VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia needs to implement the job creation law in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic to generate jobs, encourage the opening of new businesses, and curb corruption, according to President Joko Widodo.

“At the limited meeting (on Friday), I stressed why we need the job creation law,” he remarked in a press statement issued from the Bogor Presidential Palace the same day.

He said the first reason for implementing the law is that 2.9 million new job seekers, or youths, enter the labor market every year, which makes the creation of new jobs an urgent requirement.

The situation has been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, which has left 6.9 million people unemployed and 3.5 million workers affected, he added.

Nearly 87 percent of Indonesian workers have studied up to senior high school or lower, while 39 percent have only completed elementary schooling, the President noted. This has prompted the government to encourage the creation of job opportunities, particularly in the labor-intensive sector, he said.

“So the job creation law is aimed at creating as many job opportunities as possible for job seekers and unemployed people,” he remarked.

He said the second reason the law is needed is that it will make it easier for the public, particularly micro and small-scale entrepreneurs, to open new businesses.

The new law is aimed at simplifying overlapping regulations and lengthy procedures, he pointed out. For instance, micro and small businesses will now no longer need business permits, but will only have to register with the relevant agency, he said.

The law will also facilitate the establishment of limited liability companies because there will be no restrictions on minimum capital, he added. Under the new law, nine people can set up a cooperative unit, he continued.

“We hope there will be many cooperatives and micro small businesses in the country engaged in the food and beverage industry. The government will bear all expenses to (help them) apply for halal certificates. In other words, the certificates will be (provided) free of charge,” Widodo noted.

The third reason why the omnibus law is important is that it would support corruption eradication efforts in the country, he remarked.

“It is clear that by simplifying (procedures), cutting (expenses), and integrating the electronic licensing system, there won’t be illegal levies anymore,” he explained.

The House of Representatives (DPR) and the Indonesian government passed the controversial omnibus bill into law on Monday amid mounting criticism over its provisions on labor rights, indigenous community rights, and environmental protection. (ANTARA)

President Joko Widodo recently signed a regulation specifying the procurement and immunization schedule for the COVID-19 vaccine for Indonesia, which has been battling the deadly disease since March 2 this year.

President Widodo signed the Presidential Regulation No. 99/2020 on COVID-19 Vaccine Procurement and Vaccination for Handling COVID-19 Pandemic on October 5, 2020.

According to a draft of the regulation, a copy of which was made available to ANTARA in Jakarta on Wednesday, Indonesia will carry out vaccine procurement and immunization in 2020, 2021, and 2022

The Committee for Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic and National Economic Recovery will be able to extend the immunization window by referring to the Health