VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Activities to strengthen financial literacy have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, with the number of such activities reaching one thousand during the first half of 2021, an official has said.

"Because the activities were done virtually, the participants could join many of them in a day," member of the Commissioners Board for Education and Consumer Protection of the Financial Services Authority (OJK), Tirta Segara, informed here on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, if the financial literacy education was executed on-site, moving from one location to another would be difficult, and thus, only one to two activities would be possible in one day, he pointed out.

Financial literacy education activities have continued to be carried out amid the pandemic so that the target of 90-percent financial inclusion can be achieved by 2024, he affirmed.

Apart from being more effective, online financial literacy education can also reach a wider community, he explained.

During the first half of 2021, OJK created up to 295 items of content on financial education for the community, he added.

Currently, OJK is completing a learning management system module that can later be accessed independently on OJK servers by people who want to learn about finance, Segara informed.

However, OJK is still facing difficulty in conducting online activities on financial literacy in areas that lack uninterrupted Internet services, he said.

Not all people have the facilities to join online education, he noted.

"So, it must be facilitated in groups, for example, by using one mobile phone that can be used together to listen to the module," he said.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, OJK has also continued to ask the Finance Services Institution (LJK) to educate the community around their offices at least once a year.

LJK, which has not been able to carry out its educational activities face-to-face due to the COVID-19 pandemic, can do it virtually, he pointed out.

"We also do educational activities on social media such as Instagram, Twitter, and so on. This is to make it more massive so it can reach more people," he said. (Antaranews)

State-owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has said he is planning to reopen the Sarinah Building after renovations are completed in March 2022.

"Today is part of the inspections that we keep doing. I have been here three times and of course, the progress is outstanding," he said while speaking with the young finalists of the #GirlsTakeover event at Sarinah Building here on Tuesday.

According to Thohir, the ministry initially planned to reopen the building in August, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the reopening was deferred to March next year.

Sarinah will continue to be treated as part of history, but by implementing a new system and business model, he said.

"I think it proves that history should not be forgotten. This is where Sarinah continues to be a part of history, but with a new ecosystem and business model," he added.

Minister Thohir said the history of Sarinah and fine arts, such as the great relief, a type of visual art, from the restoration effort will also be exhibited at the building.

"What we are waiting for is the results of the restored relief. When I checked it, it was great. Now we are figuring out the best moment to exhibit this relief," he remarked.

Earlier, Thohir had endorsed the masterpiece relief and requested for the art to be restored. "When Sarinah reopens, this relief can be displayed to the public," he remarked.

The relief symbolizes the economic life of the commoners who, in the past, relied on agricultural products, plantations, fisheries, and crafts, he informed.

According to the records of several historians and fine arts experts, it was sculpted by a group of Yogyakarta artists during Indonesia's construction period (1962-1966) and features hawkers and traders who represent commoners' struggles to make a living.

Furthermore, the art is a reminder that Sarinah will keep providing help to commoners, Thohir said. After a fire in the 1980s, Sarinah widened its corridors for visitors, he informed. Later, the relief was removed and stored on the ground floor, he added. (antaranews)

The Ministry of Transportation has called for an improvement in the urban logistics system to bring down logistics costs in Indonesia.

"It is necessary to establish an urban logistics system that is more adaptive to technological developments and more environmentally friendly," Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said at a webinar on 'Building Sustainable Urban Logistics in Jabodetabek' here on Tuesday.

There are several problems related to the logistics system in Indonesia, he noted.

In 2020, logistics costs in Indonesia were the highest in the ASEAN region, reaching 23.5 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), he pointed out.

Additionally, 8.5 percent of the figure came from the land transportation sector, he said.

The growth in logistics services and freight vehicles in urban areas has worsened road conditions and created traffic congestion, he added.

It has also contributed to the damage to urban environments, Sumadi said.

Another problem, he pointed out, is the convenience and benefits offered through e-commerce that have disrupted the quality of life in urban areas as urban logistics activities have led to crowding issues.

High mobility of vehicles on urban roads, starting from motor vehicles to freight trucks, has led to traffic jams and also violations related to the freight vehicles sizes, he said.

The damage to urban environments because of freight vehicles is real, Sumadi stressed.

Noise pollution in urban areas is also one of the effects of freight transportation, and it deserves attention, he affirmed.

According to a study by ALICE (Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe), freight vehicles in urban areas account for 25 percent of CO2 emissions and 30-50 percent of NOx (nitrogen oxide) emissions, based on some factors, Sumadi noted.

"I invite all related stakeholders to collaborate together to create a better urban logistics system in the future," the minister added.

Sumadi also urges his team to be more agile in determining policies and invited all stakeholders to offer positive recommendations to improve logistics connectivity and restore the economy while protecting the environment.  (Antaranews)

State-run Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) has called on the public to exercise greater caution in their use of the digital world to avoid falling prey to website frauds or getting hoodwinked by fake links.

BRI Corporate Secretary Aestika Oryza Gunarto affirmed that the bank only uses official channels, the www.bri.co.id website, and officially verified or blue-checked social media channels @bankbri_id (Instagram), bankbri_id (Twitter), Bank BRI (Facebook), and Bank BRI (YouTube) in furnishing various information and details on official BRI programs.

"Make sure if the information is true, check if it is sourced from the official banking website, and do not give personal banking data to other people or strangers on behalf of BRI," he emphasized in an official statement received here on Tuesday.

Gunarto affirmed that the security of personal and customer banking data was BRI's main concern, particularly in the midst of rapid digitalization.

To maintain the confidentiality of its customer data, BRI already has in place a data privacy program that is able to protect customer data from theft by fraudsters in the cyberspace.

However, Gunarto reminded that the BRI had urged its customers to be more careful and not easily trust the links received through messages on smartphones.

He also advised customers to not give personal or banking data, such as account numbers, card numbers, PINs of users, and internet banking and OTP passwords to irresponsible parties through fake websites and links that use BRI's name.

Gunarto noted that in protecting the public from customer data abuse, BRI had taken measurable steps in cooperation with the authorities by blocking suspicious websites that contain false information.

Another step is by conducting investigations on the crime perpetrators, creators, and spreaders of the fake websites, he affirmed.

He urged customers to not harbor concerns about transaction security through BRI's digital banking services, such as BRImo or BRI internet banking.

"The BRI digital banking service, such as BRImo, is very user-friendly and secure as well as offers several financial transaction features for customers in fulfilling their banking needs," Gunarto explained.

Nevertheless, he warned BRI customers to remain alert for all types of frauds in banking.

Moreover, he advised customers to confirm suspicious activities through BRI's official call center on 14017 or 1500017. (Antaranews)