VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia is currently eyeing the WHO-initiated global facility of COVAX for procuring the COVID-19 vaccine through the next year, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi stated after receiving 1.2 million vaccine doses of China-based Sinovac.

"One of the requirements is the vaccine request form to the COVAX Facility. The Ministry of Health has just sent it today, December 7, to meet its deadline," Marsudi stated during a virtual press conference held for the vaccine’s arrival on Monday.

"Several other steps would thereafter be taken by the end of this year. We hope that the multilateral vaccine would gradually arrive here in Indonesia in 2021," she noted.

The Indonesian government received 1.2 million doses of the vaccine to fight the COVID-19 pandemic developed by Sinovac Biotech on Sunday (December 6) evening, as a part of the first batch of direct shipment from China, reaching a total of three million doses.

Another 1.8 million doses are expected to arrive in January 2021.

"Vaccine bulks reaching as many as 15 million doses would arrive by this month and 30 million doses in January, and Bio Farma shall proceed with the further process," President Joko Widodo stated during his recorded speech on this matter.

From the COVID-19 Vaccine Global Access Facility, COVAX, which was co-initiated by WHO, the Vaccine Alliance (GAVI) and the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI), Indonesia could secure three to 20 percent of the vaccine supply of the country's total population, Marsudi remarked.

Apart from bilateral diplomatic relations for vaccine procurement with China coupled with multilateral efforts under the COVAX Facility, Indonesia has also initiated cooperation with British developer, AstraZeneca, for vaccine development since last October. (Antaranews)

The House of Representatives (DPR) Deputy Speaker Azis Syamsuddin urged the Indonesian government to relentlessly make all-out efforts to drive development in various sectors in the provinces of Papua and West Papua.

"The government has paid serious attention to Papua and West Papua. Those failing to understand should take a look at the ongoing substantial rise in development on the Land of Papua," he affirmed in a statement that ANTARA received here, Sunday.

Syamsuddin pointed to an improvement in the living conditions of people of both provinces while also appealing to intellectuals in Indonesia to help promote positive results of development programs in Papua and West Papua.

ANTARA noted that apart from the intensified developments in Papua and West Papua, the central government is still bogged down by the ongoing cycle of violence in Papua and rejection of the continuation of the government-granted special autonomy status for the provinces.

In order to tackle Papua-related matters, Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has since the start given undivided emphasis to prosperity-oriented approaches, Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko pointed out.

Citing one example of such an approach, Moeldoko drew attention to various infrastructure construction projects in Papua and West Papua launched to place them at par with other provinces.

President Jokowi is focusing on boosting the economic sector of Papua and West Papua through, for instance, enforcing the one-fuel price policy as part of the efforts to ensure social justice for local people, he remarked.

The government has also remained focused on development of the health and education sectors in the two Indonesian provinces, he noted.

Moeldoko expressed belief that the second phase of special autonomy status granted for Papua and West Papua would instill a new spirit for expediting development to create prosperity in both provinces.

For a roadmap for the second phase of special autonomy, there has been in place Presidential Decision No. 20 of 2020 on an integrated coordinating team for expediting prosperity-oriented developments in Papua and West Papua, he pointed out.

The Presidential decision is aimed at creating a spirit, paradigm, and novel methods to manage accelerated development in Papua and West Papua, he noted.

The Presidential decision seeks to intensify synergistic collaborations among ministries, government agencies, and regional administrations to expedite development programs in the two provinces, Moeldoko stated. (Antaranews)

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati provided fiscal facilities in the form of tax exemption worth IDR 50.95 billion for the 1.2 million Sinovac vaccines that arrived in Indonesia on Sunday (6/12) with an estimated import value of US $20.5 million.

"Exemption from import duty and/or excise is not subject to Value Added Tax (PPN) and Luxury Goods Sales Added Tax (PPnBM) and exemption from Article 22 Income Tax (PPh)," Sri Mulyani said in a virtual press statement in Jakarta, Monday.

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani specified that the exemption from import duty was Rp. 14.56 billion and import tax of Rp. 36.39 billion for 1.2 million vials for one dose of vaccine, and 568 vials for one dose of vaccine for the test sample.

The minister explained that 1.2 million COVID-19 vaccines were imported from Sinovac Lifescience Corporation Limited China as SARS CoV-2 or verocells with BUMN recipients, Bio Farma.

The vaccine, continued by the former World Bank Managing Director, was packaged in 33 packages with a gross weight of 9,229 kilograms according to AWB Number PEK-99463221.

According to him, the fiscal facility was provided to help import the COVID-19 vaccine based on Presidential Regulation Number 99 of 2020 and the derivative regulations of the Minister of Finance Regulation (PMK) 188 / PMK.04 / 2020.

The PMK regulates the provision of customs and/or excise facilities as well as import taxation of vaccines for handling the COVID-19 pandemic.

Subjects in the PMK, he said, are the central government, namely the Ministry of Health, the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), local governments, and legal or non-legal entities that have been assigned or appointed by the Ministry of Health.

Meanwhile, the objects given this fiscal facility include vaccines, vaccine raw materials, equipment for vaccine production because vaccines will also be sent in the form of bulk materials and equipment for vaccination.

In addition to the 1.2 million vaccines, the government is also working on 1.8 million doses that will arrive in early January 2021.

Apart from being in finished form, the plan is that in December 2020 there will also be 15 million doses of vaccine and in January 2021 the plan is as many as 30 million doses in form of bulk raw materials which will be further processed by Bio Farma. (Antaranews)

Jakarta - Voice of Indonesia. Indonesia received 1.2 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine in finished form on Sunday (06/12) at around 09.00 WIB.

This vaccine arrives using a Garuda Indonesia plane with special cargo via the Jakarta-Beijing-Jakarta route.

This was conveyed by Airlangga Hartarto, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy who is also Chairman of the Committee for Handling Covid-19 and National Economic Recovery (KPC-PEN) in his statement delivered online Sunday night.

Airlangga added that the vaccine must pass the evaluation stage from the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM) and wait for the fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) regarding its halal aspects.

"Even though the vaccines have arrived and are in Indonesia, implementing vaccination must pass the evaluation stage from the POM (Drug and Food Control) to ensure aspects of quality, safety, and effectiveness," Airlangga said.

In addition, they also have to wait for the fatwa of the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) for the halal aspect.

Furthermore, Airlangga Hartarto conveyed that in completing testing, tracing, and treatment or 3T efforts and wearing masks, washing hands, and maintaining distance or 3M, vaccination is a very important effort in ending a pandemic.

Airlangga added that these 3 things, namely 3T, 3M, and vaccination must always go hand in hand until the entire population of Indonesia and the world is completely free from the COVID-19 pandemic.

In his statement, Airlangga Hartarto stated that vaccination would be carried out in stages by prioritizing health workers and public service workers who had been technically regulated by the Minister of Health. (VOI)