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PLN Gradually Recovers Electricity Supply (0)
State-owned electricity firm PT PLN has recovered electric power to Balaraja Extra High Voltage substation in Banten Province, and furthermore it will be channeled to Suralaya steam-fueled power plant (PLTU) to gradually recover its operation to reach its capacity of 2800 MW of electricity.
In addition, power supply from Gandul Extra High Voltage substations in Depok, West Java Province, will be channeled to Muara Karang gas and steam power plant (PLTGU) to supply electricity to the Indonesian capital city, Jakarta.
Acting President Director of PLN Sripeni Inten Cahyani said here on Sunday that the power supply to Jakarta was expected to recover within three hours.
"We apologize for the inconvenience today, and currently all efforts have been made to recover the Java-Bali power system, especially in the area of West Java, Banten, and Jakarta," Cahyani said.
The company has focused on power supply to PLTGU Muara Karang and PLTGU Priok to recover the system in the capital city.
Previously, PLN has recovered the operation of hydro-generated power plant (PLTA) Saguling and PLTA Cirata which are functioned as power stabilizer, and, at the same time, supply the electricity to PLTU Suralaya through Cibinong, Depok, Gandul, Lengkok, Balaraja and Suralaya extra high voltage substations.
PLTU Suralaya is expected to return to its normal operation within six hours to normalize power system in West Java and Banten.
Blackout that affected thousands of homes and public facilities in West Java, Jakarta, and Banten was caused by several troubles in the extra high voltage 500 kV transmission of Ungaran - Pemalang.
"PLN has taken its best efforts and will have evaluation to prevent recurrence of today's incident," Cahyani said.
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May
Tokyo Olympics remains on schedule: Indonesia's Olympic Committee
Written by Nur Yasmin
International Olympic Committee (IOC) has confirmed to all National Olympic Committees (NOC) that the Tokyo Olympics remains to be held on schedule, on July 23-August 8.
Secretary General of the Indonesia’s Olympic Committee (KOI) Fery Kono made the statement towards the growing uncertainties over the 2020 Tokyo Olympics that have led to waves of rejection from Japanese citizens because it was deemed unsafe to be held due to rising number of COVID-19 cases.
“So, there is no delay until now,” he confirmed.
Kono explained that the Indonesian contingents continue to prepare themselves for the greatest sport event in the world, moreover several qualification matches are still running.
In addition, KOI had already held some regular meetings with Chief de Mission or Chairman of Tokyo Olympics Contingents Rosan P Roeslani to discuss about the team’s preparations and plans during in Tokyo later.
“We have already had a meeting with Chief de Mission to discuss about the preparations, starting from the accreditation, estimated number of teams, accommodation, transportation during in Tokyo and everything the contingent team is in charge of,” he said.
Several Indonesian athletes who have passed the qualifications and are ready to go to the Tokyo Olympics are Lalu Muhammad Zohri (athletics), Riau Ega Agatha and Diananda Chairunisa from archery, Vidya Rafika Rahmatan Thayiba ( shooting), Rifda Irfanaluthfi from gymnastics, and Mutiara rahma Putri/Melani from rowing.
The number of athletes will continue to increase since there are several athletes who have passed the qualifications but, yet to be confirmed to go, such as two weightlifters, namely Eko Yuli Irawan and Windy Cantika.
Furthermore, as many as 11 Indonesia’s badminton athletes have also secured their positions and they are expected to be able to retain the gold medal tradition when in Tokyo later. (Antaranews)
May
MES chairman echoes commitment to supporting Palestinians
Written by nuke
Minister of State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir. ANTARA/HO-Kementerian BUMN/pri -
Sharia Economic Community (MES) Chairman, concurrently State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir voiced the joint commitment by the government to support Palestinian people.
In a written statement received here on Saturday, Thohir echoed that MES' support not only demonstrated the organization's outlook as a sharia economic community but also its commitment to humanity.
MES remarked that as an organization engaged in the economic sector, support for humanity is a priority, as basically the sharia economy aims to ensure common welfare. As a form of solidarity, the MES will distribute medical aid to areas in need, such as in Gaza, Palestine.
