VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

A craftswoman puts up her batik products for sale online as part of the 2020 Batik Exhibition at the Malang Regional Representatives Building, East Java on October 5, 2020. (ANTARA FOTO/Ari Bowo Sucipto)

Bank Indonesia (BI) said it has joined the Task Force for the Acceleration and Expansion of Regional Digitalization (Satgas P2DD) to demonstrate its support for the government’s efforts to accelerate and expand regional digitization.

"BI's support for regional digitalization is through the creation of a payment system ecosystem that can support the integration of the national digital economy and finance, (and through) encouraging banking digitization through the Open Application Programming Interface (Open API), and developing Fintech and banking interlinks," executive director of the communication department of Bank Indonesia, Erwin Haryono, said in Jakarta on Friday.

The three supports, he said, will contribute to national digitization and regional financial management and are in line with the 2025 vision of the Indonesian Payment System Blueprint (BSPI).The central bank has also continued to launch initiatives to accelerate the implementation of the Electronification of Regional Government Transactions (ETPD) and digitization of payments by extending the use of payment instruments and channels, he informed.

"Such as the QR Code Indonesian Standard (QRIS), encouraging interconnection and interoperability of payment system services, encouraging the use of e-commerce platforms for tax and retribution payments, mapping ETPD profiles across local governments," he added.

In addition, the bank is working on enabling payment service providers to collaborate with local governments and regional development banks (BPD) to help BI Representative Offices in Indonesia to form the Regional Digitalization Acceleration and Expansion Team (TP2DD), Haryono said.

Through the P2DD and TP2DD task forces, BI would continue to coordinate with all related parties to encourage the acceleration and expansion of regional digitization, he added.The main task of the P2DD Task Force is to encourage electronic transactions, which can increase transparency of regional financial transactions, support governance, and integrate regional financial management systems to optimize regional revenues, Haryono said.

“As well as supporting the development of digital payment transactions in society in order to realize inclusive finance, as well as increasing the integration of the national digital economy and finance," Haryono added.

The P2DD Task Force is chaired by the Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs and comprises the Governor of Bank Indonesia, the Minister of Home Affairs, the Minister of Finance, the Minister of Communication and Informatics, the Minister for the State Secretary, the Minister for Administrative Reform and Bureaucratic Reform, and the Minister for National Development Planning / Head of the National Planning and Development Agency.

At the regional level, TP2DDs will also be formed at the provincial, district, and city levels to strengthen coordination between the central and regional governments, Haryono informed. Such TP2DDs will chaired by regional heads//ANT

President Joko Widodo (second right) and Yogyakarta Governor Sri Sultan HB X (right) held a dialog with a COVID-19 vaccine recipient at the Beringharjo Market in Yogyakarta on Monday (1/3/2021). ANTARA FOTO/Andreas Fitri Atmoko/wsj. (ANTARA/Andreas Fitri Atmoko)

President Joko Widodo highlighted the government’s support to the development of local COVID-19 vaccines, such as the Red and White and Nusantara, albeit stressing that scientific principles should be followed in the process.

"The vaccines now being developed in the country are the Red and White and Nusantara that we must continue to support. However, scientific principles should be followed to produce safe, effective, and good-quality drugs and vaccines," the head of state noted in a press statement posted by the Presidential Secretariat in Jakarta on Friday.

Scientific principles in the development of the vaccine must follow the standard procedures, be open and transparent, and involve several experts. The scientific principles and procedures must be applied to demonstrate that the production of vaccines has prioritized the principles of prudence and can be accounted for scientifically, he emphasized.

"May the vaccines be safe and effective," he remarked.If all procedures and production phases have been followed suitably, the government will encourage swift production of the vaccines to fulfill domestic requirements, according to the president.

The head of state echoed the government's commitment to supporting Indonesian scientists to make innovations, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Of course, we all support any research and development pertaining to drugs and vaccines to achieve self-reliance in pharmaceutical production as well as to accelerate access to vaccines during the COVID-19 pandemic," he remarked//ANT

Kanto Lampo Waterfall, Bali - Indonesia 

Bali Island always offers its world-famous natural beauty. Apart from its beautiful beaches, Bali also has water tourism spots that also attract the hearts of world tourists. One of them is the Kanto Lampo waterfall which is located in Banjar Kelod Kangin, Beng village, Gianyar District, Bali.Kanto Lampo Waterfall is in the lowlands. This waterfall is special one, because the shape of the waterfall has steps flowing water from a height of about 15 meters. The shape is terraced so that the water that drops does not cause too heavy current. This Kanto Lampo waterfall is not like a waterfall in general, which falls straight down, but the flowing water spreads to the side quite swiftly so that it is like a white curtain between black cliffs.The water that falls through the black rock cliffs with the decoration of green plants around it makes the atmosphere look very beautiful and cool. Under the Kanto Lampo waterfall, there is a pool that is neither too big nor too deep. Here you can swim, play water, or just sit on the rocks while feeling the fresh, very clear and clean water falling on the body.The name, Kanto Lampo was given based on the existence of a tree around the river near the waterfall. The fruit of the tree always changes in colors, initially green and then turning yellow; the fruit will turn red again when it is ripe. The operational hours of the Kanto Lampo waterfall tour are from 8 am-5.30 pm, and open every day from Monday to Sunday. The entrance ticket is only worth Rp. 20,000/person.Kanto Lampo Waterfall is 30 kilomrters from Denpasar and only 1 kilometer from the City Park of Gianyar Regency. Apart from having a beautiful and soothing nature and the perfect place to rest for a while, body and soul from all routines, Kanto Lampo waterfall is also a sanctified place. Besides being used for religious ceremonies in Bali, the water from the Kanto Lampo waterfall is also a source of drinking water for the local population.

EU – Indonesia export predicted to rise 18% in 2021 - EU Embassy 

The Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement between Indonesia and the European Union (IEU-CEPA), which is currently negotiated, will increase trade and investment, contributing to job creation and economic development in Indonesia. It was said by the The European Union Ambassador to Indonesia, Vincent Piket during a virtual working visit to Central Java on Tuesday (09/03). When asked by Voice of Indonesia on how IEU-CEPA will increase trade during this pandemic situation. 

"This year let's hope that we get the pandemic under control. If we do that, we expect that we will be able to recover quite a bit of the loss in trade last year so get back where we were two years ago. Not yet go back to increase in trade but recovery is the word and built for the future and that future is very good. I come back to the benefit of the CEPA Agreement. Our studies forecast that the export of Indonesia will go up by almost 18 percent thanks to the CEPA, for the EU the export will go up as well but not as high as that. So you see here, a good example of growth oriented trade agreement for both side but especially for Indonesia and we welcome that very much" Ambassador Piket explain that this year trade and investment are predicted to rise 18 percent for Indonesia, while the European Union will see lower increase.

Ambassador Piket added that last year the overall trade of EU-Indonesia lost 10 percent as a result of the pandemic with less demand, less consumption and less trade. Meanwhile, Indonesia palm oil import in to the EU market has experienced an increase during the pandemic. The EU continues to enhance its relations and cooperation with the Indonesian government. Previously, the business event to Maluku had taken place at the end of 2020 and after Central Java, the EU Delegation will visit the provincial governments of South Sumatra and East Kalimantan//NK-VOI