Indonesian Pediatrician Association (IDAI), the board of the Indonesia Technical Advisory Group on Immunization (Itagi), and Indonesian Association of Gynecological Oncology (HOGI).

The meeting discussed the implementation of the regular vaccination program, developments pertaining to the discussion on the national immunization program for PCV, HPV, and Rotavirus, as well as preparations for the 2021 Students Immunization Month Program (BIAS). (Antaranews)

Good synergy and coordination between stakeholders are key to realizing integrated and sustainable transportation in the Greater Jakarta area (Jabodetabek), Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi has said.

“We, together with stakeholders, continue to strive to provide reliable urban transportation services in Jabodetabek. The government continues to push for various innovations and efforts to integrate cross-mode, to create seamless and sustainable mobility for the community," he said in a statement received here on Monday.

Jakarta and its satellite cities (Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, Bekasi) contribute to economic growth in Indonesia, the minister noted.

He said that with a relatively massive population, which is mostly made up of the productive age group, the need for mobility is high. It must be facilitated by providing excellent transportation services, he added.

"With the convenience of public transportation services, public dependence and trust in public transportation will increase, which, in turn, can increase the number (share) of users," Sumadi said.

Meanwhile, head of the Greater Jakarta Transportation Management Agency (BPTJ), Polana B. Pramesti, said that the population growth rate in Jabodetabek is estimated to be around 2.32–2.64 percent per year from 2020 to 2030.

The majority of activities and the economy are still concentrated in Jakarta, and a large number of people are choosing to live in Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi, resulting in an increasing number of commuter trips, she added.

The need for community movement has reached 88 million people every day while the total population of Jabodetabek is 33.83 million people, she highlighted.

"This growth encourages the development of various types of public transportation services in Greater Jakarta area, such as Bus Rapid Transit (BRT), urban trains such as KRL (commuter line), LRT (light rail transit), MRT (mass rapid transist), taxis, online transportation, and so on," she elaborated.

The need for passenger travel is increasingly complex and the transfer of transportation modes has not been properly facilitated or fully integrated, she noted.

The development of the transportation system in Greater Jakarta is still fragmented, causing the journeys to be longer, less comfortable, and more expensive, Pramesti said. Thus, the support and cooperation of the central government, local governments, and other stakeholders is needed, she added.

"With good synergy, it is expected that we can realize seamless and sustainable transportation services, in accordance with the needs and expectations of the Greater Jakarta people," she remarked. (Antaranews)