VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) believes that once construction of the IKN Nusantara airport and Balikpapan-IKN Nusantara toll road is completed, then investors will be more drawn to invest in the new capital city.

"These two infrastructures will be the key (to attract investment)," he stated at the groundbreaking of Nusantara Hotel in North Penajam Paser, East Kalimantan, Thursday.

The Balikpapan-IKN Nusantara toll road will enter the construction phase. The president targets the construction to be completed in July 2024. The toll road will cut travel time from Balikpapan to IKN Nusantara to 30 minutes, as compared to currently around 1.5 to two hours.

"The minister of public works and public housing informed that the toll road would soon enter its construction phase. It will be completed in July next year," Jokowi remarked.

He also noted that construction of the IKN Nusantara airport will begin soon. The travel time between the airport to the IKN Nusantara city center is only 15 minutes.

"It will be completed in July or early August 2024," he remarked.

According to the president, 30 investors from South Korea, 40 investors from Japan, and 120 investors from Singapore had shown interest in IKN. He believes that these investors have carried out careful calculations regarding the economic potential of IKN.

The head of state said IKN is being built on a long-term basis, with a projected overall completion in 2045. The IKN funding comes from private cooperation and investment, while the state budget only contributed 20 percent of the total funding needed.

Based on data from the Ministry of Finance, the IKN budget allocation in the 2022-2024 state budget was Rp75.5 trillion. In detail, the realization value in 2022 was Rp5.5 trillion.

Moreover, the 2023 state budget allocation for IKN is Rp29.4 trillion and Rp40.6 trillion for 2024. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) Puan Maharani has said that she expects the 2024 State Budget — the last budget to be tabled by President Joko Widodo's (Jokowi's) administration — to bring benefits to the people.

She delivered the statement here on Thursday during the House's 6th plenary meeting for the first period of the 2023–2024 session year. Thursday's meeting promulgated the 2024 state budget bill.

"It is expected to solve the ongoing problems that are still not addressed. We hope that this state budget is for and useful for the people," she said.

It is hoped that the 2024 State Budget can be used for the government's priority programs until the end of President Widodo's term, she added.

"After being passed, we hoped that the 2024 state budget implementation is of justice and is prioritized for President Jokowi's priority programs until his administration ends in October 2024," she said.

The House Speaker further said she expects the 2024 State Budget to maintain the fiscal capability for carrying out the national development agenda, government public services, and national strategic programs.

"The well-being concept in the 2024 State Budget must be a reference for all ministries and agencies in proposing their budget in the coming fiscal year," she added.

To that end, she pointed out that all ministries or agencies can have quality programs in the 2024 fiscal year so that the impact of the state budget allocation can be felt by the beneficiary group.

"The well-being-focused budget must show the state budget's performance with the goal of improving people's welfare," she said.

She also emphasized that the DPR and the government must build synergy to ensure the realization of fiscal, monetary, and real sector policies to maintain economic stability.

"The House of Representatives and the government will jointly implement this state budget," she affirmed. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister (Kop UKM) Teten Masduki clarified that he had no authority to ban social commerce platforms, including TikTok Shop, considered harmful to domestic micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs).

"Some people said I would close (ban) TikTok Shop, but the truth is that a minister of cooperatives cannot do that. Such an authority lies with the Communication and Informatics Ministry, Trade Ministry, and Investment Ministry," he remarked at the 2023 Digital MSME Summit in Jakarta on Thursday.

However, Masduki said he is committed to protecting domestic MSMEs from potential threats posed by social commerce platforms, such as TikTok Shop, which had been gaining popularity in Indonesia.

The minister reiterated that digital transformation is supposed to stimulate the emergence of new economic potentials that can elevate the living standards of people and create new job opportunities.

He then observed that the increasing popularity of e-commerce and social commerce platforms had resulted in a surge of influx of imported consumer goods, which, in turn, could disrupt the MSME ecosystem at home.

Moreover, numerous celebrities and "influencers" have begun promoting and selling such products through digital platforms, he pointed out.

Masduki then stressed that he, however, was never against foreign investments.

"I am not against foreign investments in the digital economy. In fact, we, the government, are consistently making improvements in permit services to provide convenience to business actors since we aim to make Indonesia the most attractive country for investments," he stated.

Furthermore, Minister Masduki also said that the government should regulate the flow of goods circulating on digital platforms in order to prevent the sale of illegal goods.

"We should supervise and regulate the flow of goods, so we can impose firm sanctions on those found selling illegal goods as well as the platforms that facilitate them," he emphasized. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), on Thursday, visited Merdeka Market, Samarinda, East Kalimantan, saying that the market is selling staple commodities at stable prices.

"Based on my review, the prices have been well-controlled. I am happy about that," the president remarked after reviewing the prices of staple goods in the market.

Moreover, Jokowi noted that the prices of some staple commodities in the market, such as chili, garlic, and shallots, had declined.

"The prices of chili, garlic, and also shallots have declined," he pointed out.

However, the head of state said that rice in the market was still priced high while noting that state-owned logistics company Bulog had begun distributing rice from the Food Supply and Price Stabilization (SPHP) Program to the market in order to lower the price.

"Let us hope that the market operation held by Bulog will help lower the price of rice," President Jokowi remarked.

He stated that El Nino, which is currently affecting seven provinces in Indonesia, was causal to the high price of rice since the phenomenon had led to a decrease in rice supply from farmers.

In order to address the issue, he said, the government is importing rice to boost the country's rice reserves.

"We are opting for imports (of rice) to strengthen the strategic reserve and cover the production shortfalls," he affirmed.

Niko, a merchant at the Merdeka Market, confirmed that the price of premium-quality rice had indeed increased. However, the SPHP rice aid from Bulog has been helpful in lowering the price, he added.

"The price of premium rice has indeed increased, but the price has started declining owing to SPHP rice from Bulog," he remarked.

In addition to reviewing the prices of staple goods, President Jokowi made the most of his visit to the market to personally greet merchants and distribute cash aid to them.

State Secretary Minister Pratikno, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, East Kalimantan Governor Isran Noor, and Samarinda Mayor Andi Harun accompanied the president during his visit to the Merdeka Market. (antaranews)