VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Jakarta Composite Share Price Index (IHSG) closed lower on Wednesday evening due to profit-taking by investors.

The composite index of the Indonesian Stock Exchange (BEI) fell 22.36 points, or 0.42 percent, to touch 5,272.81, while the index of the 45 most liquid stocks dropped 4.18 points, or 0.5 percent, to reach 834.84.

"The weak IHSG is the result of investors' profit-taking ahead of the long weekend. The benchmark interest rate, which remains unchanged, has satisfied the market expectation," Indo Premier Sekuritas analyst Mino said in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The IHSG weakened in less than one hour after opening higher in the morning. It continued to stay within the red zone until the close of trading.

On a sectoral basis, shares from eight sectors saw a correction, with the various industrial sector shares recording the deepest decline at minus 1.19 percent, followed by the basic industrial sector and the manufacturing sector at 1.1 percent and 0.93 percent, respectively.

Meanwhile, the trade sector and the mining sector increased 0.25 percent and 0.09 percent, respectively.

Based on data from BEI, the net foreign buy reached Rp325.62 billion in Wednesday's trading.

Trade frequency was recorded at 669,212 transactions, with 12.7 billion shares, worth Rp8.01 trillion, changing hands on Wednesday.

There were 162 gainers against 243 decliners, and 172 shares remained unchanged.

Among regional markets, the Nikkei index strengthened 70.52 points, or 0.31 percent, to 23,110.61; the Hang Seng index fell 188.47 points, or 0.74 percent, to 25,278.91; and, the Straits Times index tumbled 3.17 points, or 0.12 percent, to 2,559.92. (ANTARA)

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Finance/pri/ac)

Indonesia’s Minister of Finance, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, has said the COVID-19 pandemic could provide momentum for reforms in various fields, including education, health, social security, and infrastructure.

“We want to use the moment of COVID-19 as a momentum to reform many sectors, namely education, health, and social security. We are heading for a future where Indonesians are at the core,” she said at an online discussion in Jakarta on Wednesday.

To become big, she continued, a country needs great people, which makes improving the quality of human resources (HR) a priority.

“There is no great country without great people. It (a country’s wealth) is always in the (quality of its) human resources,” she said.

She further said that the participation rate for basic education in Indonesia has now reached 100 percent, however, the next challenge is to ensure that learners reach a higher level of accomplishment.

"Can they think critically? We are still left behind. The Indonesian demographic is dominated by young people, this must be considered. The welfare of all the children of the nation's future is important," she added.

Ensuring justice for all Indonesian people must also be a priority, considering that poor families will not have access to good health and education, she pointed out.

Not only that, Sri Mulyani stated, Indonesia is also still lagging in the infrastructure sector even though currently, access to travel between cities, between islands, and between countries is considerably easy.

"We have a gap in infrastructure, especially outside Java. All islands from Sumatra to Papua," Sri Mulyani continued.

She said she believes the development of equitable infrastructure in all corners of Indonesia is an important aspect in efforts to make it an upper middle income country.

"Infrastructure is still needed to go to upper middle income and even to upper country (level),” she added.

The minister said she wishes to see all Indonesian children getting the same opportunity to access public services, with the support of good institutions at the government, state-owned enterprises, and private levels.

"What legacy do you want to see in the future? I want to see all the nation's children have the same opportunity to get access to public services," she remarked. (ANTARA)

Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, Bambang Soesatyo. (ANTARA/HO-People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR)/pri/ac)

Speaker of the People's Consultative Assembly, Bambang Soesatyo, has urged the government to provide capital support as well as extra coaching and training to micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to improve their condition.

Such measures can involve providing them wider access to the market, including through applications or digital platforms, he said.

"(I) urge the government to give support and help to the MSMEs through individuals or cooperatives to increase the competitiveness of the products gradually, until they are ready to compete in the market," he said in a statement in Jakarta on Wednesday.

He also asked the government to help enhance the human resources capabilities of MSME players to equip them to make better quality products with greater competitiveness, amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Aside from that, such measures can also help MSME players to gain knowledge about the type and specification of goods or services that are sought after in the market, he said.

He also urged the government to optimize ministry and institution budgets for the purchase of MSME products. (ANTARA)

The Communication and Informatics Ministry virtually launched a new set of stamps featuring President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin as part of the commemoration of Indonesia's 75th Independence Anniversary, Jakarta, on Wednesday.

"The launch of the series of stamps featuring President Joko Widodo and Vice President Ma'ruf Amin reflects our respect for them as leaders elected by the Indonesian people through the process of extensive practice of democracy," Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate noted in his address on Wednesday.

The president and vice president stamp series are issued for every period of the government as a state document to honor the services of leaders, Plate expounded.

"The president and vice president (series) are very important and are phenomenal stamps as state documents. The president and vice president's stamp series are always awaited, and their figures are captured in the form of special stamps," he explained.

Vice President Amin, in his speech, pointed to a shift in the meaning of stamps along with rapid developments in information and communication technology.

VP Amin drew attention to the fact that postage stamps have become an important and intrinsic part of every historic event of the Indonesian nation and society.

"The long-standing history of stamps proves that they are not only a means of paying for postal delivery but are also a medium for visualizing values of the society’s diversity and also the sovereignty of a country," he remarked.

Vice President Amin signed a series of stamps for the president and vice president at the vice president's official residence in Jakarta, Monday (August 17), shortly before attending the ceremony to lower the national flag.

In addition to the series of stamps from President Jokowi and Vice President Amin, the Ministry of Communication and Information launched three other stamps: the 75th Anniversary of Indonesian Independence series, the COVID-19 countermeasures series, as well as a series of well-known artists and music groups.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs (Polhukam) Mahfud MD, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of Health Terawan Agus Putranto, and Head of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Doni Monardo were also virtually present at the launch. (ANTARA).