VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia-Panama Target Business and Investment Target Amid the Covid-19 Pandemic - Diplomatic corner                                                              kbri panama

Indonesia and Panama target bilateral relations increase in business and investment amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Indonesian Ambassador to Panama, Sukmo Harsono in a recent webinar on Indonesia-Panama Business Forum said that despite difficult situations amid the pandemic, Indonesia must still be optimistic and creative to explore and increase cooperation, especially in the economy.

Now, Indonesia is offering ease of doing business and investment through the Job Creation Law which provides significant improvement for business climate and brings Indonesia into international competition. The Job Creation Law will reduce difficulties in doing business in Indonesia. It includes simplifying land acquisition processes, loosening limits towards foreign investment, improving labor regulation, and giving more incentive for a free trade zone.

Meanwhile, Panama Ambassador to Indonesia, Manuel Saturno said that Indonesia is the biggest economy in Southeast Asia which is vital for Panama's economy. On one hand, Indonesia is also a multi-capital logistic platform that also benefits Panama. On the other hand, Panama intends to increase the existence of Panama in Indonesia by bringing its affordable products such as fruits, seafood, and coffee.

According to Ambassador Saturno, Panama offers itself as the entrance to the United States of America for Indonesian products, which can be useful to gain benefits for Indonesia by redistributing products into the region quickly and efficiently.

Waiting for Covid-19 Vaccination - editorial                                                                                                                                                                                              bbc.com

The recent arrival of 1.2 million Covid-19 vaccines is certainly very positive news for the Indonesian people. The vaccines produced by the Chinese company, Sinovac arrived in December 6, 2020. Indonesians are also waiting for the time when the Covid-19 vaccination will be carried out.

The vaccines have arrived. But, vaccinations are not immediately implemented. Indonesian people still have to be patient to wait. Because there are still steps to go through to determine when vaccination can be carried out. In fact, the clinical trials of the vaccine to be produced by PT Biofarma have not been completed, yet. In fact, the Food and Drug Agency -BPOM has not been able to issue a distribution permit for emergency user authorization. Head of BPOM, Penny Lukito said that the permit would, of course, be issued while still prioritizing three main aspects, namely safety, efficacy and product quality, including the validity of product information. One of the reasons for this emergency use distribution permit is that the drug or vaccine development process is still ongoing.

Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs who is also Chairperson of the Committee for Handling COVID-19 and National Economic Recovery, Airlangga Hartarto hopes that BPOM can immediately issue an emergency use permit. But of course, Indonesian people have to wait for the results of clinical trials in Bandung, West Java and Brazil, which are scheduled to be completed today (15/12). Airlangga Hartarto expressed his hope at the Bisnis Indonesia Award 2020 event, which was delivered virtually on Monday (14/12). On that occasion, he also remarked that the presence of vaccines is a change agent or game changer in handling Covid-19. It is hoped that the presence of vaccines can reduce the spread of the virus and encourage public confidence to resume activities. While waiting for the results of clinical trials, the Indonesian government has prepared health workers. About 440 thousand health workers and 23,000 vaccinators continue to prepare themselves for the implementation of the Covid-19 vaccination throughout Indonesia.

But there is something necessary for the Indonesian people to be aware of. If all clinical trials are successful, and vaccinations are carried out, unnecessarily all Indonesians will get vaccinated. Based on the ready number, there are three million doses. It is clear that only one percent of the Indonesian people will receive the first vaccine. Of course, the people must be willing to give vaccines to the first priority group, namely those who are at the forefront of handling Covid-19. They are medical personnel, contact-tracing paramedics, and public servants, including the personnel of Indonesian Armed Forces -TNI, the National Police -Polri, and other legal officers. Eventhough the number has reached 3.4 million, the need is around 6.9 million doses.

Another thing that must be considered is that not all people can get free vaccines. Minister of Health, Terawan Putranto has said that the government has made two schemes of Covid-19 vaccination. Of the total 107 million citizens who need to get vaccinated, 35 million people are included in the government's immunization program. This means that they get a free vaccine. Meanwhile, the others will buy their own vaccines.

In addition, the most important thing that the Indonesian people should do now is that they have to strictly implement health protocols. Maybe, the people have often heard the calls to wear masks, wash their hands with soap, keep their distance and avoid crowds. In reality, this step is very effective in preventing the spread of Covid-19. The regional governments can more strictly enforce health protocols, such as heavy sanctions imposed on those who violate the health protocols, not issuing permits for crowds, especially ahead of the Christmas and New Year. Because at present, if the vaccination could not be carried out, enforcement of health protocols by all parties becomes a powerful weapon to fight against the Covid-19.

Introducing Indonesia to French Society through a Batik Painting Workshop - DIPLOMATIC CORNER

To introduce Indonesia to French society and as one of a series of activities for the 70 Years of Diplomatic Relations between Indonesia and France, on December 5, 2020, The Indonesian Embassy in Paris organized a Batik Painting Workshop which was hosted by Erlina Doho, an Indonesian painter who lives in France.

Remembering, it is still in a semi-lockdown situation, the Workshop took place in a hybrid, offline and online manner with a total of 18 participants.Almost all of the participants, who never visit Indonesia, seemed enthusiastic and enjoyed the process of painting on canvas of various Indonesian batik motifs such as Kawung, flower, Garuda,and Parang. In the workshop, it was also explained that in these batik motifs, there is a high philosophy as part of Indonesian culture that is inherited by the ancestors.

The Batik Painting Workshop is also part of the Creative Indonesia Program which will take place in Paris from December 2020 to January 2021. This agenda showcases products with high design value and creativity for furnishings, decorations, fashion and handicrafts, works of contemporary Indonesian designers. Creative Indonesia is organized by the Indonesian Embassy in Paris in collaboration with ITHEMBA Design Ethik, a boutique in the Viaduc des Arts Paris area.

Starting from painting batik, the Indonesian Embassy in Paris invited participants to get to know Indonesia and visit it later after the pandemic. At the end of the event, the participants enjoyed Indonesian culinary delights: batagor, martabak and black sticky rice porridge from the Indonesian Restaurant “Bornéo à Paris”.

Simultaneous Regional Election amid Covid-19 Pandemic - EDITORIAL

The regional election 2020 had been held in 270 regions of Indonesia, consisting of 9 provinces, 224 regencies, and 37 cities. The election on December 9 had caused pros and cons, especially amid the Covid-19 pandemic. Based on data from Covid-19 Task Force, the potential new cluster ahead of the election had forced the task force to work harder in anticipating it. Meanwhile, the election organizer kept reminding the people to be careful in voting their new leaders. The Ministry of Home Affairs encouraged the people to criticize the election participants to avoid focusing whether the candidate is incumbent or non-incumbent.

Undeniably, the Simultaneous Regional Election 2020 is quite risky. In some regions, the candidates and organizers were infected, and some even died of Covid-19. Despite tight health protocol monitoring and implementation, there were still spots where the protocol was not implemented properly.

President Joko Widodo also stated that the election cannot wait until the pandemic ends, because no one knows when it will. Therefore, the election is a moment when Indonesia can overcome and end the Covid-19 spread with innovation, idea, and innovation.

Meanwhile, Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito said the task force in regions can disperse crowds at the voting places. The Home Affairs Minister Tito Karnavian said that the Covid-19 spread during the voting day is very possible. He also conveyed the optimism of the government and organizer that the election will go as planned.

Hope came on Sunday evening from the arrival of the first Covid-19 vaccine in Indonesia. Yet, there is still the final clinical test to be done. 

Pros and cons of the regional election might be able to be relieved a little bit with the vaccine arrival. According to the plan, the vaccine will be prioritized for health workers and other frontliners of health monitoring amid the pandemic. Still, the end of the pandemic still cannot be predicted, although many efforts had been done by the government and other related stakeholders. Therefore, nobody can be neglectful and everyone must still follow the health protocol.