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International News (6908)
September
Jakarta. Over 200 Indonesian Muslim pilgrims are still stuck in India because of the lockdown in the country.
"Our team, especially at the Indonesian Embassy in New Delhi and the Indonesian Consulate General in Mumbai, will continue to work hard to get 237 other pilgrims," Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said in a press statement on Thursday.
Retno explained that the pilgrims are spread across several states in India, including Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh, Telangana, New Delhi, Maharashtra, Kamataka, Bihar, and Jharkhand.
The ministry has repatriated 122 pilgrims on Wednesday.
"Thank God, they arrived safely in Jakarta this morning. With their return, we have successfully repatriated 515 pilgrims or 2/3 of the total pilgrims in India," Retno said.
She said this issue was the focus of the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Indonesia-India Meeting, at the ASEAN meeting last Saturday. All delegations, especially the Indian Foreign Minister, responded well.
"Because this is the context that ASEAN and pilgrims are not only come from Indonesia but also from other ASEAN countries, so I called out to help the pilgrims to return to their respective countries. the Indian Foreign Minister responded well," she said.
Previously, more from 700 Indonesian Muslim pilgrims went to India to attend the annual meeting of the Islamic organization on March 3, 2020. Before they had time to return to their homeland, the government of India locked down the country.
The event was followed in over 80 countries, including Indonesia, Malaysia, to the United States. (RRI)
September
Creative Economy Ministry To Build Digital Economy For Music Sector
Written by Nur YasminThe Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will focus on building a digital economy in the entertainment industry, one of which is in the music sector.
Amin Abdullah, Director of the Music, Performing Arts and Publishing at the ministry said that amid the increasingly rapid development of digital technology, the digital economy will become a necessity, including in the music industry.
"Eventually, the slower we are, the more we experience losses from changing analog-to-digital," Amin Abdullah said in Jakarta, on Thursday.
Amin Abdullah said that the ministry focuses on three main things in building digital economic growth through the creative industry sector, including one in the music sector.
"I think there are three things to build this. First creative products that excel in music, then secondly digital transformation, third entrepreneurship of musicians," Amin said.
He added that the COVID-19 pandemic is also a good step in introducing the potential of the digital economy to players in the Indonesian music industry.
"On one hand, what happened in the era of COVID-19 is a blessing, it encourages us to enter the era of the digital economy as quickly as possible," he explained.
Amin said the ministry has visited various regions to see the potential of music industry players there in utilizing the digital era to market their work.
"We have been to areas where it becomes a super-priority area for tourism and the possibility of digitization. In that area, their production is good. We just need a touch on how to do entrepreneurship and digitization," he said.
Amin said that music industry players must see that the digital economy becomes a new opportunity to monetize their work.
"So it is not just a great masterpiece, but how can this be prosperous. There is no other purpose for the creative economy other than for the welfare," he added. (Antaranews)
September
Finance Minister Asks ADB Support On Tax Reform
Written by Nur YasminFinance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati emphasized that tax reform cannot be done alone, and requires collaboration with other countries.
"Our low tax ratio and the reforms we carried out shows that we cannot do it alone," Sri Mulyani said at the Asian Development Bank's 53rd Annual Meeting in Jakarta, on Thursday.
Sri Mulyani said that cooperation with other countries for tax reform could open up opportunities to exchange ideas and experiences regarding violations of taxation practices.
She said that Indonesia has done tax reforms to improve the tax ratio through cooperation with various international institutions such as the IMF, World Bank, and the OECD.
Indonesia is also involved in combating the erosion of the tax base and the diversion of profits or Base Erosion and Profit Shifting (BEPS) and has a Double Tax Avoidance Agreement (P3B) because it is an open economy country.
“Indonesia is an open economy and we are also a country rich in natural resources. Many company operations actually cross borders and that opens up many opportunities for tax evasion," Sri Mulyani said.
He assessed that cooperation on tax reform would be easier if it was carried out with nearby countries because many countries in the Asia-Pacific are also working to combat tax avoidance.
"Personally, we have received and welcomed a lot of support from the World Bank, IMF, and OECD in designing reforms, and we hope for the ADB [to support]," the minister said. (Antaranews)
September
Health and Economy Must Run Simultaneously Amid Covid-19
Written by Nur YasminPolitical Communication Observer from Pelita Harapan University (UPH), Emrus Sihombing, assessed that in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic in Indonesia, health and the economy could run simultaneously.
"Simultaneous health management with economic activity is the right choice for Indonesia's current socio-economic conditions. Do not confuse it with a country that has a small area and extraordinary foreign exchange reserves. But the hot point of health promotion is communication in handling the Covid-19 case," Emrus said on Thursday.
The choice to solve health and economic problems could not be carried out substantially, in fact, it had the potential to create new social problems, he said.
The main point of communication, he said, was to promote health promotion communication in handling the Covid-19 case in a massive, structured, systematic, creative, innovative, and sustainable national level down to the family level, so that people already have awareness, attitudes, and behaviors that are strictly adhering to all health protocols.
In addition, he explained, the public fully understands the fatal risks to themselves and their family members, when they are negligent or careless for a moment it is not in line with health protocols.
