VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 11 - The Indonesian government has been earmarking Rp4 trillion-Rp5 trillion every year for disaster mitigation efforts in the country, director general of budget at the Finance Ministry, Askolani, said.

"Of course, the budget fund of Rp4 trillion to Rp5 trillion we set aside in the state budget is an initial indicator," he said during a coordination meeting on disaster mitigation in 2021, held at the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNBP) Building in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The funds are not always used up, depending on the scale of disasters, he informed.

If a huge disaster happens, the amount of mitigation funds is usually increased through debt rescheduling, he said.

"The funds originally planned in the state budget for repaying foreign debt and interest are reallocated for disaster mitigation efforts," he explained.

Disaster mitigation funds are disbursed under two funding schemes. Under one scheme, funding is distributed during the emergency response period through the BNPB, and under the second, funds are provided during the post-disaster period through rehabilitation and reconstruction programs, Askolani said.

The funds are channeled through ministries/institutions or regional governments in coordination with BNPB, he added.

He further praised the BNPB for successfully coordinating with several agencies to handle the impact of natural disasters so far.

"Through this model, alhamdulillah (thank God), with the presence of BNPB, the coordination has been far better and solid," he said.

He assured that the government always has sufficient funds to handle disasters.

"So there is no term like ‘no funds’," he remarked. (Antaranews)

Mar. 11 - The United States is committed to supporting the COVID-19 vaccine response in Indonesia through the COVAX Advance Market Commitment initiative, said Heather Variava, chargé d’affaires ad interim of the United States Mission to Indonesia.

Variava offered her congratulations to Indonesia on the successful arrival of 1,113,600 doses of AstraZeneca’s  COVID-19 vaccine on Monday (March 8, 2021) in a written statement issued by the US Embassy in Jakarta on Wednesday. 

The shipment was part of the COVAX Advance Market Commitment (COVAX AMC), a global initiative to support equitable access to COVID-19 vaccines.  It was the first shipment of the total of 11,704,800 doses that Indonesia is scheduled to receive via the COVAX facility.

Indonesia is the third country to receive vaccines through the COVAX facility in Southeast Asia after the Philippines and Cambodia.

"COVID-19 has proven that nations are stronger together when facing a global pandemic ... as opposed to acting in isolation," said Variava.

"Through our support to GAVI, the United States is working with partners and governments around the world to vaccinate vulnerable populations, reach those without other options, and help ensure that none of us have to face this challenge alone," she added.

The United States recently committed an initial US$2 billion — out of a total planned US$4 billion — to the COVAX AMC.

The United States’ contributions to COVAX AMC, through  the United States Agency for International Development (USAID),  will support direct purchase and delivery of safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines for the world’s most vulnerable and at-risk populations in 92 countries, including Indonesia, according to the envoy.

A portion of those contributions will also support broader country readiness and vaccine service delivery, she said.

To date, the United States has committed US$11 million to support Indonesia’s efforts to reduce COVID-19 transmission, improve testing and treatment, and provide accurate and timely information about the pandemic to keep everyone protected from the disease.

The United States also donated one thousand ventilators that are currently in use at over 600 health facilities across Indonesia.

"We are committed to partnership with the government and people of Indonesia to save lives and work toward the safe reopening of the Indonesian economy," said Variava. (Antaranews)

Mar. 11 - The unemployment rate has risen significantly in Indonesia due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Manpower Minister Ida Fauziah said.

According to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), the number of unemployed people increased by 1.84 percent to 9.7 million, with the open unemployment rate reaching 7 percent, in August, 2020 compared to a year earlier, she said while opening competency-based training for the budget year 2021 at the Surakarta job training center on Wednesday.

"In the previous five years, we managed to keep down the unemployment rate to 4.99 percent in February, 2020," she remarked.

In August, 2020, the number of unemployed people just in Central Java had reached 1.21 million, an increase of 396 thousand compared to the previous year, she said quoting BPS data.

"The unemployment rate rose significantly by 2.04 percent compared to the previous year. Around 3.97 million working-age people in Central Java are believed to have been affected by the pandemic," she added.

She said the pandemic has no doubt added to the issues faced by the manpower sector, in addition to the existing challenges related to the quality of human resources, competency, and productivity.

National data shows nearly 57 percent of employed people graduated from junior high school and below, with limited skills, she informed.

"For Central Java province, the percentage of employed people with low education is higher at 65 percent," he said.

She expressed the hope that all parties would collaborate and synergize to resolve the latest problem in the manpower sector. (Antaranews)

Mar. 10 - The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) nabbed two couriers while they were allegedly trying to smuggle six kg of drugs from Keerom district, Papua to the port city of Sorong, West Papua on March 7, 2021.

The suspected couriers, identified as Y (29) and R (31), boarded a motor vessel, KM Ciremai, serving the Jayapura-Sorong route with a package containing 6 kg of dried marijuana, coordinator of the BNN-West Papua Office's law enforcement unit, Insp-2 Ahmad Aryad, told the press on Tuesday.

The two men were apprehended as soon as the passenger ship arrived at the Manokwari seaport on Sunday evening, he informed.

During the drug raid, BNN officers seized the drug package, a black luggage, two mobile phones, and tickets for KM Ciremai, he said.

The suspects told BNN investigators that they got involved in the drug-trafficking operation after a Jayapura city resident, identified as F, paid them to deliver the marijuana package from Keerom district to Sorong.

"The suspects admitted that they were yet to know who would receive the marijuana package in Sorong," Aryad added.

The Indonesian provinces of Papua and West Papua remain vulnerable to drug crimes.

Early this year, the BNN-Papua Office seized 200 packets of dried marijuana from two drug dealers, identified as Wolfram Wambrau alias Opam, 27, and Yosep Demetau alias Ocep, 25.

The agency said the marijuana packages weighed 2.5 kilograms in total.

Domestic and transnational drug dealers view Indonesia as a lucrative market owing to its huge population and millions of drug users.

Drug trade in the nation is valued at nearly Rp66 trillion.

People from all strata of society are falling prey to drugs in the country regardless of their socio-economic and professional backgrounds.

Over the past few decades, the Indonesian government has taken harsh punitive action against drug barons found smuggling and trading drugs in the country.

The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) has sought capital punishment for those involved in drug trade in the country.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo has also issued shoot-at-sight orders against drug kingpins.

However, this has failed to deter drug traffickers, who continue to treat Indonesia as a main market, prompting Indonesian law enforcement agencies to step up efforts against them. (Antaranews)