VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 16 - Aceh Besar Regent Mawardi Ali outlined a target to lower the poverty rate by 10-11 percent by 2022.

"We can achieve this target through the support of all stakeholders in Aceh Besar," Ali stated on the sidelines of the Regional Apparatus Forum/Inter-Regional Apparatus Forum for drafting the Regional Government Work Plan (RKPD) of Aceh Besar District 2022 here on Monday.

Citing the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) data, Ali noted that Aceh Besar had clocked an economic growth of 0.31 percent, while the economic growth target set in the Medium-Term Development Plan (RPJM) for Aceh Besar District was 4.51 percent.

"Although the COVID-19 pandemic has had an impact on the global economic growth, including the economy of Aceh Besar District, Aceh Besar's economic growth is still quite good, as it has continued to record a positive number as compared to other districts and cities in Aceh Province," he pointed out.

Ali remarked that in 2020, Aceh Besar District had refocused its budget, while in 2021, based on PMK No.17 of 2021, Aceh Besar must also refocus its budget by eight percent, or around Rp28 billion.

"I am upbeat about this planning really prioritizing community proposals and having a direct impact on the economic growth of the community," he stated.

Ali further suggested all players engaged in development to be serious and work together, so that the forum can accommodate the various aspirations of the community that would be synergized with the government’s development policies and programs and analysis of technocrats in various development fields.

He emphasized that the most important aspect in the efforts to reduce the poverty rate is the synchronization and synergy of development that is projected to aid in optimally utilizing the potential of the region and addressing pressing issues and requirements in 2022. (Antaranews)

Mar. 16 - Indonesia expects to receive 20.2 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines developed by Moderna Inc and China’s Sinopharm from the second quarter to use in a private vaccination scheme, the head of a state pharmaceutical firm said on Monday.

Indonesia authorised one of the world’s first private vaccination programmes last month to run alongside its national drive, enabling firms to buy state-procured vaccines for their staff in Southeast Asia’s biggest country.

While the plan is expected to speed up the pace of inoculation in the world’s fourth most populous country, some health experts have warned it could worsen inequity.

Honesti Basyir, CEO of Bio Farma, told a parliamentary hearing on Monday that it had ordered 15 million doses from China National Pharmaceutical Group (Sinopharm) and 5.2 million from Moderna.

The Sinopharm vaccine could arrive by the end of the second quarter, and the Moderna shot in the third quarter, he said.

Indonesia aims to inoculate 181.5 million people within a year in an effort to reach herd immunity in a vaccination drive that began in January.

The country has suffered one of Asia’s worst coronavirus epidemics, with more than 1.4 million cases and over 38,000 deaths so far.

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry had pushed the government to authorize the private inoculation drive.

More than 11,500 companies have signed up for the plan, which would see some 7.4 million people vaccinated, Rosan P. Roeslani, head of the business group, told the same hearing on Monday.

The programme would allow employees of participating companies, plus their family members, to receive free vaccinations at privately-run health centres with shots distributed by Bio Farma.

Indonesia’s food and drug agency is currently reviewing the Sinopharm vaccine for emergency use approval, its chief Penny K. Lukito told the hearing.

The agency has made no mention of the approval status of the Moderna vaccine. (Reuters)

Mar. 16 - Indonesia will delay the administering of AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine due to reports of blood clots among some recipients in Europe and would await a review from the World Health Organization (WHO), its health minister said on Monday.

The European Medicines Agency has said there is no indication that the events were caused by the vaccination, a view echoed Friday by the WHO, while AstraZeneca said on Sunday its review has shown no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots.

“To be conservative, the food and drug agency delayed implementation of AstraZeneca (vaccine) as it awaits confirmation from the WHO,” health minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin told a parliamentary hearing on Monday.

Indonesia received 1.1 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine via the COVAX vaccine-alliance scheme this month and is set to receive some 10 million more in the next two months.

Thailand, which became the first country outside of Europe to delay use of the AstraZeneca shot on Friday, plans to start using the vaccine on Tuesday, officials said, with the prime minister and his cabinet the first to receive it.

The decision will leave Indonesia with just one approved vaccine, developed by China’s Sinovac Biotech, for use in its nationwide vaccination drive.

Its immunization programme started in January and aims to reach 181.5 million people within a year.

The Southeast Asian country has been grappling with the worst outbreak in the region, having recorded more than 1.4 million infections and 38,500 deaths. (Reuters)

Mar. 16 - The Indonesian government is aiming to develop Hambalang, located in Bogor District, as a training center for senior athletes, Minister of Youth and Sports, Zainudin Amali, has said.

“We are seeking to see Hambalang as a (training) center for senior athletes and our athletes who are ready to compete,” said Amali at a press conference at the Presidential Office here on Monday.

He made the statement after attending a limited cabinet meeting on ‘Big Design of National Sports and the National Games (PON) XX and National Para Games (Papernas) XVI in Papua’, led by President Joko Widodo at the Merdeka Palace.

“We are planning to build 10 training centers in several regions. Surely, we will adjust to the existing potential and the very basic ones refer to those talents at elementary level,” he said.

Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim has responded positively to the plan, he added.

“Then, this center will encompass the kids who have potential and have been selected at the stage of junior high school (SMP). Meanwhile, those who are at the stage of senior high school (SMA) will be sent to our schools for athletes (SKO),” he stated.

The plan, he remarked, is part of a long series of steps to develop national sports.

“According to experts, it will require at least 10 years, or around 10,000 hours, to reach an achievement,” he said.

As part of the design to develop sports, the government has also set short- and middle-term targets for 2024, 2028, and 2032, he revealed.

“We know that the 2024 Olympics will be held in Paris, France. Meanwhile, the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo are being postponed to 2021, and the 2028 Olympics (will take place) in LA (Los Angeles), the United States. There is a hope for us to win the bidding for hosting the 2032 Olympics,” Amali said.

Indonesia is not only expecting to host the Olympics, but has already set a number of targets, he added.

“In this big design, we have already set the target to be in the top 10 ranked candidates in 2032, either for Olympics or Paralympics since our disabled athletes’ ranks are not left behind,” the minister said.

To meet the targets, support is urgently needed in terms of funds and infrastructure, he added.

“We need the support to cooperate with ministries, institutions, and state-owned as well as private enterprises. The most important is the support from regional administrations, ” he said. (Antaranews)