VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR) has asked the government to promote the use of public transportation to tackle air pollution in the Greater Jakarta area, which includes Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi.

"The government has a duty to minimize the mobility of motor vehicles that contribute to carbon emissions that pollute the air," said Puan Maharani in Jakarta on Monday.

She said that the government can bolster the promotion of public transportation such as the Commuter Line (KRL), bus rapid transit TransJakarta, Light Rapid Transit (LRT), and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT).

Maharani made the statement in response to the government's policy implementing work-from-home (WFH) for half of Jakarta's civil servants (ASN).

She asked the government to improve public transportation infrastructure, especially in buffer cities surrounding Jakarta.

That way, she said, interest in using public transportation will increase.

The central and local governments need to synergize to improve public transportation access in Jakarta, she said.

"The subsidies should be used to improve integrated transportation in residential areas and suburbs, so that people want to switch to public transportation," she explained.

Maharani said that the government needs to make another breakthrough so that people will consider using more environmentally friendly electric vehicles (EVs).

She expressed the hope that people will start to abandon fossil fuel-based vehicles.

"The increasing incentives for EVs can be an alternative solution to the worsening air pollution problem, especially in Jakarta," she said.

Moreover, she lauded the WFH policy as a response to the poor air quality in the capital city.

The policy also aims to anticipate traffic congestion during the 43rd ASEAN Summit in Jakarta in September 2023. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - ASEAN, under Indonesia’s chairmanship, and China emphasized the need for enhanced digital cooperation, particularly in the field of e-commerce on Monday.

ASEAN economic ministers met with a Chinese delegation during the 22nd ASEAN Economic Ministers-Ministry of Commerce (MOFCOM) Consultation of the People’s Republic of China in Semarang, Central Java, on Monday.

The consultation was co-chaired by Indonesian Trade Minister Zulkifli Hasan and Chinese Vice Minister of Commerce Li Fei.

The meeting endorsed the "ASEAN-China Initiative on Enhancing Cooperation on E-Commerce," aiming to promote closer enterprise cooperation, jointly conduct capacity-building activities, and foster cross-border e-commerce, as per a joint media statement released on Monday.

Both sides also supported MOFCOM’s proposal to jointly conduct "ASEAN-China Exchanges on Laws and Regulations related to Trade and Economic Cooperation".

This proposal could further facilitate the implementation of the important consensus reached by the leaders of ASEAN and China on advancing trade and economic cooperation by enhancing communication and understanding between both sides regarding trade and economic legal systems, the statement said.

The meeting also reaffirmed both sides' commitment to fully and effectively implement the ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA) agreements.

The leaders of China and the 10 ASEAN member states signed a Framework Agreement on China-ASEAN Comprehensive Economic Cooperation (ACFTA) at the sixth China-ASEAN Summit in November 2002. There are three agreements under ACFTA, covering the free flow of goods, services, and investments.

According to ASEAN Statistics, the total merchandise trade between ASEAN and China reached US$722 billion in 2022.

China has been ASEAN’s largest trading partner since 2009, and ASEAN has been China's largest trading partner for three consecutive years since 2020. In 2022, foreign direct investment (FDI) flows from China to ASEAN amounted to US$15.3 billion. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Indonesia's National Police (Polri) Chief, Police-General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, on Monday stressed the importance of prioritizing regional security and stability for realizing prosperity at the 17th ASEAN Ministerial Meeting On Transnational Crime (AMMTC).

The 17th AMMTC, which is being held in Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) from August 21 to 23, 2023 will discuss ten priority issues on transnational crimes.

Prabowo said that ASEAN countries are facing transnational crime as a common enemy, which is posing a threat regardless of national borders, state sovereignty, and applicable laws.

He said that the modus operandi of transnational crimes has changed, including those that take advantage of existing loopholes and technological developments.

To strengthen the commitment to eradicating transnational crimes, he highlighted the need for cooperation and collaboration to think and take action as a community while still upholding the laws and rules that apply in each country.

He further said that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has emphasized that ASEAN should be a stable and peaceful region, and that it should serve as an "anchor" for global stability".

Jokowi has also stressed that ASEAN must be consistent in upholding international law, must not be a proxy to any party, and must become a region that is dignified and upholds democracy and human values.

Prabowo said he is optimistic that the AMMTC will become a means and mechanism to strengthen commitments between countries, which will produce concrete achievements and efforts that are beneficial to the interests of both within and outside the Southeast Asian region.

"Let me reiterate the importance of communication and cooperation in maintaining stability, security, and peace in the region," he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand on Monday signed the Second Protocol to Amend the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area (AANZFTA).

The protocol was inked on the sidelines of the 55th ASEAN Economic Ministers' Meeting in Semarang, Central Java, which was organized under Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN.

Economic ministers from four ASEAN member states — Brunei Darussalam, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Singapore — along with their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand signed the protocol, which upgraded the original AANZFTA Agreement that came into force on January 1, 2010.

The rest of the ASEAN member states will sign the protocol in due course, according to a press release received from the ASEAN Secretariat on Monday.

The second protocol has been signed to demonstrate that the AANZFTA, which is the first region-to-region FTA for ASEAN, Australia, and New Zealand, remains the gold standard of ASEAN’s free trade agreements, the statement said.

Under the second protocol, 13 chapters in the original AANZFTA, such the chapters on rules of origin, customs procedures and trade facilitation, investment, competition and consumer protection, and electronic commerce, have been upgraded.

Three new chapters, namely on government procurement, micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and trade and sustainable development, have also been added, along with new provisions on education services under the chapter on trade in services.

This is the second time the AANZFTA is being amended since the Agreement Establishing the ASEAN-Australia-New Zealand Free Trade Area was inked in Thailand in February 2009.

The first protocol, signed in August 2014, amended two chapters that covered trade in goods and rules of origin, as well as the annexes on the operational certification procedures to streamline the certification processes and support the movement of goods, besides product-specific rules (PSR).

The AANZFTA is a market of around 711 million people, which recorded a combined gross domestic product (GDP) of US$5.9 trillion as of April 2023, based on data from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and the World Economic Outlook.

Australia and New Zealand collectively form ASEAN's eighth-largest trading partners. (Antaranews)