VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Secretary general of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), Dr. Yousef A. Al-Othaimeen, has urged OIC member states to continue taking necessary measures and actions to ensure the protection of women against violence.

“[Preventive measures are necessary] Especially in light of the global escalation of the phenomenon of domestic violence, as one of the social repercussions of the outbreak of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19),” Dr. Al-Othaimeen said in a statement received here on Wednesday.

He made the statement on the occasion of the International Day for the Elimination of All Forms of Violence against Women.

As a result of the necessary precautionary measures taken by countries against COVID-19, including lockdowns and home quarantine which have been imposed over long periods, family income has been adversely affected and the economic situation has deteriorated, a matter that has led to increased tension and psychological pressure, he observed.

Highlighting the need to address the growing cases of violence against women, the secretary general called on member states to focus on enacting laws to protect women and to take procedural and security measures to eliminate violence against women in the Muslim world because of its negative impact on the development and prosperity of society.

Al-Othaimeen also stressed that the issue should be among the main concerns of member states and urged them to intensify efforts to strengthen national policies and procedures against domestic violence and violence against women, and to strengthen the work of national community institutions working in the field.

The secretary general indicated that the commemoration of the International Day to Combat All Forms of Violence against Women this year comes at a time when the OIC is celebrating the operationalization of the Women Development Organization, headquartered in the Arab Republic of Egypt, as the first specialized organ of the OIC concerned with women's affairs and on advancing their status and building their capacity in member states.

One of the most important issues that the organization will take care of is to follow up the implementation and development of the OIC Plan of Action for the Advancement of Women in the Member States (OPAAW), which prioritizes combating violence against women, among other things.

It is worth noting that the first session of the ministerial meeting of the Women Development Organization was held virtually on October 21-22, 2020. The meeting was hosted by the Arab Republic of Egypt in coordination with the OIC General Secretariat. (Antaranews)

Creativity can encourage optimism in the performing arts and tourism sectors amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to deputy for tourism products and events at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Rizki Handayani.

"This year, all activities, events, and promotions have been halted. We have seen the immense impact [of COVID-19] on the entertainment sector and the lack of visitors at tourism destinations," she said at a press conference on Wednesday.

“We need to still show the world that we are optimistic, which means we cannot sit still. Creativity is in the DNA of Indonesians. We need to get audiences and tell the world that collaboration is open and that our creative industry is remarkable,” she remarked.

In terms of collaboration, she said, the ministry has been working with event promoters, associations, even art activists to revive the sector.

In the fourth quarter of 2020, she continued, movements in the music events have begun to re-emerge. Promoters and event organizers are eager to enliven the entertainment industry, something the ministry is ready to support, she observed.

However, she reminded that the current state of public health remains a challenge, and that events need to be held by combining both direct and virtual platforms.

The government's support, she said, would include preparing health guidelines for events, ranging from cleanliness to health and environmental sustainability.

She further said that all steps for organizing an event, from start to finish, have been included in the regulations and guidelines to ensure audiences and organizers remain vigilant amid the new normal, as a vaccine is yet to be made available.

“There is an optimism here, and we hope vaccines can immediately be discovered and for us to be healthy in order to realize Indonesia as an event destination in South East Asia, as previously stated by Minister (of Tourism and Creative Economy) Wishnutama (Kusubandio),” she added. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo has said the current public health and economic crises are an opportunity for Indonesia to push the reset button and make a quantum leap through big vision, big transformation, and big actions.

Indonesia has been making favorable progress in handling the public health and economic crises caused by the ongoing global pandemic, he said at the World Economic Forum Special Virtual Meeting on Indonesia on Wednesday.

"Firstly, in the health sector, Indonesia is striving to halt the spread of the COVID-19 outbreak by increasing the recovery rate; reducing the mortality rate, and accelerating the preparation for conducting a massive vaccination program," President Jokowi said.

Joining the meeting via video conferencing from the Bogor Presidential Palace, he said Indonesia has made better progress in COVID-19 handling, as seen in both infection and recovery rates.

The percentage of Indonesia's active cases has been recorded at 12.68 percent, which is lower than the world's average rate of 27.9 percent, Widodo noted.

Indonesia’s recovery rate has also shown a good trend, reaching 84.09 percent, or above the world's average rate of 69.61 percent, he said, adding that Indonesia has been trying to reduce the COVID-19 mortality rate as well.

