VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo during a teleconference with elementary school students on Friday (July 23, 2021). ANTARA/Presidential Secretariat Press Bureau - 

Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stressed that children in Indonesia should continue to be passionate about learning, enjoy themselves, and stay diligently devout despite homebound activities during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"All my children, the future of Indonesia, must continue to be enthusiastic about learning, keep having fun, be diligent in worshiping, and do not forget to pray to Allah SWT, God Almighty, to ask for protection for all of us, for the Indonesian nation," President Jokowi stated while greeting elementary school children during a video conference on the occasion of National Children's Day 2021 in Jakarta, Friday.

The head of state highlighted that the plan to start face-to-face schooling, originally scheduled to open in July 2021, was canceled whilst awaiting an improvement in the situation.

Jokowi urged the children to continue to study, always wear masks while leaving the house, wash hands regularly, and remind friends and neighbors to follow suit.

As many as 548 thousand children out of the targeted 11.9 million children in the age group of 12-17 years have received COVID-19 vaccine shots, the Ministry of Health had earlier announced.

"The vaccination drive for children in the age group of 12-17 years is focused on local health facilities or their respective schools," the Health Ministry's COVID-19 vaccinations spokesperson, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, stated during an online dialog hosted by the National COVID-19 Handling and Economic Recovery Committee (KPC-PEN) here on Thursday.

Vaccination drives at local healthcare facilities are focused on vaccinating teenagers in the age bracket of 12-17 years, who are not enrolled in any educational institutions, while teenagers enrolled in schools are being directed to get vaccinated at schools hosting vaccination drives, Tarmizi revealed.

Vaccines for teenagers have been distributed nationwide, with 50 percent of the vaccines allocated for the Java-Bali provinces while the rest proportionately to other provinces, she noted.
"We currently have a policy of distributing 50 percent of the vaccines to the Java-Bali provinces due to the recent spike in COVID-19 cases there, while the rest of the vaccines will be distributed proportionally to other provinces. That portioning already includes vaccines for teenagers," she stated.

Vaccine stocks in Indonesia currently reach just 130 million doses, a mere 30 percent of the 426 million doses required to meet the national vaccination target, she pointed out.

The target of the vaccination program has also been increased to 208 million, from 181.5 million, Tarmizi remarked//ANT

A screenshot of senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, Destry Damayanti - 

Micro, small and medium enterprises (MSME) loan growth exceeded the total credit growth as of June 2021, in sharp contrast with June 2020, senior deputy governor of Bank Indonesia, Destry Damayanti, has revealed.

"The latest credit developments as of June, MSME loans continue to show positive signals. (As per) The latest data in the second quarter of 2021, MSME loan growth has exceeded total credit growth," she said during an online discussion on the acceleration of MSME digitization, originating from Jakarta on Friday.

Based on data provided by Bank Indonesia, MSME loan growth stood at 0.13 percent in June, 2020, while total credit growth was pegged at 1.49 percent. Meanwhile, in June, 2021, MSME loan growth reached 2.35 percent, while total credit growth was recorded at 0.59 percent.

In terms of segmentation, MSME credit growth was the highest in the medium and small segments, while micro credit growth continued to contract, Damayanti said.

New loans in the MSME sector, which has the largest share of credit, were recorded in the trade sector, both retail and large, especially the food and beverage trade sector, she added.

BI also noted an increase in new credit disbursement, which even exceeded credit repayments. As of June, 2021, new credit disbursement stood at Rp72.23 trillion, while loan repayments were pegged at Rp60.21 trillion, she informed.

In addition, there was an improvement in the performance of MSMEs in 2021, Damayanti noted.

According to a survey conducted by the Mandiri Institute, as of April, 2021, around 84.8 percent of MSMEs were operating normally, 8.1 percent were operating on a limited basis, and 7.2 percent had halted operations, she said.

This number reflects an increase compared to 2020, when only 35.2 percent of MSMEs were operating normally, 34.5 percent were operating on a limited basis, and 30.4 percent had halted operations amid the pandemic, she added.

Although there was an improvement in the MSME sector, Damayanti reiterated that the key to economic recovery will be the handling of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia.

"So, we are required to carry out health protocols in a disciplined manner, vaccination continues to be accelerated," she remarked.

The decline in mobility due to the implementation of the public activity restrictions (PPKM) has had an impact on the performance of the MSME sector, she said//ANT

Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar, inspects an isolation site prepared for COVID-19 patients. (ANTARA/HO-Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Ministry) - 

Self-isolation sites prepared across villages nationwide can accommodate up to 45,710 COVID-19 patients, Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration, Abdul Halim Iskandar, has said.

"The isolation points have been prepared in 20,844 villages nationwide and are equipped with 45,710 beds," he said here on Friday.

As of July 19, 2021, as many as 396,289 village residents have been diagnosed with COVID-19, with 24,768 villagers admitted at village isolation points, he added.

"Earlier, during the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, we consolidated villages nationwide to prepare isolation points for each village. The isolation points were prepared to allow villagers infected with COVID-19 to self-isolate at the provided location, if they could not self-isolate at their homes," the minister said.

Villages have utilized several locations to set up makeshift isolation points such as village halls, village-owned enterprise buildings, school buildings emptied due to the current implementation of the distance learning system, and vacated homes, he elaborated.

He also said the daily operation of each isolation point will be supervised by local healthcare centers (Puskesmas) and volunteers groups, which have been formed in each village.

"Village volunteer groups have been authorized to manage isolation points at their respective villages. As of today, the total number of volunteers is 1,117,066," Iskandar said.

Each village volunteers group is headed by the village head and deputized by the Village Consultative Body (BPD) chairperson, he informed.

The main duty of the village volunteer groups is dealing with COVID-19 cases in the villages, including operating village isolation points, he added.

The volunteer groups are also collaborating with village leaders as well as religious and traditional leaders for performing their activities, the minister said.

Village volunteer groups' daily activities are also being supported by the village-affiliated police and military officers, and local ministry's representatives, he added//ANT

Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna Laoly - 

The Ministry of Law and Human Rights on Friday granted remissions to children in conflict with the law, as part of National Children's Day commemorations.

"Efforts to protect the best interests of children in conflict with the law can come in various forms, including through child remissions," Minister of Law and Human Rights, Yasonna Laoly, said at an online event held to mark National Children's Day, originating from Jakarta on Friday.

According to the minister, the remissions were not just a legal mandate, but a tangible expression of his ministry's concerns in prioritizing the interests of children and accelerating the process of integrating children into society.

"The only hope from this remission is for children to be able to reunite with their families and communities more quickly, in order to reorganize their future," Laoly said.

Protecting the interests of children is the same as protecting the future of the nation and mankind, he remarked.

The Constitution of the Republic of Indonesia clearly states that every child has the right to survive, grow, and develop, and has the right to protection from violence and discrimination, he noted.

This does not only mean that the state recognizes children's rights, but also that it is responsible for ensuring their fulfillment, he said.

"The same goes for children who are in conflict with the law. The fact that they have to be included in the Juvenile Criminal Justice System and some of them have to serve a criminal period, does not mean that their protection, guidance, coaching, education, and health services are neglected," he added.

Children in conflict with the law should not be viewed as petty criminals, but as potential future successors of the nation, whose rights to identity, health, and education need to be protected so they are able to participate in development, Laoly said.

Indonesian children who are in conflict with the law need to always believe that their future is brighter, maintain optimism in order to produce their best work, and maintain the spirit to keep moving forward despite facing obstacles, he added//ANT