VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 18 - The Financial Services Authority (OJK) has asked peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platforms to report to the agency from April 1, 2021, as a precautionary measure against money laundering and terror financing.

"Also this year, as of April 1, 2021, there is an obligation to report, in line with the application of anti-money laundering and counter-terrorism financing, to P2P lending platforms. This is also a challenge. Anyway this industry must not be used as media for money laundering and terrorism financing," OJK deputy director for fintech control, research and development, Munawar, said during an online discussion here on Wednesday.

Besides the challenge of ensuring the fintech industry is safe for consumers, OJK still considers the COVID-19 pandemic as a hurdle, since it has a significant impact on the distribution of loans at P2P lending platforms, he stated.

The distribution of loans at P2P lending platforms declined at the onset of the pandemic in April and May, 2020 and has recovered since August, 2020, he observed.

"This means that we are optimistic about the future, in January, February, and beyond, in line with the national economy that has begun to improve. Thus, the amount of loans distributed through P2P lending platforms is getting higher accordingly," he informed.

"Of course, it will not be 100-percent the same as the previous years in terms of growth. But, we are optimistic that it will continue to grow," he remarked.

Improving quality, including credit scoring, is also a challenge ahead, he noted.

"As per our data, the debt collection or recovery rate is still 95.22 percent. This means that 4 percent of the loans are not performing. Looking ahead, we will try to curb the non-performing rate," he stated.

Regardless of the challenges and despite pressure from the COVID-19 pandemic, the fintech industry has been growing, he said.

In 2020, the fintech industry disbursed Rp74.41 trillion in loans, up 26.47 percent year-on-year, he added.

"Growth has declined, but it is still higher than the national economic growth or other industrial growth," he said.

A total of 45 million user accounts and 717 thousand lender accounts have been registered till date, he added. (Antaranews)

Feb. 18 - The number of confirmed cases among paramedics has shown a decline with over 1.1 million health workers across the country receiving COVID-19 vaccine shots, Indonesian Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin disclosed on Wednesday.

"Based on the data that we refer to, the number of confirmed COVID-19 cases among our health workers has indicated a declining trend," he said at an online press conference that ANTARA joined from Jakarta.

As of Tuesday, 1,120,963 health workers have received COVID-19 vaccine shots in the country, and 537,147 workers have received their second jabs as well, as per the Health Ministry’s records.

The ministry has set a target of vaccinating 1,468,764 paramedics across Indonesia.

"We have observed a promising trend," Sadikin said, adding that the declining trend cannot yet be attributed primarily to the ongoing vaccination program.

The impact of the vaccination on health workers can be observed 14 days after they get their second jabs, he added.

The Indonesian government has been struggling to win the battle against the global pandemic since it announced the country's first confirmed coronavirus cases on March 2, 2020.

To curb infections, the government has not only enforced restrictions on public activity in the islands of Java and Bali since January 11, 2021, but is also conducting a nationwide vaccination program that commenced on January 13, 2021.

The Health Ministry revealed earlier that it would take 15 months to vaccinate around 181.5 million people under the national COVID-19 vaccination program.

Since January 26, 2021, Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate has exceeded one million cases.

To attain herd immunity and free the nation from the clutches of the lethal pandemic, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has stressed on the need for successfully administering the COVID-19 vaccine to the targeted population.

"This is the largest and most determining vaccination program. It must be successful. We must not fail," Amin stated while speaking at an event held to commend and acknowledge the National Police's public services on Tuesday.

Vice President Amin reiterated that 70 percent of the country's total population must receive the COVID-19 vaccine to achieve herd immunity.

"I again want to emphasize the importance of not failing in implementing the compulsory vaccination program because it is the most effective way to reduce the COVID-19 infection rate and prevent transmission of the coronavirus," he remarked.

Furthermore, people must continue to practice health protocols strictly, he said, while reiterating that the vaccination program is compulsory, as stipulated in Presidential Regulation No. 14 of 2021. (Antaranews)

Feb. 17 - Vaccination for public service officers will be conducted across all provinces in the country to achieve a sharp increase in daily inoculation, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"After Jakarta (the vaccination) will be conducted in other provinces. Hence, the number of vaccines injected every day will increase drastically," Jokowi stated after observing the COVID-19 vaccination for traders at the Tanah Abang Market in Jakarta on Wednesday.

During the visit, the head of state was accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan.

The government has commenced the second phase of COVID-19 vaccination targeting public service workers that include military and police personnel, market traders, athletes, and journalists.

As of Monday (Feb 16), the number of citizens that received the COVID-19 vaccine reached 1,120,963, or an increase of 24,868 people in a day.

The vaccination program has targeted to reach 181.5 million people to attain herd immunity in Indonesia.

President Jokowi has outlined the target for the Health Ministry to finalize the vaccination program in Indonesia in a year starting from January 13, 2021.

Jokowi cautioned that despite the vaccination, the public should continue to adhere to the health protocols of wearing masks, maintaining physical distancing, and washing hands with soap.

The head of state issued a new Presidential Regulation No. 14 of 2021 that makes it compulsory for people eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine to get inoculated. (Antaranews)

Feb. 17 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) voiced aspirations of the Supreme Court conducting modern judicial reforms to offer legal certainty to the public.

"Efforts to conduct judicial reforms through the implementation of a modern justice system are imperative," the president noted at the State Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday.

Jokowi delivered the statement while attending the virtual Special Plenary Session of the 2020 Supreme Court Annual Report. During the session, the president was also accompanied by Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna H. Laoly.

"As a bastion of justice, the Supreme Court can realize legal certainty for the public, business actors, and investors through decisions that reduce disparity in punishment," the head of state remarked.

Jokowi affirmed that with better performance and reputation, the Supreme Court can deliver landmark decisions by exploring the values and sense of justice in the community, so that the judiciary becomes an increasingly trusted institution.

"The momentum of this pandemic can be seized to conduct a fundamental transformation through fundamental ways," the president remarked.

Jokowi emphasized that breakthroughs by judicial administrators are deemed crucial to prove that the judicial system in Indonesia is able to adapt quickly and continue to innovate, so that it can serve the public faster and better.

"However, I would like to remind you that accelerating the use of technology is not the final goal. Accelerating the use of technology is an entry point for a broader transformation, greater transformation in the administration of justice to create a modern justice system," the president affirmed.

President Jokowi also requested that although the institution had handled several cases, there was no compromise on the quality of decisions.

"I am optimistic that the Supreme Court would continue to improve the quality of the e-Court application," the president stated.

These qualities encompass the standardization of obligations of the parties, online examination of witnesses and experts, a copy of the verdict or e-Verdict, and the expansion of the e-Court application for special civil cases.

In his report, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court HM Syarifuddin stated that the case burden on the Supreme Court in 2020 was recorded at 20,761, comprising 20,544 cases submitted while 217 cases were remaining from 2019.

From this total burden, the Supreme Court produced 20,562 rulings, while the remaining cases in 2020 reached 199. The case pile was the lowest-ever recorded in the history of the Supreme Court, thereby lifting the productivity rate in resolving cases in 2020 to 99.04 percent. (Antaranews)