VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Head of Indonesian Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), Bahlil Lahadalia, in Jakarta on Monday said, all business licensing had been delegated to BKPM beginning Monday (3/2). Therefore, representatives from 25 ministries and institutions began working at BKPM for the one-stop licensing service.

Bahlil Lahadalia said that was in line with Presidential Instruction No. 7 2019, that mandated BKPM to evaluate all licensing processes. Then, it assigned the ministry to delegate some licensing authorities to the Investment Coordinating Board.

Bahlil said the process forall permit issuance is carried out at BKPM,except those permits for upstream oil and gas, which will still be processed at the authority of Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry. The downstream oil and gas sector such as transportation, gas station, and mining permit (IUP) are at BKPM.

Although Bahlil Lahadalia could not specify the time needed to finish the licensing, he assured there will be acceleration. License processing durations depend on model or type of business permit, such as environmental impact analysis and mining business permits that require technical assessment which will not be finished in one day.

Bahlil explained, since tax incentive giving to investors moved to BKPM, businesspeople who invest and fulfill regulations will receive incentives, namely they do not need to visit ministry offices. Therefore, licensing processes can be more efficient in terms of time and cost, including their certainty.

Meanwhile, business permits under regional governments, namely in provinces, regencies, and cities, will be directly carried out by One-Stop Integrated Service and Investment Agency. The Home Affairs Ministry issued letters to governors, regents, and city mayors to ensure permits are only being processed at One-Stop Integrated Service and Investment Agency.

Bahlil Lahadalia said, currently they are formulating the Norm, Standard, Procedure, and Criteria (NSPK). Previously, after receiving a business registration number (NIB), businesspeople must receive approval from all related ministries and bodies, so those related ministries and institutions will put a representative at the Investment Coordinating Board office. This is because businesspeople require three things, namely speed, certainty, and efficiency.

The controversial statement of US President Donald Trump, who proposed the city of Jerusalem to remain Israel's capital, was resisted by Arab states' organizations. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abas said he would stop any relations with Israel and this was welcomed with a firm stand by countries in the Arab League. President Donald Trump's controversial statement was made when meeting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at the White House, Washington DC Tuesday, January 28, 2020.

According to Trump, his proposal would benefit both Israel and Palestine and be a peaceful solution for the Palestinians and Israelis. Jerusalem is determined to be the capital of Israel while Palestine will be given the right to manage East Jerusalem as its capital.

The Arab League strongly rejected President Donald Trump's proposal,  arguing   that the proposed solution would not provide justice for the Palestinian people. Arab leaders said they would not cooperate with the United States administration  to implement Donald Trump's proposal. The Arab League's strong rejection was expressed at an urgent  meeting in Cairo, Saturday , February 1,  which was also attended by representatives of Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. The presence of Saudi Arabia became a significant element given Riyadh's close relations with Washington. The organizations of Arab states also stressed that the borders of the Palestinian state should be  as they were before the Six-Day War in 1967. After the war Israel annexed the West Bank and Gaza and made East Jerusalem its capital.

Palestine at the Arab League meeting in Cairo expressed its  firm stance  and rejection. President Mahmoud Abbas threatened to stop all relations with the United States and Israel including their cooperation in the security sector. Dismissing Trump's proposal, Mahmoud Abbas stressed that the Palestinian people will continue to fight for their  sovereignty and rights through legal means and peaceful solutions. Since Trump threw out the controversial proposal, the atmosphere has continued to heat up. Palestinian fighters protest by holding various actions.

In such circumstances, in addition to the Arab League, countries that support Palestine, including Indonesia, of course should show their stance and support.

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the radio. We will introduce some Indonesian vocabulary and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language and Book Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is Tempat penukaran uang or ‘Money Changer’.

This conversation is about Tempat Penukaran Uang or ‘Money Changer’. The conversation is between Kevin and Pak Imran. Kevin wants to change his money from the Dollar to Rupiah, so he asks pak Imranwhere to find a money changer.

Now we are going to introduce the vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

In the conversation you’ve listened an expression: Pak, di mana tempat penukaran uang? Which means ‘Pak, where is the money changer?’. To respondto the question, you can answer by mentioning the location of the money changer . You can use the word ada. Let’s listen to the example:

-Di mana tempat penukaran uang terdekat ? which means where is the money changer?

-Tempat penukaran uang terdekat ada di depan hotel which means the nearest money changer is infront of the hotel

That was “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia.   

The Indonesian Minister of Trade, Agus Suparmanto, said that the government will limit food and beverage imports from the People's Republic of China. The restriction was made following the outbreak of novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) in the country. Agus Suparmanto on the sidelines of a sudden inspection at the Wonokromo Market in Surabaya, East Java on Friday, January 31, said, in addition to carrying out restrictions, importers would also be asked to selectively import food and beverages. This   because the current spread of the virus is already at an alarming level. However, the Minister was reluctant to specify the types of food and drinks he would limit to enter Indonesia. He said all foods would be strictly selected.

Corona virus outbreaks have spread and killed more than 200 people and infected thousands of others. The Ministry of Health previously stated that the Corona Virus can only live on animate objects. Secretary of the Directorate General of Disease Prevention and Control of the Ministry of Health Achmad Yurianto said the virus can also only develop in living cells. On this basis, he said that imports of goods from China remained safe.

Nevertheless, Minister of Trade Agus Suparmanto stressed, the government remained cautious. He claimed that he would not totally stop importing from China, since some Indonesian importers have also been bound by contracts. The Minister said that he did not want to make a harmful policy. Adding, this limitation might later affect the decline in import figures, though would not have much effect on exports.

A few days earlier, the Director General of Customs and Excise of the Ministry of Finance Heru Pambudi said that the government was currently focusing on watching out the movement of people between countries to anticipate the virus entering Indonesia. However, the latest developments from the spread of the virus would also be followed closely. If it is required, restrictions on imported products from China can be applied.