VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has urged professional workers in the financial sector to learn from the three earlier financial crises: the 1998 monetary crisis, the 2008 global financial crisis, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 1998 and 2008 crises were caused by financial problems, while the recent COVID-19 pandemic crisis resulted from issues in other sectors that eventually affected the financial sector.

"I think that professionals, especially younger professionals, need to understand why the financial sector can cause crises and why it can be severely affected by a health crisis," Mulyani remarked in Jakarta on Tuesday.

She made the statement during the opening ceremony and panel discussion of the 2023 Financial Professionals Association Expo, which was monitored online in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The 1998 monetary crisis and the 2008 global financial crisis were both driven by miscalculations made by financial professionals, she said.

Essentially, she remarked that those pursuing a career in the financial sector must possess the capability of presenting information, data, and facts, as well as conducting analysis on the quality of a financial transaction.

However, as the economy becomes more complex and modern, financial professionals need to conduct deeper analyses and make more meticulous decisions, she said.

"We can still deal with the problems resulting from a mistake made by one accounting firm. However, a mistake made by the whole industry indicates that there was an error in the valuation. This is what we refer to as a bubble in economic terms," she noted.

She said that the economic bubble may cause the economy to become vulnerable to a collapse.

"It is clear that all crises, starting from micro-level ones within a company to broader crises, are the results of chaotic balance sheets and income statements," she remarked.

Hence, Mulyani underlined the importance of the capability of financial professionals in ensuring the growth and sustainability of a country's economy. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (PDTT) is focusing on the first meeting of the ASEAN Village Network to take place in Yogyakarta Province.

"We choose Yogyakarta based on many considerations, including tourist village as one of the focus (areas) in the meeting," PDTT Minister Abdul Halim Iskandar remarked after his speech at the ASEAN Collaborative Forum on Localizing 2030 SDGs in the Village Level in Yogyakarta, Tuesday.

According to Iskandar, the first meeting of the forum for establishing village networks in ASEAN was a follow-up to the agreement made by ASEAN leaders at the 42nd ASEAN Summit in Labuan Bajo, East Nusa Tenggara, last May.

Through this network initiated by Indonesia, Iskandar noted that all ASEAN member countries with villages, except for Singapore, will synergize by building connectivity that leads to economic growth and the development of human resources (HR).

"We are prioritizing two things as mandated by President Joko Widodo, namely economic growth and development of human resources," he pointed out.

The minister is upbeat that villages in the ASEAN would exchange experiences and develop innovative strategies and policies to address the unique challenges faced by rural communities and up to the regional level.

He also believes that the first meeting of the ASEAN Village Network will open up new opportunities and create synergies to expedite village development, especially in accelerating the economic leverage of villages.

"We want the villages to get to know each other, learn from each other, and exchange experiences and success stories. The principle of the village development process is the easiest by observing, imitating, and modifying," he remarked.

As part of the series of events in the ASEAN Village Network in Yogyakarta, a visit was made to Mangunan Village in Bantul District, Yogyakarta, on Monday (July 24). In addition, several small meetings were held in various tourist villages in Yogyakarta.

Meanwhile, an exhibition, titled "ASEAN Rural Culture Expo in the Framework of ASEAN Identity," will be held at Breksi Cliff, Sambirejo Village, Sleman District, Yogyakarta, on Wednesday (July 26).

Minister Iskandar and the ASEAN Village Network delegation will attend the exhibition that will showcase various superior products from each tourist village and local products from Yogyakarta.

"This exhibition can become a medium for exchanging knowledge and experience for rural communities' capacity-building between ASEAN member countries," he noted. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna H. Laoly promoted the practice of freedom of religion in Indonesia to a member of the United Kingdom's Parliament, Fiona Bruce.

The minister said that the Indonesian government grants protection to human rights in various aspects of life, including freedom of religion.

"Indonesia, the world's largest Muslim country and third-largest democracy, consistently promotes and protects human rights in various aspects of life, including freedom of religion," he said as cited from a statement received in Jakarta on Tuesday.

In Indonesia, the freedom of religion is guaranteed and regulated by the 1945 Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia in Article 28 E, Paragraph 1 and Article 29, Paragraph 2, as well as in Article 22, Paragraph 1 and 2 of Law No. 39 of 1999 concerning human rights.

During a meeting with Bruce in the UK on Monday (July 24) evening local time, Minister Laoly told the legislator that people of different religions live peacefully in Indonesia, adding that the people even care for one another during religious holidays.

He then elaborated that such a peaceful condition is being supported by Pancasila (Five Principles), the nation's foundation and ideology, which also serves as the guardian of Indonesia's diverse religions, ethnicity, and cultures.

"As the country's ideology and foundation, Pancasila highly promotes diversity as well as just and civilized humanity, and safeguards Indonesia's unity," he noted.

According to the minister, the country's ideology teaches the people how to responsibly exercise their right to practice religions and have religious beliefs.

"Therefore, Indonesian people live in harmony and unite in diversity, in accordance with our motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," he explained.

Minister Laoly then expressed hope that the governments of Indonesia and the UK will continue to collaborate to promote freedom of religion at the global level, considering Bruce also serves as the British Prime Minister's Special Envoy for Freedom of Religion or Belief.

Moreover, she is serving as chairperson of the International Religious Freedom or Belief Alliance (IRFBA).

Bruce noted that the international community has recognized Indonesia's capability of safeguarding freedom of religion, despite having to manage various challenges as a result of its pluralistic society.

She said, Indonesia plays a central role in issues related to human rights, both within the national and global context. Hence, to this end, she looked forward to witnessing the strengthening of cooperation on freedom of religion between Indonesia and the British Parliament.

Both countries are currently collaborating to hold the International Conference on Cross-Cultural Religious Literacy scheduled to take place in Jakarta on November 13-14 this year.

The international conference will be organized by the Ministry of Law and Human Rights under the collaboration with Leimena Institute, International Center for Law and Religion Studies at the Brigham Young University Law School, and the US-based Secretariat of the IRFBA.

The legislator then confirmed that she will join the conference to talk on the topic "Human Dignity and the Rule of Law: Global and Regional Outlook." (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has said that government funding for the free COVID-19 vaccination program will end on December 31, 2023.

"We were asked for it (vaccination cost) to still be borne by the state until the end of the year," he informed after attending a stunting coordination meeting at Jakarta City Hall here on Monday.

However, he said, high-risk community groups and national health insurance BPJS Kesehatan contribution assistance recipients (PBIs) would be exempted from the paid COVID-19 vaccination scheme that will start early next year.

COVID-19 vaccination remains necessary even though Indonesia has entered the endemic phase, which was declared by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on June 21, he added.

The aim is to prevent COVID-19 transmission and prevent severe symptoms upon infection so that infected people do not need to undergo intensive treatment in a hospital.

"This is the same as meningitis (vaccination): for routine (vaccination), it still needs to be given. To whom? To people with high risk," he said.

The minister assured that COVID-19 vaccination will be provided free to all Indonesians until December 31, 2023.

Director general for disease prevention and control at the ministry, Maxi Rein Rondonuwu, said that the new regulation on free vaccination starting January 1, 2024, will only target high-risk groups and BPJS Kesehatan PBIs.

The high-risk groups include older adults with comorbidities, young adults with comorbidities, especially those who are obese, and people who have immune disorders, such as people with HIV.

"We are formulating the regulation, namely a health minister regulation regarding the new presidential regulation on the endemic phase. It is targeted to be applied starting from January 1, 2024," Rondonuwu informed. (Antaranews)