VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Mandalika-Lombok International Airport (BIL) bypass road is being constructed as part of preparations for the Superbike and MotoGP events in Indonesia. (ANTARA/Documentation of PUPR Ministry/uyu) - 

National roads connecting the Lombok International Airport (BIL) and the Mandalika National Tourism Strategic Area (KSPN) are in excellent condition, the Directorate General of Highways (Bina Marga) under the Public Work and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry has said.

"Two tracks of the national roads -- the 5.03-km Tanak Awu-Sengkol route and the 10.79-km Sengkol-Kuta route -- have been built with standard width. They are in excellent condition," director general of Bina Marga, Hedy Rahadian, informed ANTARA here on Friday.

The roads will have 11 overpasses, two bridges, three pedestrian bridges, median strips, and sidewalks to ease the flow of traffic flow, he said. Construction of four tracks in the final section of the Sengkol-Kuta route is partially completed, he added.

Bina Marga has said the BIL-Mandalika KSPN bypass road will be completed by September, 2021, in accordance with PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono's instructions.

The 50-m wide road is expected to cut traveling time from the international airport to the tourism area by 15 minutes, Rahadian said.

The existing 7-meter wide detour road stretches for 23 km and takes about 30 minutes to cover, which is considered inadequate, Rahadian explained.

A total of Rp814 billion has been spent from the 2020-2021 state budget (APBN) on the construction of the road, he informed.

"In order to recover the tourism sector that has been heavily affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the PUPR Ministry will keep on accelerating infrastructure establishment to support the development of High Prioritized Tourism Destinations (DPSPs), including the Mandalika KSPN in Central Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara," he said.

The established infrastructure comprises connectivity roads, water resources, human settlements, and housing complexes, he added.

The construction activities in the five DPSPs -- Borobudur Temple, Labuan Bajo, Manado-Likupang, Mandalika, and Toba Lake -- are being carried out in compliance with the health protocols for curbing COVID-19 transmission, the director general said//ANT

People wearing face masks walk on a street market in Wuhan, Hubei province, China on Feb 8, 2021. (Photo: Reuters/Aly Song) - 

China reported 35 new COVID-19 cases on Friday (Jul 23), down from 48 cases a day earlier, the country's national health authority said on Saturday.

Local infections accounted for 13 of the new cases, up slightly from 12 a day earlier, the National Health Commission said in a statement. Almost all of the local cases were reported in the eastern province of Jiangsu, it added.

The total accumulated number of confirmed COVID-19 cases in China now stands at 92,497, while the death toll remains unchanged at 4,636//CNA

Cooperatives and MSMEs Minister Teten Masduki. (ANTARA/screenshot/aditya/usl) - 

The government is preparing a regulation to prevent overseas micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) from selling their products in Indonesia via online marketplaces in a bid to protect domestic MSME players.

The Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Ministry, Communication and Informatics Ministry, as well as the Trade Ministry have been tasked with drafting the regulation.

"This regulation aims to prevent more dumping cases of imported MSMEs products through marketplaces," Cooperatives and MSMEs Minister, Teten Masduki, said during an online discussion on acceleration of MSME digitalization in Jakarta on Friday.

Currently, the government is digitalizing small local enterprises by connecting them to the digital ecosystem of virtual marketplaces to help them increase sales and develop their business, he noted. Hence, dumping of goods will threaten domestic businesses, he said.

Just 13.5 million MSMEs, or 20 percent of small businesses, have joined the online market so far against the government’s target of digitizing 30 million MSMEs by 2024, he noted.

“It means we (the Cooperatives and MSMEs Ministry) have to drive another 5 million MSMEs to enter online commerce every year. We cannot fulfill this task alone,” the minister said.

He urged various stakeholders to collaborate closely to increase the number of MSMEs using digital commerce.

The government is focusing on improving the performance of small enterprises in Indonesia since they contribute significantly to Indonesia’s gross domestic product (GDP), Masduki said.

MSME recovery amid the COVID-19 pandemic is crucial as this sector absorbs 97 percent of the labor force, he pointed out.

During Bank Indonesia’s survey of 2,970 respondents, 88 percent of MSMEs actors had admitted that the pandemic had impacted their business.

Meanwhile, the remaining 12 percent had said they were able to survive due to the digital market, with as many as 27 percent of them reporting increased sales despite the pandemic//ANT

A screenshot of Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini while painting during the celebration of National Children's Day held virtually on Friday (July 23, 2021). (ANTARA/Desi Purnamawati/RA) - 

Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini encouraged Indonesian children to never stop pursuing their dreams despite challenging times presented by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are currently facing hard times. You cannot meet your friends at school and must study virtually from home. However, you should still never give up," the minister told Indonesian children virtually during the commemoration of National Children's Day (HAN) 2021 monitored online in Jakarta, Friday.

Rismaharini believes that giving up was not an option since God presented opportunities to all without discrimination. Hence, what needs to be done is to keep striving and praying.

"No matter how difficult the situation is, we should never give up and go through it all. It is not easy, but that is the path we must take since success can never be achieved without hard work," she affirmed.

During the pandemic, when children are required to study from home virtually, boredom could set in due to the lack of interaction with their friends. Hence, the minister has encouraged children to cultivate hobbies at home, for instance, painting, reading, or gardening.

The minister shared with the audience her penchant for collecting seeds and planting them until they bore fruits. Crops, such as chilies and tomatoes, can be useful, she stated.

"It means, no matter how small our action is, it can be useful for others," she remarked.

During her speech, Rismaharini also reminded children to use cell phones for productive purposes.

"Do not use your phone to bully and badmouth friends. There is no point in having enemies. It is great to have a lot of friends," she emphasized.

Although students cannot be physically present in school, the minister believes it should not be an excuse for them to become complacent in studies.

Rismaharini further stressed that Indonesian children should not harbor a sense of inferiority, shame, or fear to compete with their counterparts in the world since Indonesia is a big country, and its independence was achieved through hard work. Hence, Indonesian children are the descendants of fighters, who never give up on fighting for the nation's independence//ANT