VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ahead of the Group of 20 Countries (G-20) Summit, the Indonesian Government held an Indonesia Round Table Business Meeting held at The New Otani, Osaka, Japan, Thursday (6/27).

During the meeting the Indonesian Government Delegation was led by the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut B Pandjaitan, Minister of Finance (Minister of Finance) Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Industry Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of Trade Engagartiasto Lukita, and Head of the Investment Coordinating Board ( BKPM) Thomas Lembong.

A total of 21 (twenty-one) Japanese companies attended the meeting including Japan External Trade Organization (JETRO), Daihatsu Motor Co.LTD, Honda Motor Co.LTD, Marubeni Coorporation, Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group, Mitsui and CO.LTD, Nippon Steel, Sumitomo Corporation, Toyota Tsuho Corporation.

Representing President Joko Widodo, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan in his remarks said that the Indonesian economy had developed well in the past 5 (five) years with an average growth of 5 percent. In addition, legal certainty in Indonesian investment is very important, and the President is very concerned about this.

The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs also said that Japan was very consistent in being an Indonesian partner, and he had no doubt about Japanese businessmen working together in Indonesia.

"The ease of investment in Indonesia is definitely better in the past," Luhut said, saying that he believed Japanese companies had felt that way.

The President's message, continued Luhut, should never hesitate to invest in Indonesia and not want investors to be complicated in the investment process.

At the end of the statement, the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs said that the ministers present at the meeting were to answer obstacles from investors.

Ease of Taxation

During the question and answer session, Minister of Finance (Minister of Finance) Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that with this meeting Japanese entrepreneurs were expected to be able to increase their investment in Indonesia. That is because the Indonesian market is very large and also strategic to become a hub for other countries.

"In improving the investment climate we continue to improve policies. Currently President Jokowi continues to ask for an improvement in the investment climate, "said the Minister of Finance.

In the field of taxation, the Minister of Finance said that the Ministry he led continued to issue policies to ease tax matters. "The first facility is a tax holiday for new investments in 18 types of business sectors, whether it is petrochemical or electronic," he said.

If conducting training, the Minister continued, also will get additional tax. "The process given for tax holidays and allowances will be very easy if it is already included in that category. Currently there are 289 trillion new investments, "he said.

In addition to the tax holiday, the Minister continued, the Government also prepared a Bonded Zone or Industrial Zone with facilities provided by the government.

Meanwhile, Minister of Industry (Minister of Industry) Airlangga Hartarto said that raw materials were key in the operationalization of the industry.

"The development of the Merak port is a necessity for industrial development," he said while conveying the plan to develop Patimban Port.

After the Indonesia Round Table Business Meeting, a One on One Meeting was held between the Government of Indonesia and 6 (six) Japanese companies. (setkab)

Ambassador to the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Indonesia to the United Nations (UN) in New York, H.E. Dian Triansyah Djani and the Ambassador of Barbados to the United Nations, H.E. H. Elizabeth Thompson, has signed Joint Communique (JC) for the Opening of Diplomatic Relations between Indonesia and Barbados at the UN headquarters in New York, United States (19/6).

The opening of diplomatic relations is a shared desire between the two countries to enhance mutual understanding and strengthen friendship and cooperation between the two countries in the fields of politics, economics, culture and education. This decision is in accordance with the provisions of the 1961 Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations, and based on the principles of the Charter of the United Nations and International Law namely equality between countries, national sovereignty, interdependence, territorial integrity, and non-intervention in internal affairs of other countries.

Indonesia hopes that the momentum of the opening of diplomatic relations with Barbados can encourage increased trade, investment and tourism between the two countries.

Barbados is an island country located in the Caribbean region and according to the World Bank are CARICOM members classified as high income countries in 2017 with per capita income of USD 16,788. (kemenlu) 

With the consideration that in order to obtain accurate, up-to-date, integrated, accountable, easily accessible and shared data, it is necessary to improve governance of data produced by the government through the implementation of Indonesia Data One, the government considers the need for provisions governing Indonesian Data One.

For this consideration on June 12, 2019, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has signed Presidential Regulation Number 39 of 2019 concerning One Data Indonesia.

"One Data Indonesia is a government data governance policy to produce accurate, up-to-date, integrated, and accountable data, and is easily accessed and shared between Central Agencies and Regional Agencies through the fulfillment of Data Standards, Metadata, Data Interoperability, and using Reference Codes and Master Data, "reads Article I paragraph (1) of this Perpres.

According to this Perpres, Indonesian Data One must be carried out based on the following principles: a. Data produced by Data Producers must meet Data Standards; b. Data produced by Data Manufacturers must have Metadata; c. Data produced by Data Producers must meet Data Interoperability rules; and D. Data generated by the Data Manufacturer must use the Reference Code and / or Master Data.

Data Standard for Data other than Geospatial Data and Statistics Data, according to this Perpres, is determined by other central level Data Trustees, which is one of the Central Agencies given the authority to carry out guidance related to the Data as stipulated in this Presidential Regulation, in addition field of statistical activities or bodies carrying out government duties in the field of geospatial information.

"Data standards that apply across Central Agencies and / or Regional Agencies are stipulated by central level Data Trustees," read Article 6 paragraph (1) of this Presidential Regulation. While the Minister or head of the Central Agency can set a Data Standard for Data whose utilization is intended to meet the needs of agencies in accordance with their duties and functions, insofar as it is determined based on the Data Standards established by the central level Data Trustees.

Data produced by Data Producers, said this Perpres, must be equipped with Metadata, whose information follows a standard structure and standard format referring to the information section on Data that must be covered in Metadata, and refers to technical specifications or standards from Metadata.

The standard structure and standard format for data that applies across the Central Agency and / or Regional Institutions, according to this Perpres, is determined by the central level Data Trustees. While the Minister or head of the Central Agency can establish a standard structure and standard format for Data whose utilization is intended to meet the needs of agencies in accordance with their duties and functions, insofar as it is determined based on the standard structure and standard format established by the central Data Trustees. (setkab)

North Sulawesi will hold the Bunaken Festival in Manado on July 17-20, 2019, to the tourists who share the maritime border with the Philippines.

"I am optimistic that this festival will be able to attract North Sulawesi's tourists and visit," the provincial administration's secretary of the North Sulawesi, stated here, on Wednesday.

The Bunaken Festival is 2019 included in the 100 Wonder of Events designated by the Tourism Ministry. A food festival, traditional music and dance live aboard the Bunaken Sail trip, fishing contest, coast clean-up, Underwater Photography competition, and triathlon will be featured.

The tourism ministry has named North Sumatra's tourism sector for 2019, as its tourism industry has a growth of 600 percent over the past four years.

Some 120 thousand tourists have visited North Sulawesi in 2018, rising notably from some 20 thousand in 2015, 40 thousand in 2016, and 80 thousand in 2017.

The number of domestic tourists visiting the province has increased by two million, from two million to four million. The Indonesian government had held the international maritime event from Sail Bunaken in 2009 as part of the Sail Indonesia series. 

Bunaken is an island spanning 8.08 square kilometers in the Bay of Manado, situated in the north of the island of Sulawesi. North Sulawesi is known for its Bunaken National Marine Park covering an area of ​​75,265 hectares. The five islands of Naen, Bunaken, Manado Tua, Siladen, and small islands around it.

The Bunaken national sea park has abundance of fish and coral species and at least 20 diving spots of varying depths. The park is located near the center of the Coral Triangle, a habitat offering for 390 species of coral as well as numerous fish, reptilian and marine mammalian varieties. (ant)