VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo, Monday morning (10/21), summoned a number of candidates for the cabinet ministers for the 2019-2024 period. Some names that were present Monday morning included Golkar Party Chairperson Airlangga Hartarto and former Joko Widodo-Maruf Amin National Victory Team Chairman, Erick Tohir. To reporters, after meeting the President, Airlangga said that he and the President discussed the challenges of the national economy including the trade balance deficit. According to Airlangga, President Joko Widodo has ordered himself to look for efforts to reduce the trade balance deficit. One of them is by reducing non-oil imports and encouraging the development of industrial estates. When asked by reporters about his position in the ministry of economy, Airlangga Hartarto stated that he was ready to support the Jokowi-Ma'ruf Amin government until 2024.

“In connection with reducing the trade balance, the President asked for products to be sought in the future to resolve trade balance issues or trade balance deficits. Of course one of them is from various products that can reduce non-oil and gas imports. One that is related to non-oil imports is of course related to the substitution of imports of the goods themselves. How to also increase efficiency and increase in oil and gas production and then also related to the implementation of biofuels including bio 100 and also how to develop areas that can support textile exports for example. So insha Allah we have stated that we are ready to support Mr. President, Mr. Jokowi-Maruf Amin until the period of 2024,” said Airlangga Hartarto.

Meanwhile former Head of the National Victory Team Erick Tohir expressed his readiness to relinquish his position in the company he leads if elected minister who will assist President Joko Widodo and Vice President Maruf Amin. He said this to avoid a conflict of interest between his position in the ministry and in the company.

“Certainly there shluld not be a conflict of interest in a position like this. Yes, of course we must stop completely. It is quite hard for me personally, because indeed when the Asian Games stopped almost 2 years and 8 months, then yesterday there were other jobs,” said Erick Tohir.

President Joko Widodo began calling prospective ministers after being installed as President in the 2019-2024 period. For 2 days, from Monday to Tuesday, the President will summon prospective ministers before being officially appointed as ministers for the next 5 years. (VOI/ANDY/AHM)

The Government of Indonesia has picked an Indonesian unit of New York-based management consultants McKinsey & Company to help evaluate the new capital city's masterplan in forested East Kalimantan, a high-ranking official stated in Jakarta, Monday.

McKinsey Indonesia will begin working with the Ministry of National Development Planning (PPN)/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) in 2020, Minister Bambang Brodjonegoro noted in a statement.

He expounded that the firm was appointed since it had concurred on working with local experts as well as state- and city-owned companies during the project.  

"This firm represents a young generation that aimed for a new green, smart, and sustainable capital city," Brojonegoro noted.

The minister explained that the consulting firm will arrange plans and procedures on relocating the capital city from congested, flood-prone Jakarta to the forested, haze-prone districts of Kutai Kertanegara and Penajam Paser Utara in East Kalimantan Province.

The firm will also be responsible to conduct a feasibility study on the two districts along with its population's projections, financial risk, and other socio-economic aspects affected by the establishment of the new capital city.

Brodjonegoro further revealed that the ministry and firm will chalk out the new capital city's zones, followed by its neighboring regions that will serve as buffer areas.

For the entire relocation project, the ministry will take the lead in supervising the firm as well as offering directions and guidance to it.

Brodjonegoro announced that his ministry had established a strategic coordination team comprising nine representatives of some related ministries and agencies to monitor the relocation project.

"They will offer directions, orders, and guidance to the firm," he remarked.

In 2020, the ministry will establish agencies and regulations to back the new capital city's masterplan, followed by the groundbreaking and completion of the detailed engineering design (DED) of the new capital city in 2021.

Construction work on the capital city will be carried out during the period from 2022 to 2024. (ANTARA)

Five special envoys of friendly countries met with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Sunday night after the presidential inauguration at the parliament building earlier on in the day.The president received the five special envoys in turns at the Credential Room of the Merdeka Palace. The five special envoys are Noh Young-min of South Korea, Theodoro Locsin Jr. of the Philippines, Nakayama Norihiro of Japan, Sheikh Nahyan Mabarak Al Nahyan of the United Arab Emirates, and Hon. Elaine L. Chao of the United States. They paid a courtesy call on the president after several leaders and heads of states from friendly countries met the Indonesian leader earlier on in the day. Jokowi affirmed that the visits of state guests mirrored sound relations between Indonesia and the friendly nations. After receiving the special envoys, Jokowi held a meeting with volunteers and then with political party leaders. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo revealed that he plans to introduce members of the cabinet ministers who will accompany him during the 2019-2024 leadership period. This was conveyed by Jokowi shortly before leaving for the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR RI) building to attend his inauguration as President and KH Maruf Amin as Vice President 2019-2024. Jokowi said that at this time, he had completed the composition of the cabinet of ministers, but all the names of the new cabinet ministers would only be introduced to the public tomorrow.

"I have already completed it. Later, tomorrow morning. I'll introduce you tomorrow morning. I introduce you tomorrow morning. Later in the afternoon Pak Kiai Maruf Amin has to go to Japan to attend the coronation of the Japanese emperor," said Joko Widodo.

Jokowi further said that for ministerial seats of political parties there would likely be a total of 16 seats. He also ensured that the new cabinet for the period 2019-2024 would still be filled with several old faces which would be added with more new faces. (VOI/NDY/AHM)