VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

 The Indonesian government is drafting a regulation on the retrieval of valuable objects from sunken ships (BMKT) and their utilization, which the Marine Affairs and Fisheries Ministry expects will contribute to sustainable marine development.

"It will regulate the mechanism for retrieval, on-site and off-site utilization, and utilization status finalization of BMKT," acting Director General of Marine Spatial Management at the ministry Pamuji Lestari said in a statement here on Thursday.

The sunken ships can be developed into local community business since BMKT investment has been regulated by Government Regulations Number 5/2021 concerning Risk-Based Business Licensing, she added.

Furthermore, the ministry currently manages more than 200 thousand BMKT collections retrieved from Indonesian waters, dating from the 9th–18th centuries, she informed.

They are exhibited at the ministry’s Marine Heritage Gallery and stored at the Cileungsi Warehouse, which can be accessed openly by the public, she said.

In addition, the ministry has determined an Australian ship that sank during World War II in Banten Bay as a Maritime Conservation Area, which can be visited by divers who are interested in historical sites, Lestari added.

Meanwhile, the Director of Marine Services at the ministry, Miftahul Huda, said that BMKTs are marine resources that have economic, historical, cultural, and scientific value.

Hence, their use needs to be measured, he added. BMKT management includes ships, cargo, and locations, he noted.

"More than 900 ships and BMKT sites are recorded in Government Regulation Number 32/2019 concerning Marine Spatial Planning, while 463 of them are predicted to have historical value,” the director informed.

Twenty-five percent of the locations have been surveyed and valuables from three percent of them have been retrieved. In addition, around 15–30 sites have the potential to be developed into diving tourism attractions, he added.

Head of the ministry's Research Center for Coastal Resources and Vulnerability (LRSDKP), Bungus sub-district, Padang city, West Sumatra, Nia Naelul Hasanah Ridwan, said that marine tourism is the largest segment in the sector.

Hence, tourism development must be part of integrated coastal area management to help preserve vulnerable ecosystems and promote a blue economy, she added.

"Introducing BMKT as one of the marine resources is in line with Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sakti Wahyu Trenggono’s policy to manage marine resources wisely while still maintaining their sustainability and economic values," she remarked. (Antaranews)

Vice-president of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) Dr Gilles Carbonnier paid an official visit to Jakarta from 7 to ­8 December 2021. He also attended the 14th Bali Democracy Forum in Nusa Dua on 9 December.

Vice President Carbonnier held a series of meetings with the coordinating minister for economic affairs Mr Airlangga Hartarto, the minister of foreign affairs Ms Retno L.P. Marsudi, the minister of finance Ms Sri Mulyani Indrawati, the ASEAN deputy secretary-general for political security community Mr Michael Tene, and chairman of the Indonesian Red Cross Mr H.M. Jusuf Kalla.

During the meetings, Dr. Carbonnier discussed ICRC’s activities in Indonesia including its COVID-19 response in the eastern parts such as the provinces of East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, Papua and Papua Barat, in partnership with the Indonesian Red Cross. With ASEAN, he discussed building further the relationship with the Secretariat and member states. As Indonesia assumes the Presidency of the G-20, Dr Carbonnier discussed themes promoted by the Indonesian Government with ministers in charge, including global health and digital transformation.

 “I am glad to be back in Indonesia to develop further our dialogue with Indonesian authorities, ASEAN as well as the Indonesian Red Cross. We are proactively deepening cooperation on strategic and operational humanitarian priorities,” says Vice President Carbonnier.

 “As a neutral, independent, and impartial humanitarian organization, the ICRC looks forward to expanding joint initiatives in favour of people in fragile contexts affected by the cumulative effects of protracted conflict, climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic,” explains Vice President Carbonnier.

The ICRC’s exclusively humanitarian mission is to protect the lives and dignity of victims of armed conflict and other situations of violence and to provide them with assistance. The ICRC also endeavors to prevent suffering by promoting and strengthening international humanitarian law (IHL) and universal humanitarian principles. The ICRC has had a permanent presence in Indonesia since 1987. (VOI)

The Finance Ministry is considering extending the tax incentives program for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), offered under the COVID-19 national economic recovery scheme, in 2022.

"We need to evaluate the policy and observe the current economic trend before deciding the extension, yet if the ministry proceeds with the tax incentives extension, we still have a spare budget that can be used for MSMEs' benefit," the Finance Minister's special staff for strategic communication, Yustinus Prastowo, informed at an online dialogue in Jakarta on Thursday.

Under the government's national economic recovery scheme, enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic, MSMEs have been exempted from the obligation to pay income tax of 0.5 percent of the company's revenue, he informed.

Despite the planned tax incentives, Prastowo reminded that the recently-ratified Tax Regulation Harmonization Law exempts MSMEs earning less than Rp500 million (around US$35 thousand) in revenue from income tax obligations.

The law also provides a 50-percent corporate income tax discount -- currently pegged at 22 percent of the revenue -- to MSMEs earning more than Rp500 million in revenues, he added.

"Article 31E of the law stipulates that MSMEs that report more than Rp500 million revenues will have their corporate income tax obligation reduced to 11 percent," he said.

As the government is already helping MSMEs to continue their activities amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, Prastowo expressed the hope that MSMEs will utilize the opportunity to develop their business and comply with their tax obligations.

He also praised the law for relaxing tax regulations and providing clarity on legal and administrative requirements that will be more convenient for taxpayers.

The Finance Ministry will coordinate with the Investment Ministry to assess the tax incentives scheme and conceive stimulus plan revitalization, if needed, Prastowo said.

"By coordinating with another ministry, we could determine whether the current incentives model is feasible or needs improvement to ensure greater competitiveness and benefits for Indonesia," the expert staff added. (Antaranews)

The Jakarta administration remains resolute to maximizing the economic potential in coastal and island territories through the fishers' community empowerment program, Jakarta Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria stated.

"We want the community, especially the fishers' community in Jakarta, to obtain training, mentoring, and financial support through the Seribu Islands' Jakpreneur. We will continue to provide help," Patria affirmed.

The deputy governor delivered the remarks at the 10th National Conference on Marine Resources, Coasts, and Small Islands Management at Putri Duyung Resort, Ancol Dreamland, North Jakarta, on Thursday.

The enrichment program to boost the fishers' capacity aims to enable Jakarta's coasts, sea, and small islands to become the drivers of the blue economy for boosting social welfare through measurable governance.

According to Patria, the program is implemented through the regional budget and cooperation among related parties to manifest the fishers' prosperity in Seribu Islands District and North Jakarta.

Hence, the program is expected to boost the well-being of ordinary people and fishers residing in Jakarta's coastal areas.

"The assistance provided is in the form of pumps and fishing tools, in addition to guidance and training for fishers in the Seribu Islands and North Jakarta," Patria explained.

Meanwhile, Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan stated that the theme of this year's National Conference -- the management of marine resources, coastal areas, and small islands -- is important to support Jakarta's vision of the blue economy.

"This conference is expected to improve communication among experts, (blue economy) players, observers, and stakeholders, as well as serve as a facility for marine space management study," Baswedan remarked.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries has striven for ecological and economic balance by applying the principles of the blue economy.

One of the several programs in implementing blue economy in the Indonesian marine space is by cultivating four leading commodities in the global market: shrimps, lobsters, crabs, and seaweed. (Antaranews)