VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Indonesian government has several reasons to move the national capital to East Kalimantan. One of them is to improve the efficiency of administrative functions in Indonesia. This was stated by Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo, Associate Professor and Director of Postgraduate Research at the Faculty of Built Environment at the University of New South Wales, Australia, in a special interview on the Sydney Educational Radio community radio in Sydney on Thursday (02/01/2020). According to him, 40 percent of Jakarta city area is below sea level causing frequent flooding.

"So currently about 40 percent of the city is actually below the sea level causing frequent flooding. And even yesterday (Wednesday-ed) there was a massive flooding in Jakarta. So therefore moving the capital city to a new planned city, there is the potential to improve the efficiency of the administrative function of the country,” said  Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo.

Dr. Riza Yosia Sunindijo added that up until now the Indonesian people were of the opinion that the development carried out by the government had so far been more centered on the island of Java, so moving the Indonesian capital to East Kalimantan was expected to change this perception. In addition, the relocation of the national capital is expected to increase development in other regions in Indonesia. (VOI / STEPHEN / AHM)

President Joko Widodo again spoke about the floods that hit Jakarta and its surroundings since 31 December until today.

Speaking after inaugurating the opening of the Indonesia Stock Exchange Trade in 2020, Thursday (02/01/2020) morning in Jakarta, President Joko Widodo stressed the importance of cooperation of all parties in handling the flood disaster.

According to him, floods can be caused by many factors, ranging from environmental damage to carelessness of the community in maintaining cleanliness.

However, according to Jokowi, what is needed now is quickly handling the impact of the flood disaster. Jokowi stressed the importance of prioritizing the safety and security of the community, especially those affected, both directly and indirectly by the flood disaster.

“This must be done together. The central government, the provincial government, the regency and city governments all work together to deal with this because some are caused by damage to ecosystems, ecological damage, but also because of our mistakes in littering everywhere, many things. But I want the cooperation to be built at the central, provincial and district / city level. So that everything can be handled properly. But the most important thing at the time of events such as the current evacuation of flood victims. The community safety must be the priority,” said President Jokowi.

Regarding the handling of floods which must involve many parties, President Joko Widodo said he would discuss the matter after the flood victims have finished. The discussion will be carried out including infrastructure development to deal with flooding. (VOI / Ndy / AHM)

President Joko Widodo stressed the importance of maintaining trust in the domestic capital market. This trust is important to support national economic development.

Speaking while inaugurating the opening of the Indonesia Stock Exchange Trade in 2020, Thursday (02/01/2020) morning in Jakarta, President Joko Widodo said in an effort to maintain market trust in Indonesia, all relevant authorities must clean up the Indonesian capital market from dirty practices that could reduce public trust.

Jokowi even encouraged capital market manipulators can be dealt with firmly based on applicable laws so that the Indonesian capital market is clean and has integrity.

“We are heading to that direction. So we hope that the practices that I have stated in the future must be eliminated. In the future it must be cleaned. Because what we want to build is trust. A trust. I speak for sure because I hear information. And I have also conveyed it to the Financial Services Authority  (OJK) chairperson, to all IDX Managing Directors, and we have the same passion to build a trust, build trust for the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX),” said President Joko Widodo.

At the opening of the Indonesia Stock Exchange in 2020, President Joko Widodo also expressed his hope that in 2020 the Indonesian Stock Exchange could record better achievements.

According to Jokowi, Indonesia should be grateful because in 2019 the national economy is relatively stable amid global economic uncertainty.

The performance of the capital market in 2019, according to Jokowi, recorded an encouraging achievement, bearing in mind that the stock listing activity managed to record 55 new companies.

According to Jokowi, this is a positive achievement because it is the highest number in ASEAN and the highest number 7 in the world.

In addition, long-term fundraising through the Indonesia Stock Exchange also reached 877 trillion rupiah. According to Jokowi, this is also the highest number ever achieved. (VOI / Ndy / AHM)

Photo archives - Mount Anak Krakatau's eruption was visible from Indonesian warship KRI Torani 860 that was sailing in the Sunda Strait on Tuesday (January 1, 2019) (ANTARA)

Bandarlampung, Lampung - Mount Anak Krakatau (Child of Krakatau) in Sunda Strait erupted, Tuesday morning, spewing a nearly 1,000-meter-high ash column upwards, Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG) of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry stated.

In its press statement released on Tuesday, the PVMBG observed a column of thick gray-to-black ash billowing out of the volcano and reaching as high as one thousand meters from its crater, or 1,157 meters above sea level, when the volcano erupted at 6:51 a.m. local time on Tuesday.

The seismogram recorded the eruption, with a maximum amplitude of 44 millimeters and a duration of one minutes, 33 seconds, according to the statement.

The agency noted that no thumping sounds were audible during the eruption.

The alert status for Mount Anak Krakatau remains at level II, or caution. The PVMBG has advised residents and tourists to not venture into the two-kilometer radius danger zone from the crater.

No immediate report was received of fatalities or injuries following the volcano's eruption on Tuesday.

The eruption of Krakatoa, or Krakatau, in August 1883 was one of the most deadly volcanic eruptions in modern history, with over 36 thousand people estimated to have died. (ANTARA)