VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

China's legislature will vote in the coming days on a plan to reform institutions under the State Council, or Cabinet, and decide on a new Cabinet line-up for the next five years, including a new premier, an agenda showed on Saturday.

The annual National People's Congress (NPC) will also review a series of reports including the current premier's government work report, parliament spokesman Wang Chao told a news conference.

Draft amendments to the country's Legislative Law - which governs how laws are enacted - are also on the agenda of the meeting that is due to start on Sunday.

In the latter half of the NPC, which runs until March 13, the nearly 3,000 members of the largely rubber-stamp parliament will elect and endorse a new line-up of top government officials. Xi Jinping is widely expected to secure his third five-year term as president when lawmakers vote on March 10.

He renewed calls this week for the "intensive" reorganisation of state and Communist Party entities, adding that part of the reform plan pertaining to state institutions would be presented before parliament.

Lawmakers are also due to vote on the State Council's institution reform plan on March 10.

The call for institutional reforms comes after China's economy grew 3% last year - one of its feeblest rates in nearly half a century - weakened by strict COVID-19 curbs championed by Xi that were lifted in December.

On Sunday, the government work report due to be delivered by Premier Li Keqiang at the start of parliament will unveil the official 2023 economic growth target, among many other social and economic objectives.

The gross domestic product (GDP) target could be as high as 6%, compared with a 4.5%-5.5% range proposed in November, sources told Reuters this week.

NEW PREMIER

A new premier for the next five years will be decided by parliament on March 11. A day later, it will decide on a new batch of vice premiers, state councillors, ministers as well as the governor of the People's Bank of China.

Among the amendments to China's Legislative Law set to be reviewed at the meeting is a proposal that would allow the NPC Standing Committee to pass laws in the event of an "emergency" after a single review.

The committee, which enacts and amends laws when parliament is not in session, voted in June 2020 to adopt landmark laws on national security in Hong Kong. That legislation was put to the vote after two rounds of deliberation.

Lawmakers will vote on the draft amendments to the Legislative Law on March 13. (Reuters)

Flooding resulting from days of torrential rain has forced almost 40,000 people to flee their homes in Malaysia's southern Johor state, bordering Singapore, and at least four people have died during the past week, officials said on Saturday.

"We used to always prepare for the rainy season in November and December," Mohd Noor Saad, a 57-year-old resident in the town of Yong Peng, in Johor's Batu Pahat district told Reuters.

"Each household had a boat, but now with the unpredictable weather, it seems that we are not prepared and it's become chaotic."

Authorities have set up more than 200 relief shelters for people displaced by the floods, the national disaster management agency said.

Floods in Malaysia are common during the annual monsoon season between October and March, but the downpour this week left many Johor residents scrambling to find shelter.

Carrying belongings out of her house in thigh-high water, cafe worker Kabibah Siam, 54, said she was resigned to fending for herself during the floods.

"What can we do? We cannot complain about our fate because everyone is in the same boat here," she said.

While Johor was worst-hit, there was flooding in other states too that displaced hundreds of people.

The meteorological department warned of more rain in coming days, mostly in the southern states. (reuters)

Jakarta (voinews): State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir has said that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has directed the local and central governments to synchronize their joint spatial plan following the Pertamina fuel terminal fire in Plumpang, North Jakarta.

"President Jokowi has instructed local and central governments regarding spatial planning together with the National Police (Polri) and the SOEs Ministry," Thohir informed at a press conference at the Pertamina Central Hospital in Jakarta on Saturday.

Looking at the current condition of national vital objects, Thohir said that the average buffer zone separating residential areas from fuel terminals and fuel refineries is too little.

"Pertamina's buffer zone from 1971 to 1987 was in a safe condition. However, after 1998, there were a lot of buffer zone losses. It did not only occur in Plumpang, but also in other areas," the minister noted.

He said two years ago, he had ever spoken with Pertamina, state-owned mining holding MIND ID, state-electricity company PLN, and state-owned fertilizer company Pupuk Indonesia about remapping the buffer zone in a safe manner.

If that is not possible, the minister informed that there is a relocation option that the companies can exercise. A suggestion for shifting Plumpang fuel terminal to Pelindo port was made two years ago, he added.

"For now, I think it is impossible for us to work alone. We need support from the regional government regarding this buffer zone and relocation. I think President Jokowi will make sure about this in the next few days regarding the medium- and long-term plan," Thohir added.

Earlier, he said he planned to rearrange the zoning locations in a number of national vital objects managed by SOEs. He informed that the rearrangement of national vital objects had to be done properly to prevent a negative impact on the surrounding neighborhoods.

He informed that the rearrangement of national vital objects’ borders near residential housing must be carried out to prevent incidents such as the fire at Plumpang fuel terminal on Friday night.

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin also urged Pertamina to immediately find solutions for residential areas near fuel terminals and fuel refineries.  (Antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): The president director of state-run racing promotor Mandalika Grand Prix Association (MGPA), Priandhi Satria, has saidthat the training program for personnel participating in Indonesian racing events has been strengthened over the years.

The effort has resulted in an increasing number of residents living around the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit, Central Lombok District, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) Province, becoming involved in the implementation of World Superbike (WSBK) and MotoGP, especially as marshals, he said.

"In this event (2023 WSBK), there are more Indonesian (personnel and marshals than foreign officers) -- as in the 2022 event,” he told ANTARA at the circuit on Friday.

The number of racing personnel recruited from Jakarta and Yogyakarta has declined, while the number of personnel from around the Mandalika area has increased, he noted.

"Thus, the technical coaching and training (held so far) have improved the ability of each (local personnel)," the MGPA president director added.

He said that most of the personnel and committee members involved in the first implementation of the WSBK and the MotoGP at the circuit — in November 2021 and March 2022, respectively — were foreigners.

"In 2021 (WSBK), Malaysian officers were heavily involved as marshals. In the 2022 WSBK, it (the number of Malaysian marshals) dropped to 34,” he added.

Meanwhile, for the 2023 WSBK, his party has only employed one foreign marshal, since the officer is the holder of a super license from the International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) as well as Dorna, which owns the commercial rights for MotoGP and WSBK.

"Dorna has acknowledged that the ability of the Indonesian (racing) officers and experts is sufficient and quite good," Satria said.

He further said that his party has continued to make efforts to improve the convenience of the staff, racers, racing crew, and spectators.

His party has improved the condition of the parking lots and access to the circuit as well as increased the number of shuttle buses for spectators.

The 2023 MOTUL FIM Superbike World Championship Indonesian Round is being held at the Pertamina Mandalika International Street Circuit from March 3 to 5.  (Antaranews)