VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia's budget deficit in the quarter ended March 31, 2019, totaled Rp102 trillion, accounting for 0.63 percent of the national gross domestic product (GDP), according to the finance ministry. The first-quarter budget deficit rose slightly compared to 0.58 percent of the GDP in the same quarter last year.

"The budget deficit in the first quarter of 2019 was 0.63 percent of the GDP. Meanwhile, the target of the budget deficit for this year is 1.84 percent of the GDP," chief of the ministry's fiscal policy board, Suahasil Nazara, said at a press conference on the latest development of the state budget in Jakarta Monday.

The realization of state revenues until the end of the first quarter reached Rp350.1 trillion or 16.17 percent of the budget allocations worth Rp2,165.1 trillion, according to the ministry's data for the April 2019 period. The state revenues rose 4.9 percent compared to the same period last year.

The state revenues were mostly fueled by tax receipts which reached Rp248.98 trillion or 15.78 percent of the target of Rp1,577.6 trillion. The tax receipts grew 1.82 percent.

Meanwhile, customs and excise receipts jumped 73.04 percent annually to Rp30.97 trillion, accounting for 14.83 percent of the target of Rp208.82 trillion.

However, due to a shortfall in oil and commodity prices in the first quarter of 2019, non-tax state revenues fell 1.47 percent to Rp70.04 trillion.

State spending in the first quarter of 2019 reached Rp452.06 trillion, up 7.75 percent annually.

State spending comprised the central government's spending which rose 11.4 percent to Rp260.7 trillion while the transfer of funds to regions and village funds reached Rp191.33 trillion, up 3.09 percent.

Social aid rose 106.6 percent to Rp36.trillion per annum or 38 percent of the ceiling of the social aid set forth in the 2019 state budget at Rp224.41 trillion.

As such, the primary balanced deficit stood at Rp31.38 trillion as of the end of March 2019. (ant) 

President Joko Widodo expressed his condolences over the death of a number of  clerks from the Vote station (KPPS) and other officers who helped organize the 2019 Election.

"Once again on behalf of the state and society, I say a very deep sorrow," said President Jokowi in a restaurant located in the Menteng area, Central Jakarta, on Monday (4/22) night.

The Head of State considered, KPPS officers were fighters of democracy who died in their duties. For this reason, on behalf of the state and society, the President expressed his condolences.

According to the records of the General Election Commission (KPU) there were 91 KPPS clerks dead, and 374 sick people in 19 provinces.

"The pain varies," said KPU Chair Arief Budiman in Jakarta on Monday (4/22).

KPU plans to meet with the Ministry of Finance to discuss the possibility of providing compensation to the KPPS clerks who died in carrying out their duties.

"The KPU proposes compensation rates for deceased KPPS members of Rp30-36 million, while those who are sick to disabilities are a maximum of Rp30 million, and for those injured the maximum compensation amount is Rp16 million," Arief said. (biro pers )

Along with the Commemoration of Earth Day which falls on Monday, April 22 2019, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) Ignasius Jonan launched an electric taxi or e-Taxi fleet owned by PT Blue Bird Tbk (BIRD), in Jakarta.

For the initial stage, Blue Bird uses 25 BYD manufacturing units and 5 Tesla units in the Bluebird and Silvebird range of products which will be increased to 200 electric cars by 2020.

Jonan appreciated the launch of the first electric taxi, because according to him this effort was in line with the Government's efforts to diversify energy with more environmentally friendly energy.

"We congratulate PT Blue Bird for pioneering the use of taxis with 100% electric vehicles (fuel e-charging). We strongly support the efforts made by PT Blue Bird and I think other Ministries, including the Ministry of Environment, also support this, because this car emits lower emissions and less pollution, "Jonan said, in Jakarta, Monday (24/4 )

To support this electric car, according to Jonan, PLN will build a public electricity charging station (SPLU) in various locations. In the meantime PLN has built around 1,600 SPLUs. This year, a minimum of 2,000 SPLU will be built, especially in the Jabodetabek area.

Meanwhile, to speed up the process of charging electric taxis, it can request PLN assistance to build SPLU 40 KV, which can be charged quickly, which is around 25 minutes per car. This will greatly help in the process of charging an electric taxi battery owned.

Cheaper

ESDM Minister Ignasius Jonan suggested that the electricity costs incurred for electric taxis be cheaper, taxis can charge charging at a time when PT PLN provides discounts, the purpose of which is to make charging costs cheaper.

"Charging the electric taxi between 22:00 - 06:00 WIB, where at that time PT PLN had a program to give customers discounts on electricity costs of up to 30%. With discounts given by PLN, the costs of electricity are cheaper. So the price of the car is rather expensive but the energy costs are cheaper, which is around Rp. 1,000 per watt or around 40% of the premium price, "suggested Jonan.

Meanwhile Director of PT Blue Bird, Tbk, Adrianto Djokosoetono, said that the procurement of electric taxis is also the direction of ESDM Minister Ignasius Jonan. The procurement of electric taxis is a real step to support environmental preservation, the operation of electric-powered cars will also provide added value in relation to the national energy mix and resilience program, fuel use and subsidy reduction programs, and the government's gas emission reduction program.

"More than two years ago ESDM Minister Ignasius Jonan told me what taxi companies could do to help reduce emissions, at that time there was an incessant electric car. Not long after a while the Minister of Transportation Budi Karya also conveyed the same thing. After that, we will face various institutions to make plans, plans that we realize today on Earth Day, "Adrianto said.

With the planned operation of 200 electric cars until 2020, Adrianto continued, it would eliminate 434,095 kg of CO2 emissions or 1,898,182 liters of fuel consumption; and the addition of 2,000 units of electric cars in the period 2020 - 2025 will eliminate 21,704,760 kg of C02 emissions or equivalent to fuel consumption of 94,909,091 liters. (min ESDM )

Sekar Laras Art Society has its own way of commemorating Kartini Day on Sunday. Its members performed the Sintren dance for 21 hours in a show highlighting the theme of "Unlimited Space".

Chairman of the Sekar Laras Art Society Darto said the Sintren dance became a symbol of a woman's struggle like the struggle that had ever been carried out by Indonesia's heroine
Raden Ajeng Kartini.

"On Kartini Day, we tried to revive the women's fighting spirit," said Darto at Bandung City's Cikapayang Park on Ir Djuanda Street.

Darto said the art heritage that he has been preserving through the Sekar Laras Art Society has yet to get sufficient attention from the government. Indeed, the Sintren dance is part of the people's cultural heritage.

"There has been a shift in cultural values. The people's attention is diverted by popular culture though the Sintren dance had once been so loved by the people," he said.

Through the Kartini Day commemoration, he and his art community members attempted to reintroduce the Sintren dance to the people.  The arts need to be collaborated with something that can be absorbed by the community members, and every art has its own meaning, he said.

"The art will remain alive when the people keep it alive," he said. He hopes that with this event, the arts that he cultivates along with his colleagues will remain alive.

The absence of spaces for performing the art works will make them easily go extinct, he added. (ANTARA)