VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LDPD) President Director Andin Hadiyanto speaks during a hearing meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives here on Wednesday (january 26, 2022). ANTARA/Sanya Dinda - 

The endowment fund managed by Indonesia Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) reached Rp99.10 trillion by 2021-end, according to LPDP President Director Andin Hadiyanto.

The endowment fund comprises education endowment at Rp81.11 trillion; research endowment, Rp7.99 trillion; higher education endowment, Rp7 trillion; and cultural endowment, Rp3 trillion.

“If we look at the history, the endowment fund started from Rp1 trillion in 2010, and it was then added. Thereafter, we utilized its development results as optimally as possible for research and scholarship,” Hadiyanto noted during a hearing meeting with Commission IX of the House of Representatives here on Wednesday.

The government has disbursed Rp29 trillion of the total endowment fund in 2021, comprising Rp20 trillion for education, Rp3 trillion for research, Rp4 trillion for higher education, and Rp2 trillion for culture.

The endowment fund managed by LPDP in 2021 has contributed Rp4.49 trillion to non-tax state revenue (PNBP), he remarked.

The PNBP was obtained from the transfer of some managed funds from deposits, whose interest rates on government securities (SBN) decreased significantly last year, he added.

In 2021, LPDP also granted scholarships, totaling Rp1.8 trillion, to 4,266 awardees, he noted, adding that only 680 awardees were granted scholarships last year due to the spread of COVID-19.

The LPDP also collaborated with the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry to grant scholarships, worth Rp838.36 billion, to 67,327 awardees in 2021.

The scholarships were awarded to 2,182 degree program awardees and 65,146 non-degree or Kampus Merdeka Belajar (Independent Learning Campus) program awardees.

The LPDP also financed 17 new research contracts and three further research contracts valued at Rp324.47 billion//ANT

Screenshot - Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah at the G20 campaign event "Involving People with Disabilities for Inclusivity" in Jakarta on Wednesday night (January 26, 2022). (ANTARA/Prisca Triferna/KT) - 

Indonesia's G20 Presidency in 2022 pushes for inclusion of people with disabilities, through the Manpower Ministers' Declaration, by creating a joint commitment to encourage the participation of disabled people in the workforce.

The statement was made by Indonesian Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah here on Wednesday night.

At the G20 campaign "Involving People with Disabilities for Inclusivity," Fauziyah explained that the Indonesian G20 Presidency remains committed to working to build an inclusive society and supporting people with disabilities to lead independent lives.

"This campaign will support one of the main priorities of the G20 Ministers of Manpower (or Labor) Declaration in 2022, which is to encourage G20 members and other countries to formulate a joint commitment through a concrete, measurable, and actionable plan to bolster the participation of persons with disabilities in the world of working," she stated.

The minister noted that disabled people always experienced difficulties in finding a job and had a higher risk of losing their jobs and experienced greater challenges to return to work during the economic recovery period amid the pandemic.

The pandemic situation has also had an impact in widening the already-existing employment gap, especially among women with disabilities, Fauziyah highlighted.

To this end, the minister believes it is time to view disability as something that should not be separated from the human rights issue.

"In the spirit of humanity and cooperation, we need to enhance efforts to promote national policies on (providing) decent jobs for people with disabilities," Fauziyah pointed out.

Some of those policies are the provision of accessible platforms for vocational and entrepreneurial training, skills certification, improving disability-friendly infrastructure in the workplace, and making social protection more reachable in the world of work//ANT

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin. (ANTARA/HO-BPMI Setwapres/pri) - 

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said that radicalism, extremism, and terrorism must be jointly stamped out by all parties to keep them from damaging the national fabric.

"We know that radicalism can trigger the emergence of extremism and terrorism, which can damage the foundations of this nation's life. We must prevent this jointly," he stressed at the National Halaqa I, organized by the Indonesian Ulema Council's Counter-Extremism and Counterterrorism Agency (BPET-MUI) via videoconferencing and accessed from here on Wednesday.

Amin said that efforts to prevent radicalism in Indonesia cannot only rely on the role of ulemas. All elements of society, from all backgrounds, must work hand in hand to prevent the spread of radical beliefs, he added. 

"Of course, ulemas will not be able to strive alone. The roles of families, teachers, and the community are essential in collaborative efforts to prevent the entry and spread of radicalism and terrorism," he noted.

The government has also strengthened countermeasures against radicalism, extremism, and terrorism in the country through the issuance of Presidential Regulation Number 7 of 2021 concerning the National Action Plan for the Prevention and Handling of Violent Extremism that Leads to Terrorism in 2020–2024, he pointed out.

"This Presidential Regulation is our reference to strengthen collaboration between ministries, agencies, local governments, ulemas, and Islamic organizations, including BPET-MUI, in order to prevent and overcome radicalism and terrorism," he said.

The vice president also appealed to all religious leaders in the regions to prioritize themes that are related to unity in their religious speeches to maintain religious tolerance and create inter-religious harmony in Indonesia.

According to Amin, religious speech should not fuel hatred or enmity among religious adherents//ANT

A waitress serves customers as they dine at a restaurant in Auckland on Dec 3, 2021. (Photo: AFP/David Rowland) - 

New Zealand's annual inflation rate soared to a three-decade high in 2021, driven by fuel price hikes and the country's red-hot property market, official data showed Thursday (Jan 27).

Prices rose 1.4 per cent in the final quarter of 2021, pushing the annual increase for the calendar year to 5.9 per cent, the highest since 1990, Statistics New Zealand (SNZ) said.

Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern said the sharp rise in the cost of living had been widely anticipated, blaming "oil prices and international tensions".

"New Zealand is alongside every other country that is experiencing exactly this issue when it comes to oil prices and the high crude prices," she told reporters.

SNZ said petrol prices in New Zealand increased 30 per cent during 2021 but it pointed to the housing sector as the main contributor to the spike in inflation.

House prices skyrocketed more than 28 per cent in 2021, creating a political headache for Ardern as many young families find themselves unable to pursue the dream of owning their own home.

SNZ said construction prices for new dwellings rose 16 percent over the year and residential rentals were up 5.5 per cent in some areas.

Ardern dismissed opposition suggestions that increased spending by her centre-left government was driving up living costs.

"I refute that absolutely," she said.

"The alternative is that we wouldn't have a wage subsidy in place and that's what has helped cushion the blow of the pandemic in New Zealand."

The Reserve Bank of New Zealand lifted interest rates twice late last year to 0.75 per cent, ending an 18-month freeze in a bid to bring inflation back to its 1-3 per cent target.

The central bank is widely expected to hike rates again at its next meeting on Feb 23//CNA