VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Feb. 11 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has urged the regional governments to have in place more labor-intensive programs to boost the people's purchasing power and drive consumption.

"We should have in place more labor-intensive programs to strengthen the people's purchasing power and increase public consumption," Jokowi remarked at the opening of the national meeting of the Association of Indonesian Municipalities (APEKSI) at the State Palace, Jakarta, on Thursday.

The head of state noted that state expenditure from the state budget (APBN) and the regional budget (APBD) were currently the only drivers of the people's economy.

Hence, it becomes increasingly important for the government to provide as many jobs as possible for the public.

Jokowi remarked that the labor-intensive programs in regions could cover the improvement of roads, waterways, and public health centers (Puskesmas) as well as school renovation.

"I think several sectors can be involved, so there will be jobs for the public, and we pay the wages for them. It will increase consumption, the people's purchasing power, and demand in our economy," Jokowi elaborated.

The labor-intensive program will boost public infrastructure while concurrently creating jobs for the public.

The president has also urged the local government to continue the distribution of social assistance, especially in the form of basic necessities for members of the low-income section of society and individuals, who could not be covered under the labor-intensive program. (Antaranews)

Feb. 11 - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) called on regional governments to implement restrictions on community activities (PPKM) through the application of a micro-based approach covering sub-districts, villages, community units (RT), and neighborhood units (RW).

"Do not allow even one person to get infected with the virus in one village, as the whole city will be placed on lockdown. We often go wrong here," Jokowi remarked at the opening of the 6th National Conference of the Association of Indonesian City Governments (APEKSI) from the State Palace in Jakarta, Thursday.

To this end, the head of state highlighted that last week, the government had worked in greater detail by implementing a lockdown on a micro scale.

Jokowi opined that such a step did not tend to impact economic growth or hinder economic activities of the community, in general.

"This is because we enforce a lockdown at the scale of sub-districts, villages, community units (RT), and neighborhood units (RW). Hence, mayors and deputy mayors must conduct a detailed mapping on the spread of COVID-19," he stated.

The president called on them to fully understand the mapping process up to the level of the RW and RT.

"One city cannot be immediately placed on lockdown," he stated.

The president admitted to have learned a lot by observing the processes implemented by other countries that imposed lockdown at the national, provincial, and city level, thereby battering the economy.

To this end, Jokowi urged all parties to exercise caution.

"Treatment and isolation must get serious attention, both in terms of the provision of medicines and hospital beds. The preparedness of medical personnel must be checked and monitored," President Jokowi noted.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, earlier explained the scope of PPKM using a micro-based approach or at the local level that will take effect from February 9, 2021.

The restrictions will remain in place until February 22, 2021.

"The imposition of restrictions on community activities will include restrictions on offices or workplaces, with strict enforcement of health protocols," he had noted at an online press conference in Jakarta on Monday.

The number of workers allowed at offices or workplaces will be limited to 50 percent of the total capacity, and the remaining 50 percent of the workers will be required to work from home (WFH), Minister Hartarto explained.

Teaching and learning activities will remain online, while essential sectors related to community requirements will be allowed to operate at 100-percent capacity, with arrangements regarding capacity and operationalization in accordance with the health protocols, he noted.

Restaurants offering dine-in services will have to limit the capacity to 50 percent, while the operating hours of malls and shopping centers will be curtailed to 9 p.m. Western Indonesian Time (WIB).

"Orders can still be placed for takeaway or delivery," Hartarto stated. (Antaranews)

Feb. 11 - Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan continues to promote the Proud to Travel in Indonesia campaign among members of the community to drive recovery of the national tourism sector.

"We need to campaign for this proud of traveling in Indonesia movement to restore the tourism sector in Indonesia. During the pandemic, we know that the number of domestic tourists to various tourism destinations in Indonesia had declined. Apart from restoring the national economy, we are proud to travel in Indonesia. Hence, our pride and ownership of the country’s various tourism potential will grow," Pandjaitan stated at the Communication Forum in Banyuwangi, Wednesday (Feb 10).

In a written statement in Jakarta, Thursday, the minister highlighted that Banyuwangi District, East Java Province, was one of the areas currently being prioritized to develop the tourism sector.

According to Pandjaitan, Banyuwangi held huge tourism potential and was currently known internationally for its various tourism, nature, and world-scale activities. In 2021, Banyuwangi, located at the easternmost end of East Java, will be prepared to host the world surfing league.

"Apart from that, the central government also proposes the Ijen geopark to enter the UNESCO world geopark network. In addition, one of the government's efforts to advance the national tourism sector is by integrating elements of information technology, specifically integrated digital services and digital payments," he remarked.

In line with this commitment to facilitate access to tourist destinations, the minister highlighted that the government was also building various connectivity infrastructure.

Pandjaitan is optimistic that through such efforts, all stakeholders, including social media activists, would be able to promote Banyuwangi’s tourism and "Proud to Travel in Indonesia" campaign.

The minister also advised that apart from traveling, health factors were also important, particularly in the current pandemic situation.

"I need to remind you to maintain health protocols, as our health is the main aspect," he emphasized.

Head of Banyuwangi District Abdullah Azwar Anas affirmed that since the start, Banyuwangi was an area that did not hold much appeal, was located far from the center of urban growth, and had no airport, so it had not been able to capture the attention of other regions in Indonesia.

This was the situation in Banyuwangi several years earlier and has slowly changed for the better.

"This is what we see because there is no option to complain. The option is how to solve the problem, so a large plantation and a large forest area flanked by three national parks is an opportunity. Hence, we decided that the diamond triangle would be a tourism development strategy," he stated.

Anas noted that not everyone were supportive of his tourism development efforts since the sector is considered as an image and a waste of money.

The district head remarked that progress and development, currently ongoing in Banyuwangi, was not achieved instantaneously and was the result of several efforts being made to change the status of the region for the better. Apart from the vast tourism potential, cultural aspects are also being developed along with innovations.

Hence, the Banyuwangi district government had organized several events and festivals, with the number of events reaching 100, to promote the culture and nature.

"For Banyuwangi, the festival is not only a matter of tourism, but this is also our way of stemming the influence of global cultural interventions each second through our cellphones. Hence, Banyuwangi has made several improvements," Anas concluded. (Antaranews)

Feb. 11 - China called on the United States on Wednesday to invite the World Health Organization to investigate origins of the COVID-19 outbreak there, as sparring over the pandemic continued after the WHO wrapped up its field work in the Chinese city of Wuhan.

Hours after the WHO team revealed preliminary findings at a Wuhan news conference on Tuesday, Washington said it wants to scrutinize data used by the team, which concluded that the virus causing COVID-19 did not originate in a laboratory in Wuhan, and that bats remain a likely source.

“We wish that the U.S. side can, like China, uphold an open and transparent attitude, and be able to invite WHO experts to the U.S. to conduct origin tracing research and inspection,” Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin told a regular daily briefing, repeating a call it has been making recently.

The origins of the coronavirus pandemic, which first emerged in Wuhan in late 2019, are highly politicized, with China pushing the idea that the virus has roots outside its borders.

White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Tuesday that the Biden administration had not been involved in the “planning and implementation” of the WHO investigation and wants to take an independent review of its findings and underlying data.

“The U.S. independently examining the WHO’s data? It’s the WHO who should examine the U.S. data,” said Hu Xijin, editor-in-chief of the Global Times, a tabloid run by the ruling Communist Party’s official People’s Daily, on social media platform Weibo.

“Did we all mishear, or is this spokesperson really so shameless?”

Peter Ben Embarek, who heads the WHO-led team that spent four weeks in China - two of them in quarantine - said that the investigation had not dramatically changed its picture of the outbreak, although the virus could have crossed borders before arriving in Wuhan.

In addition to ruling out a lab leak, he said that frozen food could possibly be a means of transmitting the virus, which would support a thesis backed by Beijing, which has blamed some case clusters on imported food packaging.

The WHO’s conclusion “completely refutes the conspiracy theory raised by some anti-China hawks, like former US secretary of state Mike Pompeo, who has been accusing the Wuhan Institute of Virology of leaking the virus,” the Global Times wrote.

Pompeo had said there was “a significant amount of evidence” that the new coronavirus emerged from a Chinese laboratory.

Chinese officials have stressed in recent months that the virus could have emerged in multiple regions outside China. (Reuters)