VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo formed a National Team for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Vaccine Development and installed Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto, as head of its steering team.

The structure of the National Team for the Acceleration of COVID-19 Vaccine Development has been stipulated in Presidential Decree Number 18 of 2020, dated Sep. 3, 2020.

The team comprises a steering team, persons in charge, and executive officers.

The team would work until December 31, 2021, Wiku Adisasmito, spokesperson for the COVID-19 Task Force, said at an online press conference on Tuesday.

"All components (of the team) must be able to work and synergize the time — that is not long — and they really must complete the task by the end of 2021," he said.

Members of the steering team include Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Muhadjir Effendy, and Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD.

Minister for Research and Technology and head of the National Research and Innovation Agency Bambang Brodjonegoro, mandated to lead the persons in charge in the team, with Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto serving as Deputy Chair I and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir as Deputy Chairman II.

Members of the team include Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasminta, Minister of Trade Agus Suparmanto, Minister of Education and Culture Nadiem Makarim, and head of the Food and Drug Administration Penny Kusumastuti Lukito.

The team has four objectives: to speed up the development of COVID-19 vaccines in Indonesia; to bring national resilience and self-reliance in developing COVID-19 vaccines; to intensify synergy in research, development, assessment, and application of scientific knowledge and technology, invention and innovation, production, distribution, and use or utilization of COVID-19 vaccines between the government and science and technology institutions, and science and technology resources in the COVID-19 vaccine development; and, to carry out preparations, utilization, capacity building, and boost national capacity for the development of COVID-19 vaccines. (Antaranews)

The Finance Ministry empowers export-oriented micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSME) to step up their contribution to boost the country's economic growth affected by the COVID-19 pandemic.

"MSMEs play an important role. Hence, the government is seriously endeavoring to help improve MSMEs," Luky Alfriman, director-general of Funding and Risk Management of the ministry stated during an online discussion on Tuesday.

Alfriman highlighted the multiplier effect of empowering export-oriented MSMEs in the form of job creation and increasing the gross domestic product (GDP).

"Do not forget that we are also talking about equalization here, and this is among the benefits to empowering MSMEs," he remarked.

MSMEs are among the sectors with the most acute brunt of the pandemic in line with the weakening global trade.

"The decline (in exports) is significant. Our exports in the first semester only reached US$76.41 billion," he pointed out.

The government has launched various programs to support MSME operators to survive amid the COVID-19-induced crisis.

The national economic recovery (PEN) program has included the policy to support MSMEs, with a budget totaling Rp123.46 trillion.

The PEN program for MSMEs encompasses fund deposits in state-run banks, investment funding from the Agency for Revolving Fund Management (LPDB), MSME's income tax borne by the government, and interest rate subsidy.

The government has also tasked the Indonesian Export Financing Institution (LPEI) to boost exports of MSME products based on Finance Minister Regulation No. 372/KMK.08/2020.

The ministerial regulation ensures that MSMEs get working capital and investment loan to boost their competitiveness in the national and international markets.

"This is financial funding for MSME that holds export potential, though constrained by banking access," he added. (Antaranews)

President Joko Widodo wants an improvement in the practice of democracy in the regional elections which will take place on Dec. 9 in 270 regions.

"Apart from strictly implementing health protocols, I want to improve and maintain the quality of our democracy," the head of state said at the State Palace, Jakarta, Tuesday, during a virtual conference meeting to discuss preparations for regional elections.

In the wake of challenging times, Jokowi is pursuing a more mature democracy, as he called on bureaucratic personnel along with the army and police forces to maintain neutrality and not favor certain candidate pairs.

Jokowi also reminded the General Election Commission and its regional offices to not allow narratives that can trigger the disunity to run wild among the public. He urged the Commission to make serious efforts to ensure quality, neutral, professional, and transparent elections.

"Do not allow the use of language, narratives, and symbols that endanger the unity and integrity of society. Ensure no practice of identity politics, race, religion, and inter-group politics since they can endanger unity and integrity," he affirmed.

The president expressed the belief that bodies organizing elections play significant roles in maintaining the quality of democracy and political stability, and how the people get the results of elections.

Jokowi also appealed to community and religious figures, activists, and academics in all regions to support such efforts.

To maintain the neutrality of civil apparatuses, several institutions, including the Ministry of Administrative and Bureaucratic Reforms and the Elections Supervisory Board, have readied a joint document on the neutrality guidelines.
Regional elections will be held in 270 areas, including nine provinces, 224 districts, and 37 cities.

It was initially scheduled to take place in Sep. 23, but was postponed to December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. (Antaranews)

Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya said that 14.3 million hectares of river basin areas in Indonesia are in critical condition and need rehabilitation  

"Indonesia has 17,076 river basin areas spanning over 189 million hectares, of which 14.3 million hectares are in critical condition and must be handled and replanted," she said during a discussion on the rehabilitation of river basin areas to restore the environment and improve the public economy on Monday.

Human activities will play a role in changing the natural landscape, turning it into a more critical land if recovery, reclamation, and rehabilitation efforts are not made, she added.

Indonesia now has about 592,000 hectares of open land in 349 districts/cities. This led the areas to deplete and become critical, leading to natural disasters such as erosion, flood, landslide, and drought, the minister said.

The rehabilitation of river basin areas is a part of efforts to restore the environment and has become the development agenda of President Joko Widodo to achieve a good quality environment, which is the right of the Indonesian people, under Article 28H of the 1945 Constitution, Siti said.

Other than the central and regional governments, owners of forest area utilization permits (IPPKH) are also obliged to rehabilitate river basin areas, she added.

Rehabilitation efforts during the pandemic will not only benefit the environment but also encourage the local economy by engaging the people in rehabilitation activities, the minister said.

Siti Nurbaya said that 1,039 owners are still active over 500,131 hectares of land for various purposes, including 669 ownerships for mining totaling to 445,953 hectares area, and 370 ownerships for non-mining, covering 10,993 hectares.

The minister lauded the rehabilitation efforts by private companies and encouraged other parties to follow the same step. (Antaranews)