VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 17 - President Joko Widodo has predicted that Bali Island's tourism sector would begin to revive around the middle of this year, Tourism and Creative Economy Minister, Sandiaga Uno, said.

However, there are preconditions that Bali must fulfill in order to bring its tourism sector back on track, he added.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has highlighted the importance of managing the COVID-19 infection rate as it is important to Bali's tourism recovery, Uno said here on Tuesday.

He also underlined the importance of a successful vaccination program and public support for the implementation of health protocols, contact tracing, and self-isolation, he added.

"If all vaccine doses are distributed, President Jokowi expects that Bali's tourism sector could start reviving by June or July this year," the minister said.

Uno joined Widodo during his official trip to Bali to observe the mass COVID-19 inoculation program in Puri Agung Ubud Palace and Kuta Beach.

During the visit to Gianyar district and Denpasar city, the head of state was also accompanied by Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Bali Governor Wayan Koster.

To ensure that the vaccination program is implemented properly, President Widodo spoke with local religious and community leaders as well as frontline public servants, Uno revealed.

The COVID-19 vaccination program is one of the preconditions that needs to be fulfilled before reopening Bali's tourism for travelers, especially foreign tourists, said Uno.

"The preparations for the reopening of Bali's tourism must be made carefully through a strict and disciplined implementation of health protocols," he added.

Any mistake that could trigger a rise in infection rate should be avoided, he said, adding that the President has urged the Balinese people to remain optimistic.

"Hope is on the way," he remarked.

Prior to President Widodo's official visit to Bali, Uno had met with the Bali Governor on February 11, 2021.

During the meeting, Uno had highlighted the importance of vaccinating 1.2 million workers in Bali's tourism sector to boost public trust in the resort island.

"We pray for Bali's immediate recovery. If the tourism sector revives, the economy will get back on track. Speaking of Indonesia's tourism, it will never be separated from Bali," he remarked.

Indonesia has been striving to win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic since the government officially announced the country's first confirmed cases on March 2, 2020.

The government has rolled out a nationwide vaccination program this year to arrest the spread of infections.

According to the Health Ministry, it would take 15 months to vaccinate around 181.5 million people under the national program.

Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate crossed one million cases on January 26, 2021.

To attain herd immunity and free the nation from the clutches of the pandemic, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has stressed on the need for successfully administering the COVID-19 vaccine to the targeted population.

The outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease has dragged Indonesia into serious public health and economic crises.

Tourism has been among the severely-affected economic sectors in the country, and Bali tourism has especially been badly battered by the pandemic. (Antaranews)

Mar. 17 - Technology and innovation must become the mainstay of the economy if national development has to be achieved, Minister of Research and Technology and head of the National Research and Innovation Agency, Bambang Brodjonegoro, has said.

“Science technology and innovation are no longer a sector, but must become the foundation of national development. In other words, I also want to emphasize that it is time for science and innovation to become mainstream in national economic development," the minister said during a webinar on ‘Enhancing Knowledge & Innovation Ecosystems for a Better Indonesia’ here on Tuesday.

The webinar was organized by the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI) and Kompas daily.

Without mainstreaming innovation, Indonesia would find it difficult to escape the middle-income trap, Brodjonegoro said.

"If I can say honestly, we could not even dream of escaping the middle-income trap, considering that our journey so far has focused more on natural resources-based economy," he explained.

By bringing science technology and innovation to the mainstream, Indonesia can automatically create an inclusive innovation-based economy, he said.

One of the countries implementing innovations, especially in technology, is China, he noted. China has become one of the countries with the largest GDPs (gross domestic product) in the world and it has almost reached the position of a high-income country, he remarked.

China has also succeeded in drastically reducing its poverty rate, while at the same time maintaining equal distribution of income between residents, the minister noted.

"This is perhaps a lesson we have to learn where an innovation-based economy is not only growth-oriented, but also rotates to alleviate poverty and maintain or improve equity," he said.

Brodjonegoro stressed the need to formulate regulations supporting innovation, and said there must be no regulation that hampers innovation.

At the webinar, Minister of National Development Planning, Suharso Monoarfa, said that his party is ready to support the implementation of the Knowledge and Innovation Ecosystem Blueprint.

He said the knowledge and innovation ecosystem approach would be integrated into the Government Work Plan (RKP) 2022 and the National Long-Term Development Plan (RPJPN) for 2026-2045. (Antaranews)

Mar. 17 - PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy (PGE), a subsidiary of state-owned PT Pertamina, said it generated 4,618 gigawatt hours (GWh) of geothermal power, 14 percent higher than the target of 4,045 GWh for 2020.

"The equivalent production of electricity was 14 percent higher than the target in the company's budget plan due to optimum absorption from PGE's geothermal area," PGE president director Ahmad Yuniarto said in a statement issued here on Tuesday.

The company said it has maintained power supply from its generators and is evaluating the possibility of increasing its geothermal installed capacity for generating power in Ulubelu in Lampung province and Lahendong in North Sulawesi province.

"We hope this study will give positive results to develop the geothermal sector in Indonesia," Yuniarto remarked.

PGE said it is committed to increasing the production of renewable energy under a program to increase Indonesia’s national energy mix to 23 percent in 2025, especially geothermal energy.

The company accounts for around 88 percent of the total geothermal installed capacity in Indonesia, with the potential to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 9.5 million tons per year.

PGE said its 15 geothermal working areas have produced 1,877 MW of power of which 672 MW has been generated by the company itself and 1,205 MW has been produced under a joint operation contract. (Antaranews)

Mar. 16 -  The Foreign Ministry has said it sees no urgency to evacuate Indonesian nationals from Myanmar in the wake of widespread protests against the military coup and the imposition of martial law in several parts of Yangon.

Indonesian citizens living in Myanmar are relatively safe and have not witnessed direct attacks, according to the outcome of an online meeting between the Foreign Ministry, the Indonesian Embassy in Yangon, and Indonesian citizens in Myanmar.

"After all, Indonesian citizens who have no essential interests in Myanmar have been advised to return home to Indonesia by relief flights made available by Singapore Airlines and Myanmar Airlines," the Foreign Ministry said in a written statement on Tuesday.

So far, around 50 Indonesian citizens have returned home on board the special flights.

The Indonesian Embassy in Yangon has converted an Indonesian school in Yangon into a temporary shelter for Indonesian citizens. The Foreign Ministry said it will help arrange chartered flights, with the embassy’s help, if requested by Indonesian citizens.

"The Foreign Ministry and the embassy will keep monitoring the latest developments and have provided hotline access to help Indonesian citizens," the ministry informed.

According to a Reuters report, Myanmar security forces shot dead at least 20 pro-democracy protesters on Monday (March 15, 2021). The military junta has imposed martial law in several parts of Yangon.

Supporters of the detained, democratically elected leader Aung San Suu Kyi again took to the streets on Monday after scores of demonstrators were killed on Sunday (March 14, 2021), the deadliest day since the military coup on February 1, 2021.

The Assistance Association for Political Prisoners (AAPP) said 74 demonstrators were killed on Sunday. Most of them were killed during a rally at a Hlaingthaya factory estate.

So far, 183 people have been killed by the security forces in several weeks of protests against the military coup. (Antaranews)