VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Trade Minister Muhammad Lutfi on Thursday reiterated Indonesia's commitment to applying the sustainable economy concept despite the current uncertainty in global trade.



"Indonesia is responsible for not only Indonesian goods, but also forests as the foothold for the nation in the present and future times," Lutfi said at the launch of PT Asia Pacific Rayon's (APR) viscose rayon production for the domestic and global markets in Pangkalan Kerinci sub-district, Pelalawan district, Riau, according to a statement released here on Thursday.



Lutfi simultaneously launched the export of PaperOne, a brand of office paper produced by PT Riau Andalan Pulp and Paper (RAPP). The product is being exported to more than 75 countries, with the total export volume pegged at 755 thousand tons, he noted.



The event was attended by Vice Governor of Riau, Edy Natar Nasution, Pelalawan district head Zukri Misran, RGE managing director Anderson Tanoto, COO APRIL Eduward Ginting, and APR director Basrie Kamba.



The government will continue to maintain a favorable climate for trade to increase exports and recover the national economy, Lutfi assured.



"In addition, the Trade Ministry will continue to maintain a favorable trade situation to penetrate the global market and maintain a sustainable supply for the domestic market," he added.



Meanwhile, Riau Vice Governor Edy Natar Nasution said the export marks the recovery of Riau's economy.



"The presence of a rayon factory in Riau is expected to increase the province's gross domestic product by 1.49 percent from the non-oil and gas sector and encourage small and medium industries in several business sectors involved in factory activities. This can have a multiplier effect on sustainable economic development in Riau," Nasution elaborated.



APRIL COO Eduward Ginting said that despite pressures from the COVID-19 pandemic situation, APR's viscose rayon production and marketing have shown a positive performance.



"The launching of viscose rayon product is a new achievement for APR in its effort to strengthen the national textile industry while reducing dependence on imports of textile raw materials," he added. (Antaranews)

The phenomenon of digitalization, as part of the current development of digital technology, is a great opportunity for accelerating the growth of sharia economics and finance in Indonesia, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said.

"It (digitalization) is a great opportunity for accelerating sharia economic growth in Indonesia, and it can accelerate the market inflow of sharia financial institutions and businesses," he noted at the opening of the 2021 virtual annual meeting of the Indonesian Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS) on Thursday.

The digitalization process, which is now growing quite rapidly, will enter the economic and Islamic finance ecosystem in Indonesia, he said.

Therefore, Amin urged the DPS and all stakeholders in the Islamic economy and finance sector to prepare the infrastructure to encourage progress in the sector.

"It is important for all stakeholders to prepare the infrastructure and its superstructure more thoroughly," he added.

He also appealed to all members and leaders of DPS to build their literacy in digital and information technology to carry out supervision related to sharia compliance in every sharia financial institution and business.

"As a party directly involved in supervising sharia compliance in every sharia financial and business institution, DPS must be well-informed regarding economic digitalization," Amin, who also serves as the chairman of the Advisory Council of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), remarked.

The MUI National Sharia Council (DSN) is also expected to prepare a fatwa (decree) as a tool to help DPS in conducting the economic supervision of sharia financial institutions and businesses, he informed.

Meanwhile, deputy chairperson of the MUI, Anwar Abbas, asked all parties to commit to realizing universal values in various Islamic economic and financial activities.

"Members of the Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS) attend this meeting in order to gain knowledge to carry out their duties," Abbas said.

The annual meeting of the DPS is being held for two days—Thursday and Friday—to increase the capacity, insight, and knowledge of DPS members in the sharia financial industry sector, he added.

All DPS members in Indonesia, MUI board members, heads of Islamic financial institutions, sharia activists, and representatives from related ministries and non-ministerial government institutions (K/L) are attending the meeting. (Antaranews)

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has urged the Financial Services Authority (OJK) and Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) to issue a regulation and a guideline to help boost development of the digital sharia economy.

"The OJK must immediately issue a set of regulations that follow the digital trend, so that it can maintain the convenience of investing while upholding public trust," Amin noted in his opening remarks at a meeting of the Sharia Supervisory Board (DPS) 2021 here, Thursday.

The vice president additionally urged the National Sharia Council (DSN) of the MUI to act quickly in providing guidance related to sharia values in sharia economic development.

"The MUI DSN must also quickly to provide guidance on sharia values in the development of this digital economy, so that public trust in Islamic financial institutions and businesses is maintained properly," Amin, concurrently chairman of the MUI Advisory Council, affirmed.

The support from various ministries and non-ministerial government institutions (K/L) as well as mass organizations (ormas) is deemed necessary to accelerate development of the Islamic economic and financial ecosystem in Indonesia, he affirmed.

"Economic digitalization forces market players to provide products and services for Islamic financial institutions and businesses that are more competitive, easier, effective, and efficient," Amin remarked.

All players in the Islamic economy and finance industry must also provide innovative products and services that make it easier for the public to access these Islamic financial institutions and businesses, he added.

"One of the functions of Islamic financial institutions and businesses is to serve the public, so that it is easier to fulfill their needs," Amin affirmed.  (Antaranews)

Disaster mitigation requires a paradigm shift to reduce the damage caused by disasters, head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), IMajor General Suharyanto, said here on Thursday.

“It needs more paradigm shift for disaster mitigation than merely the paradigm of risk reduction in the paradigm of policy failure,” he remarked during a webinar entitled 'Building the Coastal Regional and Community Resilience in Times of Turbulence: Recalibrating Our Development-Resilience Relation'.

According to Suharyanto, the many tsunamis recorded in Indonesia, especially those that caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, such as the 2004 Aceh Tsunami, must serve as a lesson for stakeholders for deciding a better policy and managing future risks.

Meanwhile, the unpredictable conditions due to the global pandemic have also impacted Indonesia, which is still in the national development process, he said. This has made disaster mitigation more complex, he added.

“This matter needs the approach of transformation or change in the decision-making process and development (to one) that is based on science, fact, and knowledge,” he remarked.

The goal can only be realized by removing barriers and imaginary walls arising from the illusion of disciplinary and sectoral ego, Suharyanto said. Such an approach must involve interdisciplinary science, grounded transdisciplinary approach, and qualified public policymaking, he added.

Through this approach, the process of handling disasters can become systemic and sustainable and involve policies that are based on risk and resilience, he said.

Risk-based development should align with the traditional optimization of water and natural resources, Suharyanto said. The goal of such optimization is to maximize the national economy without ruling out environmental sustainability or increasing disaster vulnerability, he added.

This optimization can be achieved through the blue economy or circular economy concept, he said.

Moreover, the national early-warning system program can detect multiple dangers and should be strengthened, he emphasized. The community’s readiness can also help reduce policy failures, especially when it comes to the accumulation of vulnerability that can potentially trigger disasters from the social side.  (Antaranews)