VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The policy of downstreaming natural resources will ultimately bring a positive impact on the nation's economy, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

“This policy may be bitter for raw material exporters and for short-term state revenues. However, if the big ecosystem has been formed and the processing plant starts to operate, it will bring a positive impact in the end," he remarked at the 2023 Annual Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) and the 2023 Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) and Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The head of state noted that the policy of downstreaming natural resources should be continued since it will bring benefits by improving the people's welfare.

Jokowi highlighted that Indonesia is a country with abundant natural resources that should be able to manage its natural wealth to generate added value in the economy.

The country should not only rely on its natural resources but should also have the ability to process them, he stated.

"I emphasize that Indonesia must become a country with the ability to process its natural resources to provide added value and bring prosperity to its people," he remarked.

Hence, the downstreaming industry is needed to obtain added value from natural resources, Jokowi stated.

According to the president, the government had already implemented downstreaming through technology transfer to utilize new and renewable energy sources while minimizing the environmental impacts.

He noted that the government had also obligated mining companies to build seedbeds to revive forests after becoming mining sites.

Apart from the downstreaming of mineral commodities, the president is keen that Indonesia also conducts downstreaming for commodities, such as palm oil, seaweed, coconut, and other potential commodities.

"It must optimize local sources and partner with farmers and fisheries MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) to bring real benefits to them," he stated.

He also noted that downstreaming and the green economy can become an opportunity for Indonesia to achieve progress since the country has abundant natural resources. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Investment Ministry and Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) unveiled that it is ready to showcase the new national capital Nusantara at the ASEAN Investment Forum, a side agenda of the ASEAN Summit.

The forum will be held in Jakarta on September 2–3, 2023.

"At the ASEAN Investment Forum, we are ready to hold an exhibition related to Nusantara," BKPM's Deputy for Investment Cooperation Riyatno said at the "Road to ASEAN Summit 2023" press conference here on Tuesday.

The showcase of IKN Nusantara is aimed at attracting investors from ASEAN countries and also other countries to park their money in Indonesia's new capital, he informed.

Riyatno added that his party will prepare a special Nusantara showcase booth at the ASEAN Investment Forum.

"(The showcase boothwill be prepared) in order to directly communicate with business actors, especially from ASEAN," he said.

The BKPM is also collaborating closely with the Nusantara Capital Authority (OIKN) and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs to encourage and attract investment to the capital city.

In addition, the ministry has completed the Governmental Regulation on the Ease of Incentives in Nusantara Capital City as one of the efforts to attract investors.

Riyatno said his party has invited, welcomed, and assisted potential investors from Malaysia and Singapore in carrying out site visits to IKN.

"The Ministry of Investment/BKPM is ready to hold the ASEAN Investment Forum," he said.

For holding the side event, his side is working with the ASEAN Business Advisory Council (ASEAN-BAC), the UN Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin).

At the forum, ASEAN investment ministers or heads of investment agencies will interact and discuss policies.

The investment promotion agency of each ASEAN country will attend the forum, in addition to the exhibition. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Members of the flag-raising troop (Paskibraka) have been provided character-building education based on the state ideology Pancasila, Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy has said.

"Yes, it can be seen from their behavior, manners, and intelligence," Effendy said after attending the 2023 Paskibraka Inauguration Ceremony at the State Palace here on Tuesday.

According to him, the Pancasila character is determined by mastery over three abilities, namely logic, ethics, and aesthetics.

In order for someone to have good character, they need to have a logical and smart mind, Effendy said.

However, he emphasized the importance of high ethics and aesthetic intelligence.

"Aesthetic does not mean they must be able to dance, but more about (knowing) how to behave, how to put themselves in certain social conditions, such as art in politics," he said.

Most people only prioritize logical intelligence and ignore ethical intelligence, neglecting the value of propriety, he added.

"Logic is only one aspect of the Pancasila character and it must be followed by an ethical character that measures whether something is good or bad," he said.

According to him, a logical mind will only measure whether something is right or wrong, but an aesthetic mind will assess whether something is delightful or not.

"These things must be fully understood and are very essential in Indonesia," he said.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) inaugurated the Paskibraka members who will serve at the 78th Independence Day Ceremony at Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, on August 17, 2023.

This year's Paskibraka consists of 76 high school students from 38 Indonesian provinces, with each province represented by a boy and a girl.  (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The ASEAN-Business Advisory Council (BAC) is fostering partnerships with a peer-to-peer (P2P) lending platform and the Indonesian Joint Funding Fintech Association (AFPI) to support digital payment transformation.

"ASEAN-BAC has five priorities for resolving issues related to the economy and trade, which include promoting digital payment methods," ASEAN-BAC Chairperson Arsjad Rasjid said in a statement received here on Tuesday.

He also praised AFPI and P2P lending platform AdaKami for their efforts to provide easier access to financing to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) in all countries from the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Indonesia is currently chairing the grouping.

ASEAN-BAC invited AFPI and AdaKami to participate in its roadshow activities in Beijing and Shanghai, China, from July 25–27, 2023, with the objective of increasing the influx of investment to ASEAN countries.

The tripartite delegation visited Shanghai on July 26 to meet with several companies, including Finvolution Group, to explore digital financial cooperation opportunities.

During the meeting, ASEAN-BAC invited representatives from the company to attend the 43rd ASEAN Summit, which is scheduled to take place in Jakarta from September 5–7 this year.

ASEAN-BAC Vice Chairperson Bernardino Moningka Vega, who is also president director of AdaKami, lauded ASEAN-BAC for its concern for the development of the P2P industry, as evidenced by its willingness to involve a P2P lending actor in an ASEAN activity.

"We believe that AdaKami's participation in ASEAN-BAC's roadshow will promote intercultural innovations to enable business sector ASEAN to navigate the complexity of digital transformation in a more effective manner," he said.

He added that the roadshow aimed to expand collaboration and push for more inclusive and sustainable economic growth.

Meanwhile, Suni Widyatmoko, secretary general of AFPI, expressed the hope that investment in financial technology will help Indonesia's P2P lending industry develop and contribute to further developing financial technology itself.

"Stakeholders need to continue intensifying efforts for realizing equitable development in financial technology and creating a more inclusive and sustainable economy," he said.  (Antaranews)