VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Transportation, Budi Karya Sumadi is trying to make electric vehicles in Indonesia as a public need. That was stated by the minister when visiting an electric vehicle exhibition on Sunday (18/4).

In a press release, Minister Budi Karya Sumadi said that President Joko Widodo has issued presidential regulation No. 55/2019 on Battery-based Electric Vehicles for Land Transportation Program Acceleration. The Ministry of Transportation follows-up the regulation by making some regulations on electric vehicles through transportation ministerial regulations. The ministry regulates the electric vehicle physical type testing, certain vehicles with electric motor drive, and conversion of oil-based vehicles into battery-based.

The Transportation Ministry will also make a roadmap so that in 2030, the electric vehicles can be more significantly used by the people.

Minister Budi Karya Sumadi further said that some other efforts have been done, namely encouraging the use of electric vehicles through the service in some cities such as Bali, Surabaya, Bandung, and Medan. A program ‘Buy the service’ is a service purchasing system by the government which gives full subsidy for the operator with certain minimum service standards. As an early stage, the eco-friendly transportation will be used for Transjakarta and Damri for city transport.

Besides buses, the Transportation Ministry will also encourage the use of electric vehicles to taxi and motorcycle. It has also coordinated with the Minister of State-owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir and President Director of PT PLN, Zulkifli Zaini to build more charging stations.

Minister Budi Karya and first echelons in the Transportation Ministry have also used electric vehicles for their operation. He then encouraged other ministries and institutions to use electric vehicles. It is expected that electric vehicles will be an eco-friendly choice for the people and then improve the air quality in Indonesia.

The world is still being shaken by the Covid 19 pandemic. If previously African countries seemed not to be in that problem, recently several countries there, including South Africa, began to be hit. In some places like Europe, as well as China. where the pandemic started, the number of infected and dead is on the rise. In South Asia, India is seriously trying to overcome the Covid19 outbreak which continues to increase sharply.

Data from Woldometers cited by various media shows that the number of people infected and dying from a virus that has now even mutated continues to increase. As of April 21, 2021, the number of Covid 19 cases has reached more than 143 million. At least 3 million people in various countries have died from the disease caused by viruses and there is no cure. Even so, it was recorded that the number who recovered from Covid 19 was much higher than those who died. As of April 21, nearly 122 million people have been declared cured of Covid 19,

The United States is still struggling to reduce the number of cases and to prevent more people from getting infected and dying. The country is listed as the top in the number of cases and dead from Covid19 among the 10 other countries with the highest transmission rates. In the United States until April 21, nearly 33 million cases were recorded, with a death toll of more than 580 thousand people. India still has to deal with a spike in cases after experiencing a decline and relaxing restrictions.

Due to a new mutation of the Covid virus, a number of countries have returned to lockdown. In Europe, Britain is the country that is doing it again. China, which was originally reported to have been relatively free of Covid, has returned to implementing lockdowns in certain areas of the country.

In order to prevent transmission and casualties, vaccination is being intensified. This step is very costly, but must be done. If this year Covid 19 still cannot be controlled, the impact will further burden the economic growth of countries affected by the pandemic.

Covid 19 has indeed had a significant impact on economic growth. Including the increase in the unemployment rate because of layoffs due to losses and the closure of a number of companies. So, there is no other way, efforts to overcome Covid 19 pandemic must be done globally and together. It seems that the rules restricting human movement in the form of lockdowns and prohibitions on traveling abroad or receiving visits from other countries, are still needed and must be obeyed.

Indonesian President Joko Widodo held a virtual bilateral meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel from Bogor Palace, West Java on Tuesday (13/4). The meeting was held one day after both heads of state opened the Hannover Messe 2021.

In the bilateral meeting, both leaders discussed cooperation in health, human resources, investment, and climate change. In the health, President Joko Widodo and Chancellor Merkel exchanged views on Covid-19 handling in each country. They expressed worry about vaccine nationalism by some countries. That will badly disturb vaccine availability globally and equal vaccine access for all people.

In the investment, Chancellor Merkel saw a great potential in Indonesia to be an important partner for Germany in the future. Answering that, President Joko Widodo offered collaboration in developing industrial areas that will be filled by German companies. The German Industrial Quarter will be in Batang Integrated Industrial Area, Central Java.

President Joko Widodo further stated that Germany is one of Indonesia's most important partners in Europe. Both countries have had comprehensive partnership since 2012. Germany is Indonesia's biggest trade partner, 4th biggest investment partner, and 3rd biggest tourist source from Europe. The president also ensured that the investment climate in Indonesia has been better with the Job Creation Law.

About the climate change, both leaders shared a similar commitment for emission reduction. President Joko Widodo pointed out that Indonesia is strongly committed to carrying out green development. One of the ways is mangrove restoration and sustainable energy development.

Moreover, President Joko Widodo calls for Germany to join in hands to develop human resources through vocational schools and to increase German industrial investment in Southeast Asia.

President Joko Widodo opened the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) Hybrid Automotive Exhibition 2021 at the State Palace in Jakarta last Thursday (15/4). In his remarks, the President said that the national automotive industry has risen. This can be seen from the increase in purchase orders for motor vehicle products, which reached 190 percent. He remarked that the increase in vehicle orders could not be separated from the various stimuli provided by the government, especially the relaxation policy on Sales Tax on Luxury Goods.

President Joko Widodo also mentioned the current purchasing manager index (PMI) figure, which has reached 53. In fact, before the pandemic, the Indonesian PMI figure reached 51 in normal times. He warned that this momentum must really be maintained. The President said this revival must not be disturbed again due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Furthermore, he hopes that the production capacity of the domestic automotive industry can be increased by using higher local content. In addition, industrial players are targeting export markets. President Jokowi requested that the involvement of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises be increased in the supply chain for the automotive industry, thereby bringing greater added value to the national economy.

President Joko Widodo also reminded the reform towards green technology and a green economy which will become the foundation, potential and strength in Indonesia. The use of renewable energy, such as B30 and B100, must also be continued. The development of electric cars must also be accelerated and it is hoped that it will become one of Indonesia's leading industries.

Meanwhile, Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita is optimistic that the automotive industry can spur national economic recovery from the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. This is because the automotive industry involves a lot of domestic business actors from upstream to downstream sectors.

Minister Agus Gumiwang added that in the Making Indonesia 4.0 program launched by President Joko Widodo in 2018, the national motor vehicle industry was targeted to become a global player. He reminded that despite being hit by the Covid-19 pandemic, the automotive industry was able to contribute 4.24 percent of non-oil and gas gross domestic product throughout 2020. Meanwhile, exports of automotive products for four-wheeled motorized vehicles or more, including their components, reached Rp65.99 trillion.