VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Mar. 9 - Research on products and innovations must be oriented towards import substitution to support economic stability, Minister of Research and Technology, Bambang PS Brodjonegoro, has said.

"If we want a stable economy, we must not merely depend on imported products," said Brodjonegoro during a national working meeting of the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT) here on Monday.

Indonesia has a huge number of people so its dependence on imported products is becoming a problem by disrupting the trade balance, he observed.

One way to increase the trade balance is to use more local products and boost exports, he said.

However, increasing the number of local products will led to a reduction in imports, so there must be import substitution through local products and it can be gained with the help of research on products and innovations, he pointed out.

"Decreasing imports does not mean we decrease the spending, but we can substitute our needs of imported products with local products," said Brodjonegoro.

Import substitution is strongly geared towards improving the use of local products (P3DN), he remarked.

The BPPT plays a significant role in the process of import substitution through reverse engineering, but updates, as well as modifications, are also needed, he pointed out.

"We must not only imitate, but make something new with competitive prices," said the minister suggested. (Antaranews)

Mar. 9 - The Jakarta provincial government has extended the micro-scale public activity restrictions (PPKM Mikro) till March 22, 2021, to prevent any emergence of coronavirus clusters in the capital during the long holiday this week.

The decision to extend the imposition of the COVID-19 prevention measure has been made ahead of the long holiday to mark Isra Miraj (Prophet Muhammad’s Ascension Day) and Nyepi (Day of Silence), head of the Jakarta Health Office, Widyastuti, informed.

The extended imposition of PPKM Mikro is based on Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan's letter No.213/2021, she stated on the Jakarta government's official website on Monday.

The provincial government is continuing to make efforts to prevent any potential increase in new cases and to optimize health services and improve the recovery rate, she added.

According to Widyastuti, the number of active COVID-19 cases in the Indonesian capital has shown a declining trend.

On February 21, 2021, 13,309 active cases were reported in the capital. By March 7, 2021, the number of active cases had declined to 7,209, she added.

The central and regional governments have been striving to reduce Indonesia's COVID-19 infection rate.

The Health Ministry is working with the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to carry out vaccinations and contact tracing at the grassroots level.

In addition to working with the TNI and police, collaborating with communities is also being considered key to bringing down the COVID-19 infection rate.

To curb infections, the government has enforced restrictions on public activity in the islands of Java and Bali since January 11, 2021.

It is also conducting a nationwide vaccination program that commenced on January 13, 2021.

The Health Ministry revealed earlier that it would take 15 months to inoculate around 181.5 million people under the vaccination program.

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

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. (Antaranews)

Mar. 9 - Minister of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection, I Gusti Ayu Bintang Darmawati, has said cases of online violence against women have increased with the rise in use of information technology amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

"Cases of violence are increasingly having various modes, the risk of online violence against women is increasing along with the increasing use of information technology during the pandemic," Minister Bintang Darmawati said while opening a webinar entitled ‘Protect Women from Violence - Dare to Speak Up’ in Jakarta on Monday.

In addition, during 2020, the majority of cases of violence against women involved domestic violence, she informed.

"The majority of cases are in the domestic realm; deeper psychological pressures accompany survivors, especially those facing various restrictions to leave the house due to the pandemic," she said.

The Ministry of Women's Empowerment and Child Protection is continuing to fight for the principle of gender equality, she added.

However, currently, violence befalling women is still occurring at an alarming rate, she observed.

Therefore, the ministry is encouraging women and the surrounding community to have courage and report cases involving violence against them or other women.

Minister Bintang Darmawati also invited inter-ministries and agencies, local governments, and the business world to work together to handle cases of violence against women and children in Indonesia.

"Together we must protect them, make them empowered to speak up, and fight for themselves. Without this empowerment, women will continue to be trapped in a cycle of repeated violence even after receiving help. To achieve this, we must play our respective roles, (we) must join hands to build a system that is friendly to women,” she urged. (antaranews)

Mar. 9 - Indonesia has received 1,113,600 ready-to-use vaccine doses developed by AstraZeneca under the COVAX multilateral scheme.

“Today, Indonesia received the first shipment of AstraZeneca vaccines comprising 1,113,600 shots, with a total weight of 4.1 tonnes, divided into 11,136 cartons,” said Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi, during a press conference at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport on Monday.

The minister said the shipment was the first installment of the first batch of vaccines allocated to Indonesia under the multilateral scheme.

Indonesia will be receiving a total of 11,704,800 shots as part of the first batch, she informed.

“The first batch shipments will continue to be carried out until May, 2021, and Insya Allah (God Willing), the plan is to have more batches following (the first one),” she elaborated.

She also lauded the cooperation among the ministries and institutions in the country, as well as international partnerships with a number of parties, including donor countries, vaccine alliance GAVI, the World Health Organization (WHO), the UNICEF, and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI).

She assured that vaccine diplomacy will continue to be strengthened, adding that diplomatic efforts will also be boosted to support the government’s efforts directed at health resilience and economic recovery.

The minister also underlined the importance of measures taken to ensure equal access to vaccines and said she has been continuously advocating for the cause, including through her role as one of the co-chairs of the COVAX AMC Engagement Group.

Aside from Marsudi, the arrival of the first vaccine shipment from COVAX was also witnessed by the WHO Country Representative in Indonesia, N Paranie, and the UNICEF Country Representative, Debora Comini. (antaranews)