VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati. (ANTARA PHOTO/Sigid Kurniawan/POOL/foc/aa./sh)

The Indonesian government will distribute productive assistance of Rp2.4 million per person to 13 million operators of micro, small and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) in August, 2020, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said.  

“We are planning to disburse the aid using the data gleaned in August. Maybe on August 17, 2020 or later, (the aid program will be launched) by the President or a minister,” Indrawati said at an online discussion here on Tuesday.

The minister said aid disbursement has been a challenge in terms of data collection, especially when it comes to unbankable MSMEs.

Micro financing units UMi and Mekaar have pegged the number of MSMEs at six million and two million, respectively, while state pawnshop firm, PT Pegadaian, has recorded four million MSMEs, and 1.5 million cooperative units.

“We have allocated Rp28.8 trillion of budget, and now, we are in the process of data collection and verification,” the minister added.

The minister admitted that the data obtained from the Social Affairs Ministry did not match the real conditions in the field as it had not been updated since 2015.

“Not all local governments updated the data until we had this COVID-19 crisis in 2020. We need the latest data,” she said.

The government needs to update the data so that social assistance is on target.

"The aid program will be audited by an external auditor, such as BPK (State Audit Agency)," Indrawati noted.

In addition, updating of data is necessary to avoid uneven distribution of aid, which could spark a public reaction, she said. (ANTARA)

Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi

Minister of Transportation Budi Karya Sumadi has said the COVID-19 pandemic is threatening to push the aviation industry, especially airlines, into bankruptcy.

“The pandemic has been a grim period for various businesses, including transportation. Even transportation and logistics are the deepest sectors that are experiencing problems,” Budi Karya said in a webinar entitled ‘Adaptation of New Habits for Transport toward Advanced Indonesia’ in Jakarta on Tuesday.

Conditions in the air transportation sector have been the worst because of restrictions on passenger movement, both domestically and internationally, to prevent the spread of COVID-19, he said. The restrictions have led to a drop in turnover of 30 percent to 50 percent.

“This creates a threat of bankruptcy. I take the example of air transportation in general, during the pandemic, in the national aviation industry. The drop appeared moderate in the first quarter and it fell sharply in March (2020). While entering the second quarter, the conditions were very difficult. We hope that in the third quarter, they will get better,” the minister observed.

Airlines in a number of countries have faced the threat of bankruptcy, such as Virgin Australia and Thai Airways, which have asked their governments to bail them out, he said.

“Two European airlines, Lufthansa and Air France of France, are on the brink of going out of business. Then, Thai Airways has carried out a replacement of operations this month because of the lockdown in Thailand," he added.

Another sector hit by the pandemic is the logistics sector, which heavily relies on the transportation sector.

“With the dismissal of airlines, cargo costs will also increase and disrupt the logistics sector,” the minister pointed out.

The two sectors have also contributed to economic growth, which was corrected by minus 5.32 percent.

In addition, the tourism sector has also been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but currently, Bali is opening up and the number of visitors to the tourist site are starting to rise.

The Minister of Transportation said that Indonesia is not the only country that has been severely affected by the pandemic. Developed countries, including the United States, are also facing the same problems, he pointed out.

“We cannot give up, so we must move on with measured activities to encourage transportation that applies health protocols,” he said.

Many adjustments have been made to the new normal amid the ongoing pandemic, such as online tickets offers and implementation of health protocols, he remarked. (ANTARA)

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said that currently the government is developing a Covid-19 vaccine. The Vaccine development is carried out outside of Indonesia's cooperation with other countries. President Jokowi predicted that the vaccine, called the Red and White vaccine, would be completed in the middle of next year.

"For the past three months we have developed our own vaccine from isolates developed from Covid-19 circulating in Indonesia. We hope that this red and white vaccine will also be completed soon and it is estimated that this will be completed later in the middle of 2021," said Jokowi while observing the phase three clinical trial of the Sinovac vaccine at the Faculty of Medicine, Padjadjaran University, Bandung, West Java, Tuesday, which was broadcast by the Presidential Secretariat YouTube.

President Joko Widodo explained that a number of institutions are involved in the development of the Red and White vaccine, including the Eijkman Institute, the Agency for the Assessment and Application of Technology (BPPT), the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), the Food and Drug Administration, the Ministry of Research and Technology, and a number of universities.

The President further explained that Indonesia is also working with several other countries, including China，United Arab Emirates and South Korea. According to the President, by opening itself up to work together, Indonesia can as quickly as possible vaccinate all its people. (Setkab, youtube Presidential Secretariat / Nouva)

Mount Sinabung spewed volcanic material during an eruption in Karo, North Sumatra, Monday (10/8/2020). Antara Foto / Sastrawan Ginting / Lmo / pras.

House of Representatives (DPR) Deputy Speaker Azis Syamsuddin urged North Sumatra's regional government and other parties to act quickly and proactively to help communities affected by the erupting Mount Sinabung, Karo, North Sumatra, Aug 10.

"I urge the governor, district heads, security forces, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), and other stakeholders to immediately help the residents and stop activities within a certain radius from the mountain’s peak for their own safety, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic," he noted in a statement in Jakarta, Monday.

Syamsuddin appealed to the authorities, especially the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), to make concentrated and combined efforts during the COVID-19 pandemic to immediately help residents around Mount Sinabung.

According to the DPR deputy speaker, the BNPB is currently at the forefront of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic, but as a disaster mitigation agency, it must prioritize duties, principles, and functions (Tupoksi).

"Hence, ensure that the BNPB does not forget about its own main duties and functions despite currently being at the forefront of tackling the COVID-19 pandemic," the deputy speaker noted.

Furthermore, Syamsuddin urged the people around Mount Sinabung to adhere to the advice of the security apparatus if evacuation was deemed necessary to avoid exposure to volcanic ash if Mount Sinabung's alert status was increased.

"The people are urged to be obedient. Do not let any residents stay in their houses, as they have to look after livestock or land," he noted.

Mount Sinabung had erupted on Saturday at 1:58 a.m. WIB, sending a massive column of ash and smoke around two thousand meters high into the air, or some 4,460 meters above sea level.

This eruption was the first to have occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic after the last one on June 9, 2019, sending volcanic ash up to seven thousand meters above the volcano's peak, or 9,460 meters above sea level. Mount Sinabung had remained dormant for four centuries, but it roared back to life in 2010 and has sporadically remained active.

The last known eruption, prior to recent times, occurred in the year 1600.

Volcanic ash from the erupting Mount Sinabung that reached two thousand meters into the air affected four sub-districts in Karo District, North Sumatra Province, on Saturday morning.

"Naman Teran, Berastagi, Simpang 4, and Merdeka are the sub-districts affected by the volcanic ash emitted from the erupting Mount Sinabung," Muhamad Nurul Assori, an officer at the Center for Volcanology and Geological Disaster Mitigation (PVMBG), stated here on Saturday.

PVMBG's Mount Sinabung Observation Post has appealed to residents to wear face masks or personal protection equipment to safeguard from exposure to the volcanic ash. (ANTARA)