VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo wholly supports the government's effort to lobby several pharmaceutical firms of the world to meet the country's COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

Indonesia needs 350 million vaccine doses since each citizen should be administered two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, Soesatyo noted in a statement released on Wednesday.

"The government's success to receive 270 million doses of vaccine from several countries to meet domestic needs is worthy of praise. However, with the Indonesian population of 268.5 million of which 70 percent must be vaccinated, the real minimum requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine will be 350 million doses," he stated.

The MPR supports the government's endeavor to address the shortage of COVID-19 vaccine, he affirmed.

It is not easy to meet the real minimum requirement for COVID-19 vaccine since all countries must compete with one another to get the much-sought medical product, he pointed out.

"With the global population of 7.8 billion, the world needs more than 15 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine, while the global production capacity is projected to reach 8.4 billion doses," he stated.

Nearly three billion doses of the total production capacity were ordered by developed nations, so the Indonesian government must strive to obtain the additional vaccine to meet the target, he emphasized.

While several countries have scheduled the vaccination of their citizens to end the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia must have the pluck to take a similar initiative to cater to minimum requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine, he noted.

Chief of the COVID-19 Task Force at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Daniel Tumpal, stated during a discussion here recently that Indonesia's free and active foreign policy had made it easy for the country to negotiate with other nations on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

Indonesia has been able to freely conduct diplomacy for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, while several large countries are competing with one another for developing the vaccine, he noted.

“The free and active foreign policy is not a figment. For instance, where this vaccine is concerned, we have held talks with the United States, Britain, China, and so on. I don't see any problem. We are so comfortable to move everywhere,” he affirmed.

Indonesia secured the supply of COVID-19 vaccines from China and the United Arab Emirates after Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir paid visits to the countries in the middle of this year.

The procurement of COVID-19 vaccines has been one of the three points of refocus of the work priorities of the Foreign Ministry and Indonesian foreign representatives amid the pandemic, especially to help the government mitigate the outbreak through health diplomacy, Tumpal reiterated.

"In the short and the long run, the three issues -- diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccine -- will mark our diplomacy in the health field," he remarked.

Indonesia has established cooperation with several countries, including China, South Korea, the UK, and the UAE, for developing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. (Antaranews)

The 13th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), scheduled for Thursday, will focus on the challenges faced by democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific region amid COVID-19, a high-ranking Foreign Affairs Ministry official said today.

Initiated by Indonesia in 2008, the annual forum aims to make democracy a strategic agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. For 13 years, the forum, led by Indonesia, has facilitated dozens of meetings and dialogues on democracy and its challenges.

"Democracy and COVID-19’ has been chosen as the main theme of the forum for this year as many countries are currently struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic and uphold democratic practices at the same time," director general for information and public diplomacy at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said on the sidelines of the meeting's preparations on Wednesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.5 million lives worldwide, has forced dozens of countries to impose restrictions to control infections, he noted.

In some cases, the restrictive policies have barred people from exercising their civil rights, and observe democratic values and practices, he added.

Therefore, the forum is expected to focus on finding ways to strike a balance between controlling the pandemic and maintaining democratic practices, such as ensuring people’s full participation in elections, Faizasyah added.

Indonesia and other countries, such as the US, have now gained experience in organizing a safe election amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.

Voting was held for Indonesia’s simultaneous regional elections today in 270 regions, comprising 9 provinces, 224 districts, and 37 cities. The holding of elections amid the pandemic has raised concerns among some groups in the country, including health workers and epidemiologists. But, the General Elections Commission, on many occasions, has assured people of the strict observance of health protocols at polling stations, which number over 200 thousand.

In light of the issue, the 13th Bali Democracy Forum is expected to serve as a platform for other countries to share their experiences and best practices in protecting their democracy amid the pandemic, Faizasyah said.

The one-day forum will follow the hybrid physical and virtual format, with virtual participants joining the meeting via video conferencing. The main event will be broadcast live online, he said.

More than 100 delegates have confirmed their participation at the virtual meeting. So far, 25 heads of foreign delegations have confirmed they will attend the 13th Bali Democracy Forum.

Indonesia, the host country, has limited physical attendance at the venue in Nusa Dua, Bali, to 50 persons, Faizasyah said. (Antaranews)

An Indonesian legislator has proposed that the government's COVID-19 vaccination program start with President Joko Widodo, his cabinet members, and members of the House of Representatives (DPR) to encourage public participation.

