VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Head of the Fiscal Policy Office (BKF) of the Finance Ministry, Febrio Kacaribu, has said that the increase in Indonesia's debt ratio amid the COVID-19 pandemic has been relatively small compared to other countries.

"Our debt ratio only increased around 10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) -- from around 30 percent of the GDP in 2019 to around 40 percent of the GDP in 2021," he noted at a webinar here on Monday.

In fact, the debt ratios of other countries surged higher than Indonesia's amid the pandemic, he said.

For instance, Argentina's debt ratio soared to 50 percent of its GDP, while China’s rose to 40 percent of its GDP, Kacaribu pointed out. Brazil and Turkey also experienced the same situation, he said.

Hence, Indonesia's current debt ratio is relatively safe, he remarked. In addition, there were no problems amid the pandemic as well as the previous years, he said.

The BKF head explained that Indonesia's debt ratio has always been safe because, since 2016, the state budget (APBN) deficit has always been less than 3 percent of the GDP. In fact, it has tended to be less than 2 percent of the GDP, he said.

"Thus, our fiscal is very controlled," he emphasized.

According to Kacaribu, Indonesia’s debt ratio is one of the lowest in the world, especially considering that Indonesia is the world’s 16th largest economy.

The average debt of developed countries in 2019 was already above 80 percent of their GDP, there were even some countries that had debt ratios above 100 percent of their GDP, he noted.

"It saves us amid the pandemic. When we face the pandemic, we are aware that the state must spend more for the people, thus we need to increase the deficit. Hence, our fiscal must be very strong and the APBN become a countercyclical instrument," Kacaribu said.

Hence, in the future, the government will strive to keep the budget deficit at 3 percent or less so that the nation's debt ratio remains stable, he informed.  (Antaranews)

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) Deputy Speaker Lestari Moerdijat has stressed that central and regional stakeholders need to be consistent in building awareness on disasters among the people living in disaster-prone areas.

"Stakeholders must consistently build awareness among the people in disaster-prone areas so that they understand the importance of emergency response steps when a disaster occurs," she said in a written statement received here on Monday.

According to Moerdijat, consistent emergency response training for people in disaster-prone areas is essential for preventing casualties when natural disasters occur.

The National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) recorded 2,461 disasters in Indonesia from January 1 to November 18, 2021, she noted.

With that record, she said she hoped that the stakeholders in central and regions prioritize anticipatory efforts for dealing with the threat of natural disasters to avoid falling victim to them.

Such anticipatory efforts could include providing sufficient knowledge and understanding to the community, especially those living in disaster-prone areas, regarding several actions they must take immediately during a natural disaster, Moerdijat said.

Then, dissemination of maps of disaster-prone areas and training related to emergency response measures aimed at people living in disaster areas must be consistently carried out to reduce panic when natural disasters occur, she said.

She then noted the importance of building public trust in the early warning system so that there is enough time for the community to avoid the impact of a more severe disaster.

For that reason, Moerdijat stressed that information that could be used to support efforts towards anticipating disasters be made accessible to the public and stakeholders so they can better tackle the threat of natural disasters.

She expressed the hope that the collaboration between stakeholders and the community for anticipating natural disasters runs well.

Because, without it, the potential for victims to emerge whenever a natural disaster occurs in the country will continue to increase, she remarked. (Antaranews)

The Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry supports the development of human resources for tourism in the Merangin Geopark, Jambi, to achieve the status as UNESCO Global Geopark.

"To accelerate development of the Merangin Geopark, one of the efforts is to improve the capacity of human resources, (which are) managers and communities in tourist areas," director of the regional event organizing committee at the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry Joko Suharbowo stated in Jambi on Monday.

Suharbowo opined that the Merangin Geopark development would be easier to conduct should the human resources comprehend the importance of tourism. Human resources, with better qualifications, will be more capable of improving and managing tourism, according to Suharbowo.

Human resource development in tourism for the Merangin Geopark aligns with the Jambi Province Culture and Tourism Office's proposal. It will help to garner better community support for the geopark's development.

"We received information that the complete document of the Merangin Geopark has been received by UNESCO. Thus, we need support, so that the Merangin Geopark is included in the world heritage list registered and accredited at the UNESCO," he stated.

Suharbowo also expected national-scale activities to be conducted in the Merangin Geopark area, such as the national rafting competition, traditional festivals, and cultural events. Hosting such activities will garner the interest of both local and foreign tourists to visit the Merangin Geopark.

Head of the Jambi Province Culture and Tourism Office Arif Budiman stated that the development in tourism human resources would encourage greater public awareness of the area's tourism. Thus, it will be easier to obtain support for accelerating the development of the Merangin Geopark area.

"If the people's mindset is already a tourism(-oriented) one, then the development of the Merangin Geopark area will become faster, and of course, this will also have an impact on improving the economy of the people in the area," he emphasized. (antaranews)

The government is continuing to expedite efforts to vaccinate vulnerable groups and children to limit the potential spread of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, has said.

"In this case, because many children are also affected, the vaccination of children needs to be pushed," he said in an official statement after a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Monday.

The President has also asked for the preparation of booster vaccinations so that they can be administered from January 2022, Hartarto said. The delivery of booster vaccinations will be regulated by the Health Ministry, he informed.

"So, we are finalizing the PBI-based vaccine and also the non-PBI vaccine," he said.

Currently, the Omicron variant of COVID-19 has been detected in 45 countries, he noted. It has prompted the World Health Organization (WHO) to request genome sequencing, limit community activities, and hasten the vaccination of vulnerable people, he said.

In preparation for the year-end holidays, the President has asked that the number of people participating in activities be capped at 50, Hartarto informed. The policy will be adjusted to the WHO's advice, stipulated in the regulations set by the Home Affairs Ministry, he said.

"However, the activities will be detailed. So, the maximum activity is at the mall, then for restaurants a maximum of 75 percent (capacity), and 75 percent (capacity) for various activities. However, there is a limit on the number, which is capped at 50 people, and those who may travel are those who have been vaccinated," he elaborated.

The minister said that the meeting also discussed the preparation of G20 activities in Bali, which would commence soon. The health protocols and a bubble system will be imposed at meeting places and other locations, he added.

"There will be a health protocol in a bubble, and the application of the bubble will be carried out at hotel locations where meetings, side events (take place), and (we will) use the PeduliLindungi application, and all participants will undergo antigen test every day," he said.

As of December 3, 2021, the National Economic Recovery program budget has reached Rp513.1 trillion or 68.6 percent, he informed.

Of the budget, Rp140.52 trillion or 65.4 percent will be distributed to health clusters, Rp142.63 trillion or 76.4 percent to the social protection sector, Rp80.68 trillion or 68.4 percent to priority programs, and Rp85.50 trillion or 51 percent to MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises).

"Most of them are from the corporate sector whose PPs are being prepared, while the MSMEs have been relatively implemented. Then, business incentives have reached Rp63.84 trillion or 101 percent. For testing, tracing Rp3.11 trillion or 69 percent. For therapeutic incentives for health workers compensation is 80 percent, for vaccination 28.77 percent, Rp77 trillion, and social security is at Rp142.63 trillion," he elaborated.  (Antaranews)