VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 16 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) expressed belief that the Indonesia Investment Authority (INA) would be able to catch up with similar institutions in other countries and garner national as well as international trust.

"I believe the INA is capable of catching up and gaining national as well as international trust," the head of state noted while introducing the INA Supervisory Board and Board of Directors at the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday, as witnessed in the YouTube broadcast of the Presidential Secretariat.

The head of state remarked that the INA held a strategic position in accelerating sustainable development, increasing and optimizing the value of state assets in the long term, and offering alternative financing for sustainable national development.

"Through the existence of the INA, we will reduce the gap between domestic funding capacity and development financing needs," the president stated.

The head of state believes that the INA would become a strategic partner for investors, both from within and outside the country, in order to provide sufficient financing for development programs, especially the national infrastructure financing program.(Antaranews)

Feb. 16 - France will keep supporting the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy, a spokeswoman for the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Monday.

The deployment of armoured vehicles in several cities and increasing use of violence was of serious concern, the spokeswoman added.

“Together with its European and international partners, France will continue to support the people of Myanmar in their struggle for democracy and the rule of law,” spokeswoman Agnes von der Muhll said in a statement.

Protesters in Myanmar kept up demands for the release of ousted civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi and an end to military rule on Monday despite the deployment of armoured vehicles and more soldiers on the streets. (Reuters)

Feb. 16 - The number of Indonesians living in poverty rose by 2.76 million to reach 27.55 million of the population in September 2020, from 24.79 million in September 2019 amid the pandemic, Central Statistics Agency (BPS) stated.

"The percentage of poor people increased by 0.97 percent to reach 10.19 percent, from 9.22 percent," BPS Chief Suhariyanto noted during an online press conference here on Monday.

The hike in poverty rate due to the pandemic could be curbed owing to the government's social protection programs, according to Suhariyanto.

Hence, despite an increase in the number of poor people, the figure was not as high as that projected by several international institutions, he pointed out.

Citing an example, Suhariyanto remarked that the World Bank in June 2020 had forecast the number of poor people due to the pandemic in Indonesia to increase to lie in the range of 10.7 percent to 11.6 percent in the absence of the government's intervention.

"The increase in September 2020 was only 0.97 percent. This suggests that the various social protection programs that the government had launched during the pandemic have helped, especially people from the low-income group," he remarked.

The coverage of social protection programs was raised to 60 percent, from 40 percent of the lower-income bracket, he revealed.

The government allotted Rp695.2 trillion in budget funding for the national economic recovery program (PEN) in 2020, while the funding realization reached 83.4 percent, or Rp579.78 trillion.

Of the total budget funding, Rp230.21 trillion was allocated for social protection programs, and the realization had reached Rp220.39 trillion.

The BPS computes the country's poverty rate twice a year in March and September.

In March 2020, the number of Indonesians living in poverty stood at 26.42 million, or 9.78 percent of the total population.

The agency noted that the rise in poverty rate in urban areas was far higher than that in rural areas in September 2020. The urban poverty rate rose 1.32 percent to reach 7.88 percent, while the rural poverty rate increased by 0.60 percent to 13.20 percent as compared to September 2019.

The BPS also noted that the monthly per capita income in September 2020 stood at Rp458,947. This means the monthly per capita income of poor households in the country reached Rp2,216,714 on the assumption of each household size being 4.83. (Antaranews)

Feb. 16 - People who receive the second dose of the coronavirus vaccine can expect their antibody level to increase to up to 99 percent, which could reduce their chances of contracting a serious infection, an official said.

“The antibody level of more than 95 (percent) that we expect (from the vaccination) will be achieved only after (receiving) two shots of the vaccine at a certain interval,” director of communicable disease prevention and control at the Health Ministry, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, said during an online press conference conducted via the Presidential Secretariat Youtube here on Monday.

The first and second shots of Sinovac’s COVID-19 vaccine need to be taken at an interval of 14 days, she stated.

"After the first shot, the antibody (level) reaches 60 percent. The antibody will increase to 99 percent after the second shot is administered 14 days later," she informed.

To make optimal use of the vaccine, two shots of the vaccine must be given after a certain interval, she added.

Even after getting vaccinated, people can still contract COVID-19, she informed. However, post vaccination, they will have antibodies that will prevent them from falling sick, she said.

"Even if the virus is stronger, based on the clinical trials of the vaccine, it (the vaccination) will protect them against heavy or deadly COVID-19 phenomenon," she added.

Indonesia has administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine to 1,068,747 healthcare workers across the country as of Sunday (February 14, 2021).

Of the total, 425,578 healthcare workers have got their second vaccine shot, an increase of 10,092 compared to Saturday (February 13, 2021), according to the COVID-19 Handling Task Force.

The government is targeting to vaccinate 1,468,764 healthcare workers against COVID-19.

Overall, the vaccination campaign will target 181,554,464 people, or 70 percent of the total Indonesian population, to build herd immunity against the coronavirus.

The first phase of the vaccination program has prioritized healthcare workers and the next targeted group are public service officers. (Antaranews)