Regarding the country's preparations for its mass vaccination program, President Jokowi said Indonesia is collaborating with various parties to meet its demand for COVID-19 vaccines.

Besides working with several global pharmaceutical companies, Indonesia is also working on accelerating its domestic production of COVID-19 vaccines.

"We have state-owned pharmaceutical company PT Bio Farma, the biggest vaccine producer in Southeast Asia, which has supplied vaccines to many countries. We are making an immediate endeavor to increase our production capacity to up to 250 million doses a year," he said.

Meanwhile, in the economic sector, Indonesia is also striving to minimize the socio-economic risks on account of COVID-19 by launching a variety of social safety net programs for poor and vulnerable groups, he added.

The social safety net and economic recovery programs launched by the government include the Family Hope Program (PKH), Non-Cash Food Assistance Program (BPNT), Staple Food Aid Program (Sembako), Cash Social Transfer Program (Bansos), Pre-employment Card Program (KPK), Direct Cash Assistance of the Village Funds (BLT Dana Desa), Presidential Assistance for Productive Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, wage subsidy, and discounts on electricity bills.

Indonesia is not just striving to respond to and manage the crises, he said.

"Instead, we are also making the condition be a momentum to hack the crises," he remarked.

ANTARA has reported that Indonesia's economic contraction reduced from -5.32 percent in the second quarter to -3.49 percent in the third quarter.

COVID-19 initially emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019 and spread across the world, including to countries in the Asia-Pacific region.

Indonesia made an official announcement on the country's first confirmed cases on March 2 this year.

The Indonesian government has consistently expressed confidence in the potential of COVID-19 vaccines for helping win the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic that has posed a serious threat to public health and the economy. (Antaranews)

The role of the media as a driver of change is crucial in realizing the ASEAN integration and community building agenda. The narrative promoted by the media contributes towards shaping public opinion. This was stated by Secretary-General of ASEAN, Dato Lim Jock Hoi in his remarks at the opening of the 4th ASEAN Media Forum 2020 held virtually more recently. He added that during the pandemic, journalists and editors have an important role in exercising responsible journalism.  

INSERT (ENGLISH): 

“...The pandemic has demonstrated, more than ever, the important role journalists and editors play in exercising responsible journalism by eradicating misinformation that may cause confusion and panic in the society. As such, we depend on you in helping us to inform, educate, and empower the peoples of ASEAN.” 

Dato Lim Jock Hoi further said that he also welcomes the media views and ideas in helping the ASEAN Secretariat better support the media role in conveying the ASEAN story to a wider audience. 

The ASEAN Media Forum (AMF) is a platform for senior editors to come together with ASEAN leaders to discuss vital issues affecting the region. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the event took place online. This year’s topic focused on, among others, the COVID-19 pandemic and ASEAN’s recovery framework.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan offered US Vice President Mike Pence to relocate the US pharmaceutical industry to Indonesia.

"When I met Pence, I also emphasized that their pharmaceutical industry, which is no longer lucky in America or if they put it in another country which later becomes problematic for them, just relocate it to Indonesia," he said in the IGOV Expo webinar of the University of Indonesia, Wednesday.

Luhut himself had met with US Vice President Mike Pence during his visit to Washington DC, USA, last week.

He added that the Indonesian government had also followed up on talks about the pharmaceutical industry, including about vaccine cooperation with the US.

The former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs hopes that with this request, next year there will be a relocation of the US pharmaceutical industry to Indonesia.

Currently, there are many pharmaceutical industries in India, making the country as one of the main markets for the pharmaceutical world.

"We hope that in the future, there will be a relocation of the pharmaceutical industries which we did not have, many of which are in India, will be in Indonesia," he said.

According to Luhut, the Indonesian government is building a balanced relationship with many countries.

He himself admitted that he had continued to strive to build good relations with the US for more than two years ago as directed by President Jokowi.

One of the fruits of the successful relations between Indonesia and the US is the extension of the GSP facility.

"Yes, you can see the fruit now," he said.

This also dismissed the notion that the Indonesian government was only getting close to China. Indonesia has also built good relations with other camps including the US and Japan, to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).

"So don't think that we only have relations with China. We also work with China, the US, Japan, Abu Dhabi. That is a constitutional mandate, we work with anyone," Luhut concluded. (Antaranews)