VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD met with Army Chief of Staff General Dudung Abdurachman at the former’s office in Jakarta on Tuesday to discuss security arrangements in Papua province.

Mahfud said the government has continued to hold dialogues to deal with various problems in Papua using welfare approaches, in accordance with Presidential Instruction No. 9/2020 on accelerating welfare development in Papua and West Papua and Law No. 2/2021 on Papua’s special autonomy.

“We will use welfare approaches in which the government will focus its resources, including apparatuses, personnel, and funds, on developing welfare in a collaborative and comprehensive manner in accordance with the Presidential instruction," Mahfud said following the meeting with Abdurachman.

The meeting was also attended by Commander of Cendrawasih Regional Military Command XVII, Major General Ignatius Yogo Triyono, and Commander of Kasuari Regional Military Command XVIII, Major General I Nyoman Cantiasa.

The government will also continue to prioritize dialogue in order to develop Papua, Mahfud informed.

He reiterated that Papua is a part of the Unitary Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) like other parts of the country.

"Some say that we must hold dialogues with the people of Papua. We will continue to hold (such) dialogues. As the public sees, we continue to hold dialogues. I invite them to come here to hold dialogues with customary chiefs, academics, religious leaders, and youth organization chiefs. We will continue to prioritize dialogues to build Papua," he said in a press statement on Tuesday.

The security agencies have identified areas in Papua where armed criminal groups (KKB) are still operating, he added.

“We have been mapping areas which are rather 'hot'. Only certain areas are rather 'hot' and their residents have not changed. Don’t waste a lot of energy going there. We develop Papua as a brother. Papua is our brother not KKB. Papua is our brother like those from Java, Sumatra, Bugis, Aceh so we treat them the same as part of NKRI,” he remarked.

Meanwhile, General Dudung said he is ready to support the program that President Joko Widodo has launched by preparing personnel to perform operational tasks.

Dudung said the task of developing personnel lies with the Army Chief of Staff, while operational tasks are conducted in accordance with TNI chief General Andika Perkasa’s directives. (Antaranews)

Although the government has decided against imposing Level 3 community activity restrictions (PPKM) during the year-end holidays, health protocols will continue to be enforced, the Riau Islands COVID-19 Task Force has said.

With the COVID-19 situation under control, people will be able to carry out their activities as usual, but they should not give in to euphoria yet, spokesperson for the task force, Tjetjep Yudiana, said in Tanjungpinang on Tuesday.

There are only six active cases of COVID-19 in Riau Islands, five of which have been reported in Batam city and one in Karimun district, he informed. There are no active cases of COVID-19 in Lingga, Natuna, Anambas, and Tanjungpinang, he said.

"Although active COVID-19 cases have drastically decreased, there should not be a 2022 New Year's party that causes people to crowd/gather," he cautioned.

Yudiana informed that the government is still pushing efforts to prevent the spread of COVID-19, even more so now that the Omicron variant has been detected in Singapore, which borders Riau Islands.

The Instruction of the Home Affairs Ministry Number 62 of 2021 regarding the prevention and control of the coronavirus disease 2019 at year-end has become the basis for this decision, he added.

The regulation details the requirements for domestic long-distance travel during the year-end holidays, he said. Everyone who travels to other areas or between islands is required to be fully vaccinated and carry a negative antigen result taken a maximum of one day before departure, he added.

Adults who have not received a complete COVID-19 vaccination or cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons are not allowed to travel long-distance, he said.

He informed that children may travel under stricter conditions: They are required to submit a PCR test result, which will remain valid for three days for air travel, or an antigen test result, which will remain valid for one day for land or sea travel.

"We urge residents to continue to adhere to the health protocols when traveling outside the area," he added. (Antaranews)

Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate accentuated that the tightening of rules on public activities during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays was the government's measure to control the COVID-19 pandemic.

The government is focusing on bringing the pandemic situation under control in a bid to ensure that the upcoming G20 Presidency ran smoothly.

“Public activity restrictions (PPKM) are not the way but the tightening of rules during Christmas and New Year is. A ministerial regulation from the Ministry of Home Affairs will specifically regulate public activities during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays by still controlling or being aware of COVID-19,” Plate said in his statement here, Wednesday.

At the cabinet meeting, the government has decided to focus on overseeing the situation during Christmas and New Year to prevent COVID-19 transmission.

The decision was taken based on profound observation and bearing in mind the slopping trend of the pandemic situation in Indonesia in addition to several new pieces of information that indicated the new Omicron variant is not as worrisome a matter.

Plate stressed that the public should stay aware and strictly follow the health protocols. He also reminded the public to not become trapped by the current achievement.

At the last cabinet meeting, the government had decided to cancel the plan of implementing level 3 PPKM. However, the Ministry of Home Affairs is currently preparing new regulations.

First, only fully vaccinated citizens can travel. To this end, the minister has encouraged the public to get vaccinated promptly.

Public celebrations for Christmas and New Year are banned, but people are still allowed to worship on a limited scale. Places of worship are open, with a maximum of 50 percent of their normal capacity.

Moreover, sports and arts events with spectators are prohibited from being held.

Lastly, the government affirmed that restaurants and malls can still open, with a maximum capacity of 75 percent during the Christmas and New Year’s holidays.

In addition, to prevent the entry of the Omicron variant, the government has also tightened the country’s entry gates. (Antaranews)

Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives' (DPR RI's) Commission VII Eddy Soeparno opined that the amended Oil and Gas Law will provide legal certainty to investors and regulators.

"We are optimistic that the new Oil and Gas Law would invigorate competitiveness in the oil and gas industry. The amended law will also address several issues related to the national oil and gas sector," Soeparno stated during a focus group discussion about the future of Indonesia's oil and gas industry in Jakarta on Tuesday.

The legislator noted that the amended law would tackle the political issue, as the progress in revision of Law No. 22 of 2011 on Oil and Gas had been stalled in parliament since 2018.

"The amended law will also resolve the juridical issue on the sector, as the Constitutional Court had earlier annulled several articles on the original Oil and Gas Law," he stated.

The amended law is expected to enhance and facilitate the sector's regulator, Special Task Force for Upstream Oil and Gas Business Activities (SKK Migas), in achieving the daily oil lifting target of one million barrels by 2030, the commission VII deputy chair noted.

Soeparno highlighted that as long as the amended law is not finalized by the legislature, SKK Migas will remain as an ad-hoc institution, a factor that may cause investors to hesitate to invest in the industry.

Investors would prefer to engage in business with a permanent government institution established on a firm legal basis, the legislator stated.

The amended Oil and Gas Law will also facilitate easier permit application for investors in Indonesia's oil and gas industry sector, he added.

"The current regulation triggering hesitation among investors to invest in the industry due to complicated red tapes have made our country an unattractive investment target for foreign investors," Soeparno stated.

The legislator made assurance that the legislature will proceed with the revision as the parliament's Legislation Body had agreed to include the Oil and Gas Law amendment in next year's national legislature programme.  (Antaranews)