VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko, shared that Indonesia's journey out of the pandemic-induced economic crisis has not been easy. Like many other countries, Indonesia has to deal with the residue left by the pandemic coupled with the uncertain global geopolitical situation.

"This pandemic leaves a residue that must be overcome, while global geopolitical conditions make the situation even more complex," he said in the Forum Merdeka Barat 9 (FMB9) Dialogue Launching 2023 Performance Achievements, in Central Jakarta, Tuesday (24/10/2023).

In facing these challenges, Indonesia has used a series of effective strategies led by a spirit of cooperation and strong leadership.

The first strategy taken is the careful handling of pandemic residues. The government made maximum efforts to address the health and economic impacts left behind.

Second, the government efficiently distributed social assistance to ensure that no one went hungry, and provided much-needed support to those affected economically.

Third, the government safeguards the role of the cooperative, MSME, and corporate sectors in economic recovery. The government must ensure that none of these business entities fail due to the crisis.

In the face of economic uncertainties brought about by the pandemic, coupled with the complicated geopolitical situation, the government made prudent budgetary relocations.

"Budget relocation is followed by 'gas and brake' tactics. In an up situation, activities are braked, loose speed is increased," Moeldoko said.

Emerging from the crisis, Indonesia is now looking forward to the vision of an Advanced Indonesia 2045. To realize this, Moeldoko explained that the government has prepared five main foundations.

The first foundation is the development of Human Resources (HR). According to him, quality human resources are an important foundation for the progress of a nation.

Second, infrastructure development. Moeldoko said that infrastructure development is important to encourage economic growth and equitable development.

Third, bureaucratic reform. According to him, an effective and efficient bureaucracy is expected to be able to provide better public services.

Fourth, improving regulations. Moeldoko said that regulations that are not investment-friendly will hamper economic growth.

Finally, the foundation of economic transformation. Moeldoko explained that economic transformation is important to improve Indonesia's competitiveness in the era of globalization.

The government also continues to encourage sustainable economic growth, among others through industrial downstreaming and green economy development.

"Yesterday the President inaugurated the carbon exchange. This carbon exchange will produce something extraordinary, in the context of moving towards a green economy," he explained.

Connectivity

To achieve the vision of an Advanced Indonesia 2045, it takes all aspects that must be done early. This includes the development and equalization of internet networks in Indonesia.

In the same forum, Minister of Communication and Information Budi Arie Setiadi, revealed that connectivity is the main challenge in realizing Indonesia's goal of becoming a developed country.

"There are three aspects of connectivity that need to be considered, namely capacity, coverage, and quality," he said.

In terms of capacity, Indonesia still needs to catch up with other countries. The average internet speed in Indonesia is still at 22 Mbps. In terms of coverage, internet penetration in Indonesia has only reached 78 percent. This means that there are still 22 percent of Indonesia's population who do not have internet access.

"This condition mainly occurs in the 3T, Outermost, Remote and Disadvantaged areas," said Budi.

Minister Budi Arie stated that the internet in Indonesia also still needs to be improved. There are still many areas in Indonesia that experience internet signal interference, especially in mountainous areas and water areas.

"In the city it is okay, but in rural areas there is still a lot to be addressed," he added.

Back to the Map

In President Joko Widodo's ninth year in office, Indonesia has been in the spotlight again in recent years. This is marked by Indonesia's increasing role in various international forums, such as the G20, ASEAN, and being elected as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council.

Spokesperson for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal, said that the phrase 'back to the map' is appropriate to describe Indonesia's rise in the international world because it has a deep meaning.

"After the reformation, Indonesia had slumped and lost the trust of the international community. However, in the last ten years, Indonesia has shown an extraordinary resurgence," he said.

According to him, Indonesia has clear principles in carrying out foreign policy. Indonesia prioritizes the principle of never being a problem, but being present to bring solutions to the world.

Therefore, Lalu Muhammad Iqbal is optimistic that Indonesia will continue to be a leader in the region and globally in the future.

"We have great potential to become a world leader," he said. (Ministry of Communication and Information)

VOINews, Jakarta - Poverty eradication handling must ideally be region-specific, therefore, the handling instruments of regions cannot be similar, an official from the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture (Kemenko PMK) has said.