"To strengthen humanitarian solidarity, the MES will bolster its resources to provide medicines to the Palestinian people through donations from MES members," Thohir noted.
As an integral part of the economy of society, the MES feels it has a moral responsibility to proclaim the rights of Palestinian people to the global community.
Thohir believes that MES’ assistance is a direct solution for people in need in Palestine.
"The MES must be present to provide solutions anywhere for the benefit of the people," he noted.
Meanwhile, members and the general public keen on offering medical assistance through the Sharia Economic Community can distribute it through https://kitabisa.com/solidaritasbantupalestina dan BNI Syariah, with Account Number 0113677917 in the name of Sharia Economic Community.
Earlier, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and violence erupted owing to the ire of Palestinian people as Israel had been restricting their rights in Jerusalem, including during clashes between police and protesters at Al-Aqsa Mosque.
Since the fighting broke out on May 10, health officials in Gaza remarked that 232 Palestinians, including 65 children, were killed and over 1,900 were injured in Israeli air bombs//ANT
May
World leaders should work together to close vaccine gap: President
Written by nuke
Indonesian President Joko Widodo during a virtual speech at the Global Health Summit on Friday night (5/21/2021). ANTARA/HO-Biro Pers Sekretariat Presiden -
Indonesian President Joko Widodo urged world leaders to take concrete steps to address gaps in access to vaccines in order to ensure fair and equitable access for all countries.
"I must remind all of us again that we will only truly recover and be safe from COVID-19 if all countries have also recovered. No one is safe until everyone is," the president noted during a virtual speech at the Global Health Summit on Friday night and accessed via the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel here on Saturday.
The head of state noted that when some countries started vaccinating low-risk groups, such as children and young people, only 0.3 percent of the global vaccine supply was available to low-income countries.
Widodo noted that the gap had apparently become even more noticeable when 83 percent of the global vaccine supplies were absorbed by rich countries, while the remaining 17 percent went to developing countries that constitute 47 percent of the world's population.
"Hence, we must take concrete steps. In the short term, we must encourage dose-sharing through the Covax Facility scheme even more. This is a form of solidarity that must be encouraged and multiplied, especially in overcoming supply constraints," the president affirmed.
In the long term, the global community must be able to double vaccine production to fulfill the global requirement and build health resilience. Such resilience necessitates boosting collective production capacity through technology transfer and investment.
"If the issue of vaccine production and distribution capacity is not addressed immediately, I am afraid that the pandemic will be resolved over time," he noted.
The head of state remarked that the G-20 member countries must extend support for increased production and equal access to vaccines for all nations. To this end, Indonesia fully supports the TRIPS Waiver proposal calling to temporarily relinquish its obligation to protect intellectual property rights related to the prevention, handling, or treatment of COVID-19.
Indonesia has decided to become one of the countries that supports the proposal. Indonesia also expects other G-20 member countries to provide the same support.
"As the largest vaccine producer in Southeast Asia, Indonesia is ready to become a hub for increasing vaccine production in the region," the president remarked.
Hence, G-20 countries must also take part in building a solid global health resilience architecture to better face similar threats in future. Hence, global cooperation is a necessity.
Principles outlined in the Rome Declaration are crucial for global health resilience. However, these principles will not be useful if they are not applied in a concrete way. Implementation is the key, and the world can only heal and become stronger if we do it together. Recover together, recover stronger," he affirmed.
Meanwhile, the Global Health Summit is one of the G-20 meetings under the Italian Presidency for 2021. Attendees at the summit comprised heads of state or heads of G-20 governments, invited countries, as well as leaders of international organizations.
The Global Health Summit resulted in the "Rome Declaration" agreement based on multilateral cooperation and collective action to prevent future global health crises, with a commitment to building a healthier, safer, fair, and sustainable world//ANT
May
Indonesia records trade surplus of $2.19 bln in April
Written by Nur Yasmin
Indonesia’s trade balance registered a surplus for the 12th consecutive month in April this year to reach US$2.19 billion, fueling hopes a recovery is in progress, the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) announced on Thursday.
