VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Environment and Forestry will form a task force for controlling and supervising the worsening air pollution in Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek).

The ministry's secretary general, Bambang Hendroyono, stated that the plan to form the task force was made after Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar held a meeting with the ranks of the ministry to formulate air pollution control measures.

"As one of our real actions, the minister will form a task force at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry called the Task Force for Control and Supervision of Air Pollution in the Jabodetabek Area," he told the press at the office of the Ministry of Environment and Forestry here on Thursday.

According to him, one of the activities of the task force will be carrying out inspections in the Jabodetabek area, which is indicated to have contributed to air pollution, so that the air quality can be improved.

The ministry's director general of pollution and environmental degradation control, Sigit Reliantoro, said that the formation of the task force is also in accordance with President Joko Widodo's directive to monitor power plants that use fossil fuels and steam power plants. (PLTU).

"We have identified several power plants at which we will carry out monitoring and evaluation. This includes monitoring and evaluation regarding stockpiles at ports," he informed.

Meanwhile, the ministry's director general of environmental and forestry law enforcement, Rasio Ridho Sani, said that his side will take action to control pollution arising from the activities of PLTUs and fossil fuels as well as open burning areas.

He informed that his side has identified the locations and sources of air pollution, both power plants as well as areas where open burning is suspected to occur frequently.

Open burning refers to the extensive burning of waste that causes emissions and industrial activities that do not manage emissions properly.

The ministry's task force will also prepare several sanctions, ranging from those that are administrative in nature for corrective purposes to taking action based on civil and criminal law. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo has said that to realize the Golden Indonesia vision, the leaders who lead the nation next must have endurance and courage and be consistent in continuing the crucial policies his government has formulated

The head of state made the statement at the 2023 People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Annual Session and the 2023 Joint Session of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Regional Representative Council (DPD) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"The country needs leaders who have long endurance, since we are not taking an afternoon walk nor a sprint race. We should run a marathon to achieve Golden Indonesia," he remarked.

The President reiterated that the next leaders, who will be elected in the 2024 presidential and legislative elections, will determine the future of the country.

"It is not a matter of who is the (next) president. No, it is not that. The question is whether the next leader will be capable of sustaining what we have started," he affirmed.

He then outlined a number of policies, such as the natural resources downstreaming policy, whose continuation he described as paramount, and said that by downstreaming its natural resources, Indonesia will be able to double its per capita income in the next decade.

President Widodo informed that Indonesia's per capita income in 2022 was recorded at Rp71 million (US$4.6 thousand).

He expressed optimism that the downstreaming policy will help the country increase this value to Rp153 million (US$10,900) over the next decade, and then to US$15,800 in 15 years and US$25 thousand in 22 years.

According to him, the government has also been working on building essential infrastructure to increase inter-regional connectivity, which helped boost Indonesia's competitiveness ranking from 44 to 34 in 2022, according to the International Institute for Management Development.

Furthermore, he noted that the government has been exerting great efforts to realize an equitable economy, including by allocating a dedicated budget of Rp539 trillion (US$35.2 billion) for the 2015–2023 period to develop villages, including those located in the outermost regions.

Moreover, the government has been consistently executing structural reform by simplifying regulations, providing easier access to obtaining permits, ensuring law certainty, and preventing corruption.

"All these (efforts) serve as a basis for us to achieve progress," he said.

The annual session was attended by leaders of MPR, DPR, and DPD; Vice President Ma'ruf Amin; fifth president of Indonesia, Megawati Soekarnoputri; Indonesia's 10th and 12th vice president, Jusuf Kalla; Indonesia's 9th president Hamzah Haz; and Indonesia's 6th vice president, Try Sutisno.

Ministers, leaders of political parties, and other officials also joined the session. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) emphasized that Indonesia's future leaders should be courageous to take difficult and unpopular decisions in the wake of challenges ahead that are getting more complex.

"Policy choices will become increasingly difficult, so courage is needed, trust is needed, to make difficult decisions and unpopular decisions," Jokowi noted in his State of the Nation Address at the Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD) at the Parliamentary Complex here on Wednesday.

To this end, Jokowi emphasized that a leader should have the public's trust as one of the determining factors on whether their policies or decisions can work and be followed properly.

"This is the political capital in leading a nation. Apart from that, a leader also needs support and cooperation from all components of the nation," he stated.

President Jokowi highlighted that the government had made several significant policies that could become the capital to achieve progress.

He noted that the natural resources downstreaming policy would increase Indonesia's per capita income by more than twofold in the next 10 years.

He explained that in 2022, Indonesia's per capita income was recorded at Rp71 million (around US$4,639), and it is expected to increase to Rp153 million (around US$10,900) in 10 years, Rp217 million (around US$15,800) in 15 years, and Rp331 million (around US$25,000) in 22 years.

The president remarked that the government had made the foundation for the increase, namely through infrastructure and connectivity, which had, so far, improved Indonesia's competitiveness, from being ranked 44th to 34th in 2022 based on the International Institute for Management Development (IMD).

Jokowi further drew attention to the government's efforts for an equitable economy through development that started from villages, peripheral and outermost areas, including disbursing village funds, which had, so far, reached Rp539 trillion (around US$35.26 billion) in the 2015-2023 period.

In addition, Jokowi said, the government had consistently conducted structural reforms, especially in terms of facilitating simplification of regulations, supporting ease of licensing process, ensuring legal certainty, and taking steps to prevent corruption. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) affirmed that Indonesia had been successful in reducing stunting or the chronic malnutrition rate to 21.6 percent and increasing the Human Development Index (HDI) to 72.9 in 2022.

Jokowi made the statement at the 2023 MPR Annual Session and 2023 Joint Session of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Regional Representative Council (DPD) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

"Increasing HDI to 72.9 percent and Gender Empowerment Index (GDI) to 76.5 percent in 2022 and also preparing a social protection budget amounting to Rp3,212 trillion for the 2015-2023 period," he remarked.

According to the president, some achievements were the result of efforts to prepare human resources.

The head of state explained that the social protection budget in the 2015-2023 period was intended for several programs, such as the Healthy Indonesia Cards (KIS), Smart Indonesia Card (KIP), Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) for Higher Education, Family Hope Program (PKH), Basic Food Card, and protection for the elderly.

In the budget, the government also makes efforts for people with disabilities and other vulnerable groups as well as conducts training and capacity building or re-skilling and up-skilling of the workforce through job training centers and the Pre-Employment Card Program.

In line with this, Jokowi highlighted that the government is preparing human resources to increase employment opportunities, so it can boost national productivity.

The president remarked that Indonesia's human resources can develop new economic sectors that provide a large number of jobs and added value to as much extent as possible.

The head of state affirmed that the preparation of high-quality human resources was also aimed at increasing Indonesia's credibility and gaining international trust.

"The voice of Indonesia will be heard more, so it will make us easier to negotiate. We must be able to use that opportunity (international trust). It will be a great loss if we miss this opportunity because not all countries have a chance, and it is not certain that we will gain it again," the president remarked. (Antaranews)