"Poverty has very wide and complex problems. It (The handling of poverty) must be based on the region itself. For example, the poverty conditions in Java Island and outside of Java Island are different," the ministry's secretary, Andie Megantara, said in a statement received here on Tuesday.

According to him, the problem of poverty is multidimensional and each region has different characteristics.

However, government policies are often implemented using the same approach in all regions of Indonesia, he noted.

"All this time, our weakness is using the same instruments to eliminate poverty in all regions. In fact, the same amount of assistance has different values in Java and Papua," Megantara explained.

He then said that the government cannot work alone to overcome poverty. Universities are among the stakeholders needed to participate in efforts to eradicate poverty.

Therefore, collaboration with various stakeholders is needed to gain new perspectives to eliminate extreme poverty in each region, he explained.

According to Megantara, universities have the ability to understand regional characteristics with expert views from various scientific disciplines.

"The government hopes that universities in Indonesia will be able to provide a new perspective on overcoming poverty," he said.

Meanwhile, the dean of the Faculty of Economics and Business of Padjadjaran University, Nunuy Nur Afifah, said that collaboration and synergy between universities and the government is the right decision to tackle poverty.

"Universities have resources such as education, research, and community service, which have helped individuals get out of poverty, created innovation in overcoming poverty, and supported communities that need help," she added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has emphasized that the cooperation of women's organizations must be strengthened to ensure equality in access to various sectors, ranging from education to health.

At the opening of the ASEAN Confederation of Women's Organizations (ACWO) Forum and Expo 2023 here on Tuesday, Amin said that women can contribute by sharing knowledge, thoughts, and experiences and strengthening friendships through organizations.

"Cooperation must also be strengthened to ensure women's equal access to education, work and business opportunities, and health facilities," he said while delivering his remarks virtually at the event.

According to him, women, who dominate the ASEAN population, have an essential role in advancing and helping ASEAN countries prosper.

The Vice President expressed his appreciation of the consistency shown by women's organizations in their fight for women's rights and welfare, considering that women's organizations are important partners of the government in efforts to make ASEAN a center of sustainable growth in the region and in the world.

He said that women are at the forefront of mainstreaming gender equality issues as well as implementing policies related to women's economic empowerment, inclusive development, political participation, and leadership, both at the national level and in ASEAN.

He added that he considers the progress of women to be vital. During the COVID-19 pandemic, women's resilience was demonstrated through micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), which are also deemed as drivers of the economy. Furthermore, women are also key to family development.

"Women take care of families that are the foundation for building a strong ASEAN community. Women also play a key role in teaching and spreading the values of moderation to the younger generation, starting from the family," he said.

While closing his remarks, Amin expressed the hope that the ACWO Forum and Expo, which was organized by the Indonesian Women's Congress (Kowani), would benefit women in ASEAN. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Presidential Staff Office (KSP) has released the 2023 Performance and Achievement Report of the administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin.

"In this report, we emphasize this nation's spirit of determination and mutual cooperation because that is how Indonesia can get through everything (including the COVID-19 pandemic)," KSP chief Moeldoko said at the report's launch here on Tuesday.

The report, which was prepared by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) and the ANTARA News Agency, highlights the foundation built by the government to achieve the goal of making Indonesia an advanced country.

Moeldoko listed five strategies that the government is using to strengthen efforts to make Indonesia a developed country, namely, the development of human resources as well as infrastructure, bureaucratic reform, economic transformation, and regulatory improvement.

"For the past nine years, we have maintained our stability well; (this is important) because without good stability, don't dream of investment coming in. We need to maintain public and international trust," he said.

With the help of various strategies carried out by the government, Moeldoko said, Indonesia has become an upper-middle-income country from a middle-income country.

Based on World Bank data, Indonesia's gross national income (GNI) increased by 9.8 percent to US$4,580 in 2022.

This achievement, Moeldoko said, was supported by the effective handling of the COVID-19 pandemic, the economic recovery program, and the economic transformation through the downstreaming of natural resources, among other factors.

Meanwhile, Indonesia is said to be "back on the world map" in world diplomacy and foreign policy.

Indonesia's strong diplomacy has been demonstrated during President Widodo's leadership of the G20, ASEAN, and the AIS Forum, as well as Indonesia's role in the UN Security Council and the UN Human Rights Council.

"All give a clear indication that other countries praise and trust Indonesia," Moeldoko said. (Antaranews)