“The surplus didn’t shrink, but the figures were even stronger than the previous month. The trade balance has experienced a surplus for 12 consecutive months since May, 2020,” said BPS head Suhariyanto at an online press conference here on Thursday.
The surplus arose from exports of $18.48 billion and imports of $16.29 billion in April, 2021, he informed.
Suhariyanto said the surplus in April was very encouraging and in line with other indicators that also showed very good conditions.
One of the indicators was the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI), which touched 54.6 in April, indicating an expansion in the domestic processing industry.
"This gives great expectations that the recovery process is taking place, despite the conditions being different in each region and certain sectors," the BPS head observed.
Non-oil and gas commodities that contributed the most to the April surplus were animal and vegetable oils, mineral fuels, and steel.
Meanwhile, Indonesia’s trade balance recorded a surplus of $1.2 billion with the United States, $554 million with the Philippines, and $439 million with India.
The nation’s trade balance experienced a deficit of $652 million with China, $418.3 million with Australia, and $248.1 million with Thailand.
Overall, Indonesia's trade balance in January-April, 2021 registered a surplus of $7.72 billion, with exports pegged at $67.38 billion and imports valued at $59.67 billion.
The figure was very encouraging as it was much higher than the surplus of $2.22 billion recorded in January-April, 2020, said Suhariyanto.
Indonesia's trade balance had recorded a deficit of $2.28 billion during the same period of 2019, a deficit of $1.41 billion in 2018, and a surplus of $5.43 billion in 2017.
"Compared to the same period in 2014, the surplus in January-April, 2021 is very good. The figures are much higher. We must maintain this performance and need to be supported by all parties. Therefore, handling COVID-19 is the key to support this achievement," Suhariyanto said. (Antaranews)
May
Indonesians should keep spirit of "Boedi Oetomo" alive: Jokowi
Written by Nur Yasmin
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) commemorated National Awakening Day on Thursday by urging the nation to maintain unity and keep the spirit of "gotong royong," or mutual cooperation, alive to win the fight against COVID-19.
"With the spirit of Budi Utomo, today, we unite and collaborate to awaken and win our fight against the pandemic. Together, we move toward an advanced Indonesia," he remarked.
President Jokowi expressed his words of encouragement on his official Instagram account @jokowi to commemorate National Awakening Day that falls on May 20 every year.
This annual event is celebrated to commemorate the historic foundation of prominent nationalist organization Boedi Oetomo on May 20, 1908.
Founded by Dr Soetomo, this nationalist organization is believed to be the pioneer for Indonesia's struggle for independence through its power of thoughts.
In 1948, Indonesia's founding father and first president, Soekarno, determined the foundation day of Boedi Oetomo as the country's National Awakening Day.
President Jokowi remarked that the people at large have been struggling to deal with the wide-ranging impacts of the COVID-19 outbreak on the public health and economy since last year.
"The world has been gripped by the global pandemic of COVID-19 for more than a year, and Indonesia is also struggling to address its impacts for more than a year," Jokowi stated.
Indonesia has continually striven to win the fight against the global coronavirus disease pandemic that has acutely impacted its economy and public health.
The Indonesian government has begun a nationwide vaccination program to contain infections since January 13, 2021.
As of Wednesday, the number of fully vaccinated Indonesians had reached 9,366,635, while the total count of those receiving their first COVID-19 jab was recorded at 14,099,754.
The Indonesian Health Ministry had pegged the vaccination of some 181.5 million people under the national program to take about 15 months.
"We need 15 months to accomplish it. The time frame for conducting the vaccination is counted from January 2021 to March 2022," Health Ministry's spokesperson for the vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated recently.
During the period, the government is targeting to inoculate about 181.5 million people, including 1.3 million paramedics and 17.4 million public sector workers in 34 provinces, according to Tarmizi.
