VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo reminded the importance of maintaining political stability in the country to guarantee the investment security. This was conveyed by President Joko Widodo when giving directions to Indonesian National Army Staff and Command School Students and Participants in the 2018 National Police Staff and Leadership School, Thursday at the State Palace, Jakarta. On the occasion, the President said that Indonesia as a large country is rich with ethnic, culture and language diversity. According to him, this strength must be utilized as a force in promoting national development and should not be regarded as a threat because of mismanagement.

“Therefore, I have said, that what is called political stability, what is called security stability is very important. It is very important that we do development in the country we love. It is impossible that investment will come to an area, to a country which is politically unstable and unsafe,” Joko Widodo said.

Furthermore, President Joko Widodo said that Indonesian security forces also have a responsibility to safeguard the investments spread throughout Indonesia until the remote areas. According to him, efforts to maintain the security of these investments will have an impact on increasing national economic growth. In addition, the President also reminded the Indonesian people to be developed according to the times. This is due to the rapid technological development that must be caught up if the Indonesian people do not want to be left behind by other nations in the world. (VOI/NDY/AHM)

The government would start the post-earthquake reconstruction of damaged buildings in Lombok Island in West Nusa Tenggara in early September, Indonesia`s Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljono said.

"We will start it in September. We only have two weeks left to prepare," Basuki noted, after his scientific oration at the Indonesian Institute of Science (LIPI) in Jakarta, on Thursday.

On Monday (Aug 27), a group of 150 students from the Faculty of Engineering of Mataram University and Gadjah Mada University would be sent to the island to give training on the Simple Healthy Instant House (RISHA) construction. Basuki elaborated that the government would not build temporary settlement, but it would provide tents for victims of the earthquake. It would also speed up the building reconstruction process.

"Development of the houses would be accelerated. We will try to finish it within six months. People would build their own house under our mentoring," Basuki remarked.

The government has asked the Indonesian Chamber of Trade and Industry (Kadin) to open building material kiosks in each subdistricts in Lombok Island and its neighboring province of East Java.

"The logistical supply could be taken from Surabaya (in East Java). They have Semen Gresik (cement factory) and steel manufacturer," he revealed, adding that development of one RISHA would take a month.

Previously, President Joko Widodo noted that the government has provided Rp50 million and Rp25 million of aid for rehabilitation of severely damaged and light damaged houses, respectively. Eight state-owned enterprises have begun the reconstruction of hospitals, markets, and schools in the region.

"We have dispatched some equipment for reconstruction. We have set the target to finish the reconstruction process in December," Basuki pointed out. ( ant )

Minister of State Enterprises (BUMN) Rini Soemarmo has officially commissioned a 150 Kv Holtekamp electrical relay station and transmission cables in Jayapura designed to increase electrification ratio in Papua and West Papua.

"With the new transmission system, Papua is expected to have more supply of power," Rini said when commissioning the facility in Jayapura on Friday ( 24 August )

She said she hoped there would be no more blackouts in Papua and the people could receive sufficient supply of power. Electricity would help improve the people`s welfare and the children could study at home more conveniently , she said.

"With the electricity, children could study longer and the people could use electricity to support their business," shes aid.

Meanwhile Business Director of the Maluku and Papua branch of the state electricity company PLN Ahmad Rofiq said the government was set to increase electrification ration especially in eastern Indonesia. Ahmad Rofiq said the electrification ratio in Papua and West Papua was still low at 53.62 percent -- Papua 44.85 percent and West Papua 86.28 percent.

"In order to increase the ratio, PLN has a program of Bright Papua bu speeding up construction of infrastructure in rural areas," he said.

He said the geographical condition of Papua is a big challenge in the implementation of the program. (ant)

Minister of Transportation (Menhub) Budi Karya Sumadi said that the Indonesian government encourages the use of 50 percent of local components for infrastructure development, especially railways.

"We will intensify our train manufacturing industry, so that `local content` would increase. When we built the first `local content,` it was 30 percent; now it is 40 percent; and in the near future, with our State-Owned Enterprises Minister, we will increase it to above 50 percent," Sumadi stated here on Thursday.

He noted that according to President Joko Widodo`s mandate, domestic projects must use more local components.

By using more local components, many positive impacts would be obtained, including saving a lot of foreign exchange, absorbing many local personnel, and allowing export, he further stressed.

According to him, the railway project in Palembang has reached 40 percent of local components.

Regarding the Jakarta-Surabaya semi-fast train project, Sumadi remarked that he had sought reasonable prices and participation of domestic contractors. (ant)