VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 17 - Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Tuesday virtually launched a tourism campaign called "Exploring Jambi, the Hidden Paradise" to promote Jambi’s scenic tourist destinations and their key products.

"We believe Jambi is ready to welcome tourists by applying standard health protocols," Pandjaitan remarked in a statement here on Wednesday.

The event is part of the Proud of National Product Movement (Gernas BBI) and Proud Travel #diIndonesiaAja (BBWI) that prioritizes boosting the tourism potential and regional superior products.

Pandjaitan affirmed that this national movement had become the strength of the nation as the government endorses the spirit of Indonesian unity and demonstrates its pride in buying and using products made by Indonesians.

"Moreover, Jambi has set an example for other provinces to follow suit. This spirit is a motivation and reminds us all that Indonesia is rich in local wisdom, culture, and history, and what matters is how we package it," the minister stressed.

Pandjaitan expressed gratitude to the coordinating political, legal, and security affairs minister, minister of home affairs (Mendagri), minister of communication and information technology (Menkominfo), and the governor of Bank Indonesia for fully supporting Gernas BBI.

Jambi is currently preparing to host the Proud of Made-in Indonesia Products event to be held in early 2022 to showcase Jambi's rich and diverse potential and products, such as local batik and songket (woven cloth).

Tourist attractions in Jambi comprise the Muaro Jambi Temple, relics of the Srivijaya and Malay Kingdoms, as well as Mount Kerinci and Lake Gunung Tujuh.

"Maintain local noble values and wisdom, package them attractively, support them with adequate amenities and hospitality, and prepare to welcome domestic and foreign tourists," he stated. (Antaranews)

Mar. 17 - The Ministry of Communication and Informatics (Kominfo) voiced its support for the Proud of Indonesian Products national movement and the Proud of Indonesian Tourism movement.

Kominfo Minister Johnny G. Plate echoed the ministry's support for the movement through the development of telecommunications infrastructure in all regions and popular tourist destinations in Indonesia.

"Five super-priority destinations as well as five other priority destinations have been prioritized by the Kominfo Ministry for the outermost, least developed, and frontier regions (3T) or along with cellular operators for commercial areas, both in several villages or sub-districts that do not yet receive 4G signal coverage. (The development will be conducted) from 2021 to 2022. These areas will have large-scale deployment of infrastructure for Information and Communication Technology (ICT)," the minister remarked during the virtual Jambi Exploration Launch event titled "The Hidden Paradise in Jambi" here on Wednesday.

The Kominfo Ministry has created a prototype model for the Hub Tourism Network Application (JPHub) as a single application for the integration of tourism destinations and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) as well as Ultra Micro (UMi) in Indonesia.

"This JPHub is expected to function properly and be optimally utilized for the benefit of tourism and economic development, both for UMi and MSMEs," Plate remarked.

Furthermore, the ministry organizes a mentoring program for MSMEs and UMi, as well as tourism awareness groups and tourism villages to maximize opportunities for digital technology. They also collaborated with organizers of the electronic trading platform for the program, including to market products manufactured by MSMEs and UMi.

In the meantime, the ICT sector last year clocked a growth of 10.58 percent from the corresponding period of the previous year even as the country’s economy experienced a contraction of 2 percent.

"This indicates Indonesia's agility, readiness, and adaptability to smoothly migrate from a physical to a digital space. Hence, we must manage the economy in the digital space together," he reiterated.

Meanwhile, the launch of Exploring Jambi "The Hidden Paradise in Jambi" is part of the 2021 Proud of Indonesian Products national movement campaign.

Minister Plate believes that such activities can support the nation’s economic recovery. (Antaranews)

Mar. 17 - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin was injected the second dose of COVID-19 vaccine at his residence in Jakarta on Wednesday, accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

Amin has urged the public to consistently adhere to the health protocols despite the vaccination and abide by the rules in the Public Activities Restriction (PPKM).

"Although we have already received the vaccination twice, we still have to apply health protocols, wear face mask, wash hands, maintain physical distancing, and abide by the rules in the PPKM. There is still a possibility of being infected (by the virus) despite the vaccination," he emphasized.

The 78-year-old vice president appealed to senior citizens to get vaccinated to protect themselves and their neighborhoods from COVID-19 transmission.

"In our religion, it is a must to protect ourselves from disease. Once again, I call on the public, especially senior citizens, to get vaccinated soon," he noted.

Meanwhile, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin spoke of having observed the vaccination for the vice president to ensure that the vaccine is safe for the elderly group.

"I am here to ensure that our seniors here are safe. This is expected to convince all people that the vaccine is safe," he added.

The minister reiterated that immunity against COVID-19 would only be built optimally after 28 days of the second dose of the injection. Hence, after vaccination, the people should consistently adhere to the health protocols.

Amin's wife, Wury Estu Handayani, was also administered her second COVID-19 jab along with the vice president.

Amin had received his first COVID-19 jab on February 17. (Antaranews)

Mar. 17 - Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto assured that the stimulus package provided through the National Economic Recovery (PEN) can facilitate the recovery of Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) battered by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“The nation’s economic recovery from the pandemic must be started from the UMKM since this sector has contributed as much as 61 percent to Indonesia’s GDP,” Hartarto noted in his Instagram feed here on Tuesday night.

The government has offered the stimulus package to strengthen MSMEs and cooperatives through interest subsidy, productive aid for micro businesses, and guaranteed fee subsidy.

In addition, the minister noted that the stimulus package targeted 64.2 million MSMEs impacted by the pandemic, through budget allocation, to the central bank as well as tax incentive for credit restructuring and several other forms of support.

At the earlier work meeting of the Trade Ministry, Hartarto explained that the UMKM played a central role in creating either employment or boosting national exports.

The UMKM sector can significantly rise through the use of digital technology that is currently growing at a swift pace in Indonesia, and its value is projected to reach US$124 billion in 2025, according to Hartarto.

Moreover, digital transformation is direly required to keep economic activities on track amid limited face-to-face activities during the pandemic, he stated.

“Hence, in the next three years, the government will accelerate building digital infrastructure as well as improve the people’s understanding to ensure inclusive digital service is optimally available.

Earlier, the realization of MSMEs' stimulus package spending for the 2021 PEN program had reached Rp114.81 trillion, or 96.7 percent of the total budget of as much as Rp16.32 trillion.

In 2021, the government continues to allocate the stimulus package for UMKM along with cooperatives and State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN) at Rp63.84 trillion entailed in the State Budget (APBN), although the detailed allocation of spending has not been published. (Antaranews)