Emrus said health communication for handling COVID-19 must be in hotspot orbit, only then will health and economy be carried out simultaneously. The COVID-19 cases in the country, he added, Indonesia does not have to choose whether to solve health or economic problems.
"As a phenomenon faced by the community regarding the Covid-19 case, there are still other options, which in my opinion are better, namely health handling is carried out simultaneously with the economic activity in the community, of course in a health promotion communication room handling the Covid-19 case," he concluded. (RRI)
September
Government Collaborates With UNICEF To Provide Affordable Vaccines
Written by Nur YasminThe Indonesian government is collaborating with UNICEF to present an effective and affordable Covid-19 vaccine. Both parties are also determined that the COVID-19 vaccine should be available for all elements of society.
Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto said they use the COVAX Facility scheme fronted by the vaccine alliance, GAVI. Indonesia will have safe, fast, and equitable access to the Covid-19 vaccine when it is found and then produced.
"UNICEF and its partners are committed to countries that have joined COVAX, including Indonesia, to procure and deliver a safe and effective COVID-19 vaccine quickly and on a large scale," Terawan said at the Siwabessy Auditorium, Ministry of Health, Jakarta, on Wednesday.
The procurement and purchase of vaccines will be carried out through the Supply Division of UNICEF based in Copenhagen, Denmark.
Through this division it is possible to place orders for large quantities of vaccines at a lower price, resulting in significant savings.
"This partnership will enable Indonesia to purchase new vaccines such as the pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV) at 1/3 of the current market price. If measured nationally, this could prevent nearly 10,000 child deaths every year," Debora Comini, UNICEF Representative Indonesia said.
Comini explained, the Covid-19 pandemic motivated this agreement Confirmed cases that continue to increase and put the country with the highest number of deaths in Southeast Asia, it is important for Indonesia to get easy access to new medicines and vaccines.
He considered that in the future, many countries would strive to meet the needs of vaccines and drugs in their regions.
For this reason, through this cooperation agreement, he believes Indonesia will get many benefits including reducing the price of vaccines and drugs as well as establishing vaccine development cooperation between Indonesian domestic producers (Biofarma) and UNICEF.
"While we are looking forward to the COVID-19 vaccine, we have to remember to focus on the basics. Routine immunizations for children, strong supply chains, trained health workers, and community awareness of the benefits. This is a basis that we must not forget," he said.
Meanwhile, Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi said that since COVID-19 was declared a pandemic, Indonesia has been actively establishing international and multilateral cooperation, including through the WHO Access to COVID-19 Tools (ACT) Accelerator - COVAX Facility, to strive for easy access, safety, and affordable vaccine prices.
With Indonesia's entry into the COVAX Facility, Indonesia is guaranteed access to affordable and quality COVID-19 vaccines for 20 percent of the population at risk by the end of 2021.
Until now, the Indonesian government has continued to maintain intensive communication with GAVI and the COVAX Facility to know the timing of vaccine supplies and the price.
"Hopefully this endeavor will work well and cooperation both inside and outside is no longer an option, but a necessity so we can win. the war against COVID-19," he concluded. (RRI)
September
"Asian Art Boom" Enhances Indonesian Contemporary Arts
Written by Nur YasminThe contemporary art market in Indonesia has developed because of the "Asian art boom" of the last two decades, during which the increasing global attention to art from China has helped to increase the popularity and price of Indonesian artworks in the market.
This was conveyed by Director of David Zwirner Gallery from Sisi Art Gallery, Galuh Sukardi in a discussion on Indonesian Contemporary Art, virtually, on Tuesday.
"More Indonesian artworks are selling due to the increase in collectors, both in Indonesia and abroad, who is looking for works by Indonesian artists," she said.
Galuh explained the historical perspective of the development of contemporary art in Indonesia in the last two decades, Indonesian artists are increasingly aware of their identity and have a better understanding of colonial history, she said.
Indonesian artists are now taking advantage of the development of access to information and technology in the production of works. The popularity of contemporary art in Indonesia is also supported by private parties such as the MACAN Museum and active communities such as Ruangrupa.
Indonesian contemporary art shows the entrepreneurial spirit of Indonesian artists, who are independently active in producing bottom-up works of the community in cooperation.
The Indonesian Embassy in London held the Indonesian Contemporary Art discussion in collaboration with the Anglo-Indonesian Society (AIS) organization, which comprises British and Indonesian citizens.
In addition, the discussion also featured British Balinese artist Sinta Tantra who made paintings with an architectural scale, such as bridges. Sinta Tantra wants to make art more of a part of people's daily lives, presenting the social and economic functions of art.
"Art in the public sphere can reach a wider audience and across borders," she said.
One of Sinta Tantra's latest exhibition shows, entitled Modern Times, is inspired by the experience of Charlie Chaplin's visit to Bali in 1932.
Modern Times presents Sinta Tantra's signature paintings on new mediums such as woven fabrics in honor of Balinese culture and metal cutting (inspired by features industrial in the Charlie Chaplin films).
Responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, the two speakers have the view that both artists and galleries will be required to explore the use of new media in exhibiting works, such as virtual exhibitions through augmented reality. (Antaranews)