VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs is currently studying the potential of Buton asphalt to be processed into solid rocket fuel, in addition to its being used in road construction.

Maritime Coordinating Ministry's Deputy for Natural Resources and Services Coordination  Agung Kuswandono, when participating in a discussion on energy in Jakarta on Tuesday, said the use of  Buton asphalt potential needs to be encouraged, given the size of Indonesia's reserves, standing at some 670 million tons.

"I just know that asphalt can be used for rocket fuel components. If possible, perhaps the price could rise and we could become suppliers of rocket fuel," he said.

However, according to Agung, further research is needed regarding the potential of natural resources, in the form of natural asphalt.

He added that the use of Buton asphalt would have a very positive impact on suppressing asphalt imports, which have reached up to 500 million US dollars per year.

Also at the discussion, New Ventures Director of Buton Asphalt Group Agus Nuryanto said it is possible to use Buton asphalt as a solid rocket fuel.

However, Nuryanto noted that there needs to be an inexpensive system to process Buton asphalt, so that it could be used as solid rocket fuel.

"It could be (become solid rocket fuel), but it becomes expensive because Buton asphalt must be separated first, since the original form is as a rock. So, the black rock is used as asphalt, and this process is costly," he said.

Agus added that even after processing, the content in Buton asphalt is not necessarily compatible with the solid rocket fuel currently in use. In fact, the fuel for rockets cannot be made carelessly, to prevent it from exploding.

"So, the fuel is different from Buton asphal. If you want to use it, it will be rather difficult, as the specifications are different," he said.

Nevertheless, Agus is encouraged by the uses of Buton asphalt, in addition to road construction. According to Agus, like shale, which can produce oil and gas, Buton asphalt is also considered to have similar potentials.

"Both are similar, though while similar, Buton asphalt also has oil. It is hoped that the government will use it, not only as road asphalt, but also for other uses, because of its huge reserves," he said. (ant) 

Indonesia and the European Union (EU) have chosen sustainable development as the focus of their cooperation, marked by the launch of Blue Book 2019. 

Indonesia and the EU have long cooperated in fulfilling the global commitment in the Sustainable Development Agenda 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Through the Blue Book 2019, entitled, "Together for Sustainable Development", the EU supports the centralization of SGDs in its partnership with Indonesia.

"SDGs are the main objective, used as a reference for the EU and Indonesia. It is not surprising if SDGs become the focus of EU-Indonesia cooperation," Charge d'Affaires of the EU Delegation to Indonesia Charles-Michel Geurts said during the launch of the Blue Book 2019 in Jakarta on Tuesday.

According to Geurts, Indonesia has demonstrated significant progress in mainstreaming SGDs in its development plan.

Hence, the EU is committed to supporting Indonesia's efforts through well-guided cooperation programs for the three main development sectors, including environment, education and health, he said.

Through development fund assistance worth 100 million euros, the EU and Indonesia have worked on a number of programs, some of which have been completed, while others are on-going.

Head of the Indonesian National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) Bambang Brodjonegoro said the agreement between Indonesia and the EU to put in place development cooperation focusing on SDGs has been consistent with its global goals.

"When it comes to SDGs, Indonesia has taken additional steps. In fact, we are one of the first countries to deliver a report to the UN in 2017, and we will send a second report in July 2019," he said. (ant) 

A few days before the celebration of Idul Fitri 1440 Hijriah, a lot of remittance of Indonesian Migrant Workers (TKI) who work in some countries is sent to some regions throughout Indonesia, such as Sukabumi, West Java. Money transfer service of Sukabumi Post Office reported that there is an increase of 15 percent this Ramadhan month compared to the normal months. The amount of remittance from abroad reaches around Rp 40 to 50 billion per month through the post office. The amount of the migrant workers' remittance is huge, because in addition to the Post Office, several banks can receive the remittance service. In addition, many Indonesian migrant workers send money to their families through their colleagues who come back to Indonesia in a bid to enjoy ‘Lebaran’. Most of the remittance comes from the Middle East countries, Malaysia and Hong Kong.

Cianjur Post Office is busy receiving the TKI’s remittance. Through the Cianjur post office for this year's Ramadhan, the amount reaches Rp97 billion. Head of the Cianjur Post Office, Deni Ahmad Zaenudin stated that the remittance in Ramadhan this year is likely to increase compared to last year's Ramadan which reached Rp.113 billion. The remittance comes from Middle East countries and Southeast Asian countries in general.

Other regions in the border point such as Nunukan in North Kalimantan also use the services of the Post Office to receive remittance from abroad. The fact is that from year to year, the number of Indonesian Migrant Workers (TKI) who go abroad to work is getting bigger. But if you look at the high rate of remittance through post office services, there are probably not many migrant workers who use banking services. Even though the migrant workers may have accounts at banks, their families in the villages do not necessarily have them.

Government’s data in 2017 showed that the level of financial inclusion in Indonesia has only reached 63 percent. This means that every hundred Indonesian citizens, only 63 have an account at the bank. If the family in the village has a bank account, sending money can be easier and faster. They can also enjoy holidays during Lebaran without worrying about waiting a little longer.

The heated situation of the trade war between the United States (US) and China may bring about an impact on Indonesia's national economic growth. Moreover, the US has raised China's import tariffs to 25 percent more recently. According to some observers, at present, the global conditions make Indonesia's economic growth this year projected to only reach around 5.1 percent or below the government's target set in the 2019 State Budget (APBN), which is 5.3 percent. The argument put forward is that the trade war has made the demands of both countries, the US and China decline and the prices of major export commodities are also low.

On the contrary, the government is optimistic that this year's economic growth target of 5.3 percent can still be achieved, even though the temperature of the trade war between the United States and China is increasingly heating up. What is the basis of the government's belief that 5.3 percent economic growth can be achieved?

The realization of economic growth in the first quarter of 2019 compared to the first quarter of 2018, which was maintained positively, seems to strengthen the optimism. To achieve the economic growth target, the government is now committed to encouraging the export of a number of priority industrial groups, especially what has been decided by the Ministry of Industry in Industry 4.0. Five priority industry groups are included in Industry 4.0. They are food and beverage industry, textiles and clothing, electronics, automotive, and the chemical industry. In addition, the government is also committed to encouraging the processing of natural resources such as the construction of smelters and processing of palm oil. These efforts make the government optimistic that the 5.3 economic growth target can be achieved this year.