Tarmizi noted that the first phase of the government's immunization program has been divided into two periods: January-April 2021 and April 2021-March 2022. (Antaranews)
May
President highlights increasingly larger challenges in digital space
Written by Nur Yasmin
President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) drew attention to challenges in the digital space that have increasingly become larger and urged all sides to fill the cyber space with positive content.
"Challenges in the digital space have increasingly become larger, very large. Negative content continues to surface. Crimes in the digital space also continue to increase," Jokowi remarked while addressing the virtual launch of the National Digital Literacy Program in Jakarta on Thursday.
The president noted that negative content, such as hoax news, online fraud, gambling, child sexual exploitation, cyber harassment, hate speech, and radicalism content, had emerged in the digital space. The nation must stay alert for all types of negative content that can threaten the nation’s union and cohesion.
"We are all obliged to continue to minimize negative content and flood the digital space with positive content," he affirmed.
To this end, all sides must increase the public's digital intelligence to enable them to create extensive creative and educative content that placate the situation and disseminate the message of peace, he stated.
The digital space must also be used to boost economic activities, he noted.
The president appealed to all sides to make optimum use of the internet to boost productivity. For instance, micro, small, and medium entrepreneurs can enhance their capacity by benefiting from the marketing network on the internet. (Antaranews)
May
Govt receives over 2,000 queries, plaints about holiday bonuses
Written by Nur Yasmin
The government has received more than two thousand reports, including complaints, regarding the holiday allowance (THR) during Eid al-Fitr this year, according to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto.
“The coordinating post of holiday allowance at the Manpower Ministry has confirmed that it received more than two thousand reports,” the minister said during ‘halalbihalal’ (post-Eid gathering), held online here on Wednesday.
Of the total, 692 reports were categorized as consultations and around 1,500 reports were complaints, he said.
“We will surely follow up (on the reports) and according to the Manpower Ministry, certain problems should be resolved under a bipartite scheme between the company and its labor union,” he added.
The government is striving to boost and supervise holiday allowance fulfillment, including monitoring the amount of money in circulation, to stimulate the purchasing power of the people, he explained.
“It is in line with the initial plan that Rp154 trillion had been circulating during Ramadhan. We check the Bank Indonesia’s report that the circulating money we expect to be a stimulant for public purchasing power,” he said.
The Manpower Ministry will keep the coordinating post for holiday allowance complaints open until May 20, 2021. Employers who break the regulations pertaining to holiday allowance fulfillment will face a penalty in accordance with the Government Regulation No.36 of 2021 on wages.
The ministry said the issues brought up before the coordinating post this year mostly pertained to holiday allowance being paid in installments by a company, only paid in half, not paid in full due to salary deduction, not paid as per the one month salary requirement, or not paid in full due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah has assured that she will validate and verify the data and coordinate with related regional administrations to resolve the complaints. (Antaranews)
May
Thohir: No profit motive in vaccine distribution
Written by Nur Yasmin
State-owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister Erick Thohir has said that his ministry has no plans to commercialize COVID-19 vaccines.
"Regarding prices, from the beginning, we in the SOE Ministry have been very open. We are not thinking about commercializing the COVID-19 vaccines," Thohir said at a press conference here on Wednesday.
In reality, the government pays for the vaccines — they are not free of charge, he added.
Indonesia has so far secured 54 million vaccine doses free of cost through the World Health Organization (WHO) and spent nearly Rp77 trillion on procuring additional vaccine doses to cater to the large population of the country, which is being distributed free of charge.
“The government has spent Rp77 trillion for the procurement of free vaccines (vaccines that are being offered to the public for free), and I think this is one of the largest in the world that we must appreciate," Thohir said, adding that the government will not look for margin or profit in distributing vaccines.
The SOE Ministry and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) have kept vaccine prices transparent and they are being audited by the Financial and Development Supervisory Agency (BPKP), he assured.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the SOE Ministry has consistently undertaken public services, such as CSR activities and renovation of the Wisma Atlet emergency hospital for COVID-19, and establishment of vaccination centers in four cities, the minister said.
"This is the context, and please be proportional. Do not think that SOEs are commercializing the vaccines. In fact, SOEs are helping accelerate the vaccine program in a transparent and professional manner because this is part of the transformation that we consistently implement in the SOE Ministry," he added. (Antaranews)
May
Pekanbaru-Bangkinang Toll Project employs 5,800 workers
Written by Nur Yasmin
Physical construction of the Pekanbaru-Bangkinang Toll Road will absorb 5,800 workers for the Labor Intensive Program, Head of the Toll Road Regulatory Agency (BPJT) Danang Parikesit stated.
"The Pekanbaru-Bangkinang toll road is designed to involve several sub-contractors, most of whom are locals, under the implementation of a Labor Intensive Program," Head of BPJT Danang stated while reporting the progress on the physical work of the toll road to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during a working visit to Riau Province, Wednesday.
Apart from involving local sub-contractors, Danang remarked that the success of this project was owing to the district head’s support regarding land acquisition.
The BPJT head also reported that work on three Trans-Sumatra toll roads will be completed in 2021.
"If the backbone is still targeted for completion in 2024, it depends on the funding budget," Danang remarked as quoted from the virtual broadcast of the Presidential Secretariat, Bureau of Press Media and Information 2021, on May 19, 2021.
Danang further remarked that the Tebing Tinggi-Pematang Siantar toll road, the 96.5-km section of Kuala Tanjung-Pematang Siantar, the Bengkulu-Taba Penajung toll road, which is a section of the City of Bengkulu-Taba Penanjung, Bengkulu Tengah District, spanning a length of 17.6 km, fell under the program.
The Pekanbaru-Bangkinang toll road project encompasses section 6 of the Padang-Pekanbaru toll road project along 254.80 km comprising six sections: Section 1 of Padang-Sicincin, spanning 36.15 km; Section 2 of Sicincin-Bukittinggi, reaching 38 km; Section 3 of Bukittinggi-Payakumbuh, extending 34 km; Section 4 of Payakumbuh-Pangkalan, extending 58 km; Section 5 of Pangkalan-Bangkinang reaching 56 km; and Section 6 of Bangkinang-Pekanbaru, spanning 40 km. (Antaranews)
May
Palestine violence: Protesters call for boycott of US, Israeli goods
Written by Nur Yasmin
Dozens of Indonesians gathered in front of the US embassy here on Tuesday, calling for a boycott of US and Israeli products to show solidarity with the Palestinian people’s struggle in Gaza and the West Bank.
The boycott must be launched because the US has been supporting the Israeli military’s attacks against the Palestinian people over the last two weeks, they claimed.
“Actually, Israel has no power whatsoever. They, however, feel strong and great because the Zionists are supported by the United States. US political power, like it or not, is supported by its economic strength. So, if we want to fight Zionist Israel and the US, there is no other way, but we have to boycott their economic strength,” deputy chairperson of the Indonesian Youth National Committee (KNPI), Amin Ngabalin, said after giving a speech in front of the embassy, here on Tuesday.
The total trade between Indonesia and the United States in 2020 reached US$27.2 billion, with Indonesia recording a surplus of US$10.04 billion, he noted.
Despite the absence of diplomatic ties, Indonesia and Israel have engaged in trade relations, he said.
Data from the Central Statistics Agency shows that in the first quarter of 2021, Indonesia imported 144 tons of goods, worth US$1,785,870, from Israel.
Goods imported by Indonesia from Israel included spare parts or components of weapons; engine components; electronic devices; plantation products such as coffee, dates; electrical equipment; battery components; and, machinery for cigarette production.
Meanwhile, during the same period, Indonesia exported more than 11 thousand tons of goods, valued at US$30,986,779, to Israel.
Palestinian civil society networks have been campaigning for boycotts, divestments, and sanctions (BDS) targeting Israel in the international community since 2005, Ngabalin said.
They are believed to be one way of putting pressure on Israel for colonizing Palestine and launching military attacks in the Gaza Strip, he added.
At least 212 Palestinians, including 61 children and 36 women, have been killed in the latest round of violence in Gaza. (Antaranews)