"If those representing the state's symbol are vaccinated first, the people at large will feel secure and comfortable to join the COVID-19 vaccination program," said Nevi Zuairina, Member of Parliament from the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) faction.

The people would not object to or reject the immunization program if the president, ministers, and other top state officials participate in the early stage of the program, she told journalists in Padang, the capital of West Sumatra province, on Wednesday.

Zuairina said she herself is ready to get vaccinated.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has said the government will likely commence the first phase of COVID-19 immunization in the third week of December this year.

The government is awaiting emergency-use authorization from Indonesia's Food and Drug Monitoring Agency (BPOM) to commence the first phase of the program.

The BPOM revealed recently that it is still waiting for the results of the Phase 3 clinical trials of Sinovac's COVID-19 vaccine in Brazil as it mulls granting the emergency-use authorization.

The agency will collate research data from the Phase 3 clinical trials for the Chinese vaccine candidate in Brazil and Indonesia to determine its safety, efficacy, and immunogenicity, BPOM head Penny K. Lukito stated.

Indonesia has been striving to contain coronavirus infections, which initially emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 and thereafter spread across the globe, including to nations in the Asia-Pacific region.

The first COVID-19 infections surfaced in Indonesia on March 2 this year.

The Indonesian government has consistently expressed confidence in the potential of the COVID-19 vaccine to help win the fight against the pandemic, which has posed a grave threat to public health and economy.

Over the past few months, the government has made efforts to secure potential COVID-19 vaccines for Indonesians through bilateral and multilateral cooperation.

Indonesia is cooperating with China and the United Kingdom for the procurement and supply of COVID-19 vaccines.

It is also supporting research efforts towards developing the country's own COVID-19 vaccine, Merah Putih (Red and White), named after the colors of the national flag. (Antaranews)

This week's 13th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF) in Nusa Dua, Bali, will be an opportunity for Indonesia, especially local governments, and tourism actors to show the readiness of the Island of the Gods to welcome tourists after the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We [through the BDF]) want to show Bali is gradually improving and showing its readiness to reopen Bali, of course, because Bali depends a lot on tourism," Teuku Faizasyah, the ministry's spokesman said on Wednesday.

In the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic situation, BDF, a cross-country and inter-institutional forum that has been regularly held every year since 2008 by Indonesia will be held for one full day on December 10, 2020.

Different from the previous implementation, BDF, which has entered its year 13, will use a hybrid format, namely through a physical and virtual meeting. So far, there are 25 heads of delegations from BDF participating countries who have confirmed their presence in Bali.

Of that number, 24 of them are ambassadors and one other person is the head of an international organization representative based in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, there are more than 100 representatives from BDF participating countries who have confirmed their attendance at the virtual meeting.

"The arrival of the ambassadors will be an opportunity for Indonesia to show Bali's readiness to open its tourism sector, especially when the doors on the border are re-opened for foreign tourists," Teuku said.

The move is in line with the government's mission to revive various sectors of the economy, particularly tourism, during and after the pandemic.

Therefore, Indonesia, as the host of the 13th BDF, plans to invite the ambassadors to take a tour of several tourist sites in Bali on December 11, 2020.

Director of Public Diplomacy of the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Yusron B Ambary, said last week the organizers planned to organize a special tour for the heads of delegations to Uluwatu Temple and the Garuda Wisnu Kencana monument.

"We are planning a diplomatic tour, taking advantage of the presence of ambassadors in Bali on December 11. There will be a briefing from the Bali Provincial Government, from tourism actors, and from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. We will divide it into two. Participants will visit Pura Uluwatu and Garuda Wisnu Kencana. This is what we are still discussing and we will convey to the diplomatic representatives who will be present in Bali later," Yusron explained during a press conference last week.

Pura Luhur Uluwatu and Garuda Wisnu Kencana are part of the tourist destinations visited by many tourists in Bali. Pura Luhur Uluwatu is located in Pecatu, Badung Regency, Bali, and can be reached in approximately 30 minutes from the event location, while Garuda Wisnu Kencana is in Ungasan, Badung Regency, and can be reached in about 20 minutes from the event location.

Faizasyah, at the meeting last week and Wednesday, ensured that the entire series of Bali Democracy Forum events held in Bali would implement strict health protocols, including the implementation of mandatory wearing of masks, maintaining distance, and personal hygiene.

Not only that, but all participants are also required to take a COVID-19 swab test before participating in the event.

"We limit the room capacity not to exceed 50 people," Teuku said. (Antaranews)