VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy Chairman of the House of Representatives (DPR) Azis Syamsuddin urged the government to improve the quality of service and safety of the aviation transportation system.

"The Sriwijaya air plane crash becomes a homework for the government to seriously prioritize passenger safety in the field of air transportation," Syamsuddin noted in his statement here, Monday.

The DPR deputy chairman was optimistic that the government would adopt a firm stance against airlines found to have been negligent.

Syamsuddin expressed hope that a similar event would not recur in the field of Indonesian aviation.

The deputy chairman urged the airline to conduct an evaluation to gain a deeper understanding of the event that caused the crash by referring to the results of an official investigation conducted by the National Transportation Safety Commission (NTSC).

"Pilots and flight technicians in future should pay attention to any damage or problems that often lead to crashes," he pointed out.

The Golkar Party politician assessed that technological developments would make the process easier by always conducting regular maintenance.

Moreover, he highlighted the importance of the aviation industry regulators being heedful of all airlines seriously implementing standard operating procedures (SOPs), even if necessary audited.

The ill-fated Sriwijaya Air jet reportedly carried on board 50 passengers and 12 cabin crew on its flight from the Soekarno-Hatta Airport to Pontianak, West Kalimantan, according to Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi.

"The number of passengers totaled 50, comprising 43 adults, seven children, and three babies, in addition to 12 crew members," Sumadi remarked during a virtual press conference held here on Saturday night.

The Ministry of Transportation earlier confirmed that air traffic controllers had lost contact with Sriwijaya Air flight number SJ182 at approximately 2:40 p.m. Western Indonesian Standard Time (WIB).

Last contact with the Boeing 737-500 aircraft, bearing registration number PK CLC, was made at 11 nautical miles, north of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport, Tangerang, in suburban Jakarta, after passing an altitude of 11 thousand feet and while increasing to 13 thousand feet. The plane took off from the Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 2:36 p.m. local time. The flight schedule was delayed from the initial departure set at 1:35 p.m. local time owing to bad weather.

Pulau Seribu District Head Junaedi noted on Saturday that the Sriwijaya Air flight crashed in the waters off Laki Island, Tidung Island Village, Jakarta, during heavy rains.

"Based on information from the local fishermen, they saw an object falling into the sea off Lancang Island and Laki Island. Rumbling from the plane crash was felt in the settlement area on Lancang Island," Junaedi was quoted as saying by the Pulau Seribu Communication, Informatics, and Statistics Office. (antaranews)

The Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 crashing in the Seribu Islands waters has become an impetus for the government to improve the domestic aircraft maintenance system, Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated.

"This is a tragedy. Hence, in my opinion, we will continue to improve in the maintenance of our aircraft," the minister noted in his remarks at the online launch of Proud of Indonesian Products, Monday.

Pandjaitan expressed condolences over the crash of Sriwijaya Air flight SJ-182 in the waters of Seribu Islands on Saturday.

The minister also took the time to lead prayers for the victims during his remarks at the event.

The Transportation Ministry earlier confirmed that airport authorities had lost contact with Sriwijaya Air flight number SJ-182, serving the Jakarta-Pontianak route, at approximately 2:40 p.m. local time on Saturday.

According to the ministry, the last contact was made with the Boeing 737-500 jet, with registration number PK CLC, at 11 nautical miles north of the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport after passing an altitude of 11 thousand feet and while rising to 13 thousand feet.

The plane took off from the Soekarno-Hatta Airport at 2:40 p.m. local time on Saturday and was scheduled to land at Supadio Airport in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, at 3:50 p.m. local time.

Based on the manifest, the plane carried onboard 50 passengers and 12 crew members. (antaranews)

Indonesia's Supreme Audit Agency (BPK) Chairman Agung Firman Sampurna hinted at the possibility of five targets outlined in the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) program not being achieved owing to the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Given the current global pressure, some SDGs are in danger of not being reached," he stated during the International Webinar on Ensuring Transparency and Accountability in Covid-19 Pandemic: a Multi-Stakeholder Approach / Perspective in Jakarta, Monday.

Sampurna noted that the third target in the SDGs program of ensuring a healthy life and promoting welfare for all ages could potentially not be achieved.

The first goal of the SDGs is ending extreme poverty in all forms; goal 2 in the SDGs is ending hunger, achieving food security, and improving nutrition; while goal 10 in SDGs is reducing inequality.

The goal 4 of SDGs is ensuring quality education that is inclusive and equitable and promotes lifelong learning opportunities for all.

Sampurna stated that the five goals of the SDGs program were at risk of not being achieved since the COVID-19 pandemic had yet to subside, and instead, a second wave of the disease had hit several countries.

This is apparent from the victim count, which continues to rise globally, reaching over 90.2 million people, with 1.93 million deaths.

In Indonesia alone, until January 10, 2020, some 818 thousand cases were reported, with deaths totaling 23,947 and over 10 thousand people per day in the last week.

“The COVID-19 pandemic throws a huge challenge. No single country is ready to face it and is still struggling to overcome it," he pointed out.

Moreover, the health crisis has battered the global economy, pushing millions back into poverty, exacerbating inequality, and compelling scores to either remain or return to life in extreme poverty.

"This can be measured by the capacity of families being affected to provide necessities, such as food and education, for their members," he explained.

Sampurna noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had worsened conditions that earlier experienced four other global disruptions, such as the financial crisis in 2008, the technology crisis or Industry 4.0 in 2009, and the political crisis in 2016.

"We have no other choice left but to embrace the situation and get accustomed to it by adapting to the new normal," he emphasized. (antaranews)

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Union’s top diplomat said on Sunday that last week’s siege of the U.S. Capitol exposed the dangers of allowing the degradation of democratic values to go unchecked and disinformation to spread on social media.

“What we saw on Wednesday was only the climax of very worrying developments happening globally in recent years. It must be a wake-up call for all democracy advocates,” EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell said in a blog post.

“Everybody needs to understand that if we accept setbacks after setbacks, even if they seem minor, democracy and its values and institutions can eventually and irreversibly perish,” said Borrell, who speaks on behalf of the 27 EU member states.

President Donald Trump is facing a renewed drive by Democrats to remove him from office after he incited supporters to storm the U.S. Capitol, based on the unsubstantiated claim that he lost the Nov. 3 election due to widespread voter fraud.

The resulting assault by rioters left five people dead.

“In case anyone had any doubts, the events in Washington also show that disinformation constitutes a real threat for democracies,” Borrell said. “If some people believe that an election was fraudulent, because their leader has been once and again telling them, they will behave accordingly.”

Borrell called for better regulation on social networks, and said this could not be carried out by the companies themselves.

Twitter permanently cut off Trump’s personal account and access to his nearly 90 million followers late on Friday, citing the risk of further incitement of violence. Trump has repeatedly used Twitter and other platforms to claim the election result was fraudulent and to share other conspiracy theories.

The EU’s executive Commission last month proposed rules to clamp down on fake news on social media. These would force large online platforms to tackle illegal content and intentional manipulation of platforms to influence elections and public health, or face fines up to 6% of global turnover. (reuters)