VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Governor of West Java, M Ridwan Kamil, has urged district and city governments in the province to achieve the COVID-19 vaccination target without delay.

The provincial government of West Java is targeting to vaccinate 37 million residents against COVID-19 by the end of December 2021, he noted.

"Regarding vaccination, it must be completed by the end of this year. The Regional Secretaries in charge are the extension of the mayors and district heads. Please be enthusiastic again so that at the end of the year, we can achieve the vaccination target," the Governor said, according to a press release received here on Wednesday.

Kamil asked all district and city governments to use up vaccine stocks as soon as possible before the vaccines expire.

COVID-19 vaccinations must be completed soon so that the government can get back on track to develop the province, he said.

"If the vaccination has finished, we will enter the phase, namely building West Java post-COVID-19. We have to rebuild the economy, society, politics, but in new ways," he remarked.

The governor also advised regional secretaries in the province to be adaptive in overcoming challenges to support the advancement of West Java.

It is essential for officials to adapt to various changes presented by rapid technological advances in the 4.0 Industrial Revolution era and the problems that have emerged due to the COVID-19 pandemic, he emphasized.

In a bid to boost public immunity against COVID-19, the Indonesian government rolled out a vaccination program for all regions on January 13, 2021.

According to the Health Ministry's data, as of November 17, 2021, nearly 24,026,472 West Java residents have received their first COVID-19 vaccine dose, while 15,663,857 have been fully vaccinated against the virus. (Antaranews)

The world of education requires transformational leaders, Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Minister Nadiem Anwar Makarim stated during the 3rd Indonesia Human Capital Summit 2021 observed from here, Wednesday.

"Transformational leaders are often thought about in connection with the industry and business world, but the education world also requires leaders that could make changes and transform challenges to become opportunities," he noted.

"This is because from where else are we going to have a generation that follows after us apart from schools and campus," he stated.

The minister noted that the transition impetus as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic offers the right momentum to realize a better future for Indonesia.

To this end, visionary and transformational leaders are required.

Through the Mover Teacher (Guru Penggerak) Program, the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry is preparing leaders necessary for advancement of Indonesia's education system, he noted.

"This program is not the same as other programs designed for teachers, as it focuses on developing the character of teachers to become leaders," Makarim explained.

"I have personally heard from the participants of how the program has benefitted them, especially in terms of changing their mindset and teaching methodology," he affirmed.

Teachers within the program are trained for nine months to become transformational leaders, who understand the development of the education world along with current developments, the minister remarked.

"They would be aware of their surroundings and be moved to make changes, be capable of seeing challenges as opportunities, and always prioritize students' needs above all else," he elaborated.

"They can also adapt to technological developments," he remarked.

With these abilities, the teachers are ready to become leaders that could transform Indonesia's education to become better, more enjoyable, and relevant, Makarim stated. (Antaranews)

Research must be continuously encouraged to push the sustainable development of national palm oil, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said.

"This research must continue to be conducted so that palm oil products can (have) added value, and the downstream also needs to be improved," he said virtually here on Wednesday.

He deemed the role of research and development as well as the use of technology very important in improving the country's status. Palm oil accounts for as much as 15.6 percent of the total non-oil and gas exports and contributes about 3.5 percent to the national GDP (gross domestic product), he pointed out.

Thus, research in the palm oil industry must focus on three things, he said. The first area of focus must be aspects such as reinforcement, development, and the improvement of plantations and palm oil industry empowerment, which integrates both upstream and downstream, he said.

The second area that needs focus is data consolidation, productivity, capacity building, technology in palm oil mills, and the empowerment of oil palm farmers, he added. The third area of focus must be the development of the domestic market with the use of biofuels and research in the development of biodiesel 100 and avtur, he stated.

"The palm oil industry not only encouraged energy independence, reduced gas emissions, but also reduced imports of diesel oil  by Rp38 trillion (almost US$2.7 billion) in 2020. On the other hand, in 2021, with the B30 program, it is estimated that foreign exchange earnings of Rp56 trillion (almost US$4 billion) will occur," the minister said.

The mandatory B30 Biodiesel program is also aimed at stimulating palm oil price stability and including palm oil in the supercycle, with price pegged at US$1,283 per ton, he said.

Palm oil also provides an exchange rate to farmers with the price of fresh fruit bunches (FFB), which has been relatively high during this period, ranging from Rp2,800 to Rp3,000 (less than US$1) per bunch.

The minister said he expected continuous improvement, especially upstream, ranging from improving seeds or varieties, fertilizers, machine tools, cultivation culture, harvesting techniques, to downstream, in the form of product development to meet community needs, market expansion, and attention towards aspects of environmental sustainability.

He noted that research and development require cooperation between institutions, be it the government, industry, or related stakeholders. The Indonesian Palm Research Week event can be beneficial for palm oil industry players should it be regularly conducted as a means to narrow the gap between the community and corporate planters, he said.

He lauded the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency, which has been working with stakeholders, for its efforts in maintaining a research culture that fosters the development of technological innovations in the palm oil sector.

"Research and development must continue to be done in order to realize sustainable national palm oil and focus on issues that are impactful and sustainable," he added. (Antaranews)

The son of late Philippines dictator Ferdinand Marcos, an early frontrunner for the May election, is facing a second petition seeking to bar him from the presidential race, centred on a tax evasion conviction nearly three decades ago.

The complaint, filed on Wednesday at the election commission by a group called the Campaign Against the Return of the Marcoses and Martial Law, argued the conviction should have perpetually disqualified Ferdinand Marcos Jr from holding or running for office.

He was found guilty in 1995 of failing to file income tax returns from 1982 to 1985 while governor of Ilocos Norte province, a verdict upheld two years later by an appeals court.

"He has continuously neglected his penalty and disrespected the rule of law by running and filing his candidacy knowing in fact that he is a convicted criminal," lawyer Howard Calleja told reporters after the filing.

Marcos's spokesperson did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The internal revenue code states that a public officer convicted of a tax crime will be barred for life from holding public office, voting and participating in any election.

Since his conviction, however, Marcos has been elected governor, congressman and senator and ran unsuccessfully for the vice presidency.

The Marcos family is one of the most famous dynasties in the Philippines and despite its fall from grace after a 1986 "people power" revolution, it has retained its wealth and far-reaching and powerful connections.

Sara Duterte-Carpio, the president's popular daughter, will be the running mate of Marcos.

Antonio La Viña, a law and politics professor at the Ateneo de Manila University, said election authorities would typically only disqualify a barred candidate if a complaint is made first.

"People will only complain if you are winnable," he said, adding the case against Marcos could go either way.

Asked if Marcos had ever faced a disqualification case, election commission spokesperson James Jimenez said: "Not that I can recall, no."

Marcos, whose father ruled the Philippines for almost two decades, much of that a harsh era of martial law, led an opinion poll conducted last month on preferred presidential candidates.

The poll body has scheduled a preliminary conference for Nov. 26 on an earlier disqualification complaint against Marcos filed by a group representing political detainees, human rights and medical organisations, who has said that petition "is without merit and has no legal basis".(Reuters)