VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Kertajati International Airport toll gate in Majalengka District, West Java. (ANTARA/HO-Humas ASTRA Cipali) - 

Aviation expert Alvin Lie opined that the development of facilities surrounding Kertajati International Airport in Majalengka District, West Java, must continue after the access toll road to the airport became operational since Dec 20, 2021.

"Apart from ease of access, other factors may also play a role in increasing the airport's appeal for passengers. For instance, passengers will consider where to stay if they are boarding red-eye flights, where to shop, and how is the airport's transit. All those factors will play a crucial role in the airport's appeal," Lie told ANTARA in Jakarta on Saturday.

Although the new access toll road becoming operational on Monday will increase passenger ridership at the airport, the expert is uncertain that this alone will attract more airlines and passengers to the airport.

"As long passenger numbers at the airport are uncertain, airlines will be hesitant to serve flights from the airport, as they do not want to operate flights in loss," Lie emphasized.

Meanwhile, Indonesia Transportation Society's Advocacy and Social Department Head Djoko Setijowarno expressed hope that the government would complete the Cileunyi-Sumedang-Dawuan toll road, abbreviated as Cisumdawu, by mid-2022.

The department head is confident that the toll road would provide better access for residents from Bandung and the northern West Java region, as it will be connected with the access toll road to Kertajati Airport.

West Java residents will also prefer flights from Kertajati Airport rather than Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Cengkareng, Banten, if the toll road is completed, he added.

"The current issue is that Bandung residents could only access the airport from the Subang toll road that is at a considerable distance from the city, and they may instead decide to book a flight from the Soekarno-Hatta airport. Hence, the completion of the Cisumdawu toll road must be expedited," Setijowarno remarked.

Earlier, the Public Works and Public Housing Ministry took a decision on the access toll road to Kertajati International Airport becoming operational on December 20, 2021, and to be opened for the public//ANT

Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka (centre) and Bank Indonesia Deputy Governor Doni P. Joewono observing the oxygen generator equipment installed for Bung Karno General Hospital in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday (Dec 18, 2021). ANTARA/Aris Wasita. - 

Bank Indonesia (BI) Deputy Governor Doni P. Joewono opined that healthcare and vaccination are the game-changers in economic recovery following the COVID-19 pandemic that had caused a significant decline in multiple sectors since early 2020.

"We hope to always be healthy and that the residents' mobility would increase. The president and BI governor said that healthy, vaccinated residents are the game-changers in our economic recovery, and those are our current concerns," he stated after handing over oxygen generator equipment, distributed under the central bank's social assistance programme, to Bung Karno General Hospital in Surakarta, Central Java, on Saturday.

The deputy governor noted that the trend of increasing consumption among residents is the key for national economic growth, so enhancing mobility by ensuring vaccination and the residents' health was deemed of utmost importance.

"Despite our social programme is about primarily assisting MSMEs, a recent instruction from the central bank executives allowed the programme to be redirected for the national healthcare sector, as we want everyone to remain healthy," Joewono remarked.

He highlighted that a hospital in Surakarta was selected as the beneficiary recipient of the central bank's social programme owing to the high level of mobility and it also being an industrial and tourism destination.

Apart from the Bung Karno Hospital in Surakarta, the deputy governor informed that the Gatot Soebroto Army Central Hospital and Fatmawati Hospital in Jakarta are also targeted by the BI social programme.

"Our decision to help Bung Karno Hospital is not merely to help Surakarta residents but also for the Greater Surakarta region. We are optimistic that the hospital would also serve residents of regions outside Surakarta," Joewono noted.

Meanwhile, Surakarta Mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka expressed optimism that the new central bank-sponsored oxygen generator equipment would meet the oxygen demand for patients of Bung Karno Hospital and other health facilities in the city.

"We should no longer worry (about oxygen shortage), and we are optimistic that the new equipment would assist hospitals in the Greater Surakarta and other regions in Central Java," the mayor noted.

The oxygen generator equipment, priced at Rp6.48 billion (around US$453 thousand), provided for Bung Karno Hospital could produce 76 oxygen cylinders with 96-percent purity or 42 oxygen cylinders with 99.5-percent purity daily, he revealed//ANT

People of Nunukan, North Kalimantan, plant mangroves as part of the BRGM's mangrove rehabilitation program. (ANTARA/HO-BRGM/FR) - 

The National Peatland and Mangrove Restoration Agency (BRGM) is planning to hold a Mangrove Week for three days from December 20–22, 2021 here as a form of appreciation for the mangrove rehabilitation community and partners.

The agency has continued to pursue the mangrove rehabilitation target that was set at 34 thousand hectares at the beginning of 2021, BRGM official Didy Wurjanto noted.

"The community is the crucial part of BRGM's mangrove rehabilitation," he said in a statement released here on Saturday.

"The people's effort and their contribution should be appreciated. They are not only recovering Indonesian mangroves, they are also saving the earth," he said.

In relation to this, the agency is preparing to hold a Mangrove Week for the public with exhibitions planned for mangrove primary products, nature yield products, and crafts, he added.

"The public could also see how mangrove planting is done by the community. Let us celebrate the mangrove community's achievement," Wurjanto remarked.

BRGM lauded the community for its involvement in mangrove planting this year, he said adding, without their participation, support, and hard work, the mangrove rehabilitation target would have been impossible to achieve.

One of the provinces targeted by BRGM is North Kalimantan, he highlighted. Mangrove rehabilitation in the province is not easy, especially in Nunukan where most of the people rely on seaweed farming for their livelihood.

Head of the North Borneo Adventure (TNBA) Civilian Organization, Zulkarnain Masri, said that BRGM's mangrove rehabilitation program was a new concept for the people in North Kalimantan.

Hence, information concerning the long-term benefits of mangroves was disseminated to the people first, such as their role in preventing abrasion, sea intrusion, and returning marine biota that could provide economic benefits, he added.

"It was hard at first. But after they came to know of the economic impact, the people became involved and empowered and they became happy. Especially since this BRGM's program economically helps the people here," he affirmed.

He added that the TNBA group, which comprises 105 members, has the capability to plant mangrove seeds over 139 hectares//ANT

Illustration: Diving activities in a coral reef. (ANTARA/HO-KKP) - 

Executive Director of the Maritime Research Centre for Humanity and maritime expert Abdul Halim opined that collaboration and synergy with locals must be prioritised in the regional maritime tourism sector development promoted by the government.

"Collaboration among regional government-owned enterprises, local authority, and residents could be pursued to enhance investment in minor islands, as I observed a surging trend in maritime tourism development in regions," Halim told ANTARA in Jakarta on Saturday.

The maritime expert cautioned against dependence on external, especially foreign investments in marine tourism development in remote areas that potentially impact the local way of living and drive away residents from their homes.

"External investments could be pursued, but regional government-owned enterprises, local authority, and residents must remain within their control. A business scheme that I can suggest is a tourism cooperatives model wherein locals manage the cooperatives under the regional authority and regional enterprises' supervision," Halim remarked.

Collaboration among local sectors must be first pursued for local maritime tourism development before inviting external parties to invest in their region, he remarked while promoting cooperation among regions with similar missions under a transparent and beneficial scheme.

"By promoting collaboration among locals, we are confident of no one being left behind nor dominating or excluding others in maritime tourism development," the expert stated.

Earlier, the Ministry of Marine and Fisheries Affairs' West Sumatra Research Institute for Coastal Resources and Vulnerability head, Nia Naelul Hasanah Ridwan, stated that marine tourism held vast potential for the national tourism sector, especially for coastal areas in minor islands, with their preserved marine ecosystem.

The institute head also encouraged marine tourism development by preserving vulnerable marine ecosystems to promote blue economy for regions and tourists.

Moreover, Minister of Marine and Fisheries Affairs Sakti Wahyu Trenggono also voiced his optimism for Indonesia's marine tourism development and pushed regions to develop marine tourism in their respective regions//ANT