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General chairman of Muhammadiyah, Prof. Dr. K. H. Haedar Nashir, in a video greeting played during the Kaumy National Working Meeting and Dialogue in Jakarta on Saturday (March 12, 2022). (ANTARA/Natisha Andarningtyas) - 

General Chairman of Muhammadiyah Prof. Dr. K. H. Haedar Nashir has said that the ongoing technological disruption must not be at the cost of the nation's values.

"The development of science and technology, the ability to master it, as well as other physical progress in a nation and state will be meaningless if the spiritual, ethical, moral, and socio-cultural values are lost and eroded," said Nashir in a video greeting during the working meeting of the Alumni Family of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (KAUMY) here on Saturday.

He said he hopes KAUMY will create innovations in this era of disruption and serve as a catalyst for scientific and technological progress. A nation that can master science and technology can compete with other nations, he said.

"It is evident that all nations that master science and technology are at the forefront of political, economic, and cultural progress, and even in international relations," he said.

However, technological disruption must not violate national values, including Pancasila values and the values of life derived from the nation's religion and culture, he stressed.

"We need to realize that mastery of science also needs to be based on noble and main ethical, moral, and social values," he added.

He said he hopes people who master science and technology will not violate the noble values of the nation, saying those who lose their values are like robots who have lost their humanity//ANT

Presidential Staff Office's (KSP's) expert Wandy Tuturoong. (ANTARA/HO-Kantor Staf Presiden RI) - 

The new capital's development plan has been arranged to ensure that it will continue beyond Joko Widodo's  (Jokowi's) presidency expiring in 2024, according to the Presidential Staff Office's (KSP's) expert, Wandy Tuturoong.

Law No. 3 of 2022 on the National Capital instructed that the new capital's development be continued by Jokowi's successor, he remarked.

"Law No. 3 of 2022 will ensure the new capital's development continuity, as future presidents are obligated to enforce the law," Tuturoong noted in his statement received in Jakarta on Saturday.

The government is determined to proceed with the capital's relocation that will benefit the country in the long run despite existing and future challenges, he remarked.

"We also aim to improve the nation's future towards an advanced Indonesia in 2045," the KSP expert remarked.

Tuturoong noted that the National Capital Law, as the legal basis, has stipulated various aspects of the new capital development comprising the capital authority, city development, land rights, environment, disaster mitigation, as well as security and defence.

"The regulation has provided a clear basis for development of the new capital that is expected to continue until 2045," the KSP expert noted.

The law has also stipulated the funding scheme and budget management for the capital's development, he added.

"The law provided the basis for the succeeding government to continue the capital relocation and development processes," Tuturoong remarked.

The KSP expert stated that the new capital will be the government's strategy to realize the vision of Indonesia through inclusive and equitable economic growth by expediting development in the eastern part of Indonesia by the country's centenary.

The new capital will also position the country in a more strategic place between the global trade routes and in terms of the investment flows and technological innovations, according to the expert.

"The new capital will be an example for the development of a sustainable city that is supported by current technologies," Tuturoong stated.

He also highlighted that the present situation had created the right momentum to relocate the capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan.

"We have the correct momentum now after the government and the parliament sealed an important deal to expedite efforts in reducing development discrepancy between Java Island and regions outside Java. I am not sure whether we will have this kind of momentum again after 2024," Tuturoong stated//ANT

State-Owned Enterprises Minister's Special Staff Arya Sinulingga at the Malang City SOE House on Friday, March 11, 2022. (ANTARA/SOE Ministry Press Bureau/rst) - 

The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry encourages micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), especially in Malang City, East Java, to utilize digital technology in order to improve their business.

SOE Minister's Special Staff Arya Sinulingga remarked that the working visit to the area was aimed at building and improving local MSMEs.

"SOE Minister Erick Thohir urged me to oversee MSMEs in Malang and see what type of assistance we can offer to improve their business," he noted in a press statement received here, Saturday.

Sinulingga later explained that assistance from the SOE minister will be provided collectively through the SOE House in Malang.

The Malang City SOE House succeeded in bringing 1,501 local MSMEs to become "Go Digital MSMEs," thereby translating to the fact that these business actors have used social media as a promotional medium.

The SOE House has also provided 293 trainings to assisted MSMEs that covered digital marketing training, business financial management, and product development, he remarked.

"The SOE House, initiated by Minister Thohir, is a forum for developing MSMEs aimed at increasing the capacity and capability of MSMEs in Indonesia," he remarked.

During Sinulingga's visit, the young entrepreneur, who owns Gloeshoes Leather, Nabella Zya Arofah, 26, spoke of having received business assistance from the SOE House that was able to develop the business she was involved in.

"The SOE house has helped my business from being a home-based business until I have employees and sell my products in the international market," Arofah stated.

Arofah admitted that the biggest sales were recorded from using Instagram as her digital marketing platform. Her footwear products were also in demand in the international market.

The Malang City SOE House has succeeded in fostering 36,763 MSMEs engaged in food processing, fashion, and handicrafts. Establishment of the SOE House was motivated by the growth of the global market that had caused a shift in the paradigm of national business.

MSMEs are viewed as having an important role to play in the national economy through creating job opportunities, encouraging the improvement of community welfare, and creating new innovations//ANT

Presidential Staff Office (KSP) Deputy II Febry Calvin Tetelepta presiding over the coordination meeting on evaluation of improvement of the Trans-Sumatra toll road in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Saturday (March 12, 2022). ANTARA/HO-KSP - 

An official of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP) made assurance that the current improvement underway at the Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang-Kayuagung section of the Trans-Sumatra toll road will be completed before Eid al-Fitr expected in May.

"The Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing informed that the improvement process at the Trans-Sumatra toll road, which includes traffic signs, road marking, and rest area improvement, can be completed in April 2022. Hence, residents can travel pleasantly during the homecoming period," KSP's Deputy II Febry Calvin Tetelepta noted in a press statement in Jakarta on Saturday.

Tetelepta made the assurance while presiding over a coordination meeting on evaluation for improvement of the Trans-Sumatra toll road in Palembang, South Sumatra, on Saturday.

The KSP deputy affirmed that the ministry had made focused efforts to achieve the completion target set in mid-April by allocating more workforce and equipment to expedite the improvement process.

"The earlier plan set the completion target in June, and the decision to bring forward the completion target to April consequently means additional workforce and equipment will be necessary," he explained.

Tetelepta also reminded contractors involved in the improvement process to complete all administration and technical documentation requirements as well as information related to the progress in road improvement.

"Success in the progress in construction must be followed by proper legal and administrative management. All aspects relevant to construction must also be ensured," the KSP deputy noted.

The 189.2-kilometer (km) Terbanggi Besar-Pematang Panggang-Kayuagung section of the Trans-Sumatra toll road, connecting Lampung and Palembang in South Sumatra, had been operational since 2019.

According to the recent on-site observation of KSP staff, several damages were found at the 188-km, 190-191km, and 257-km mark of the toll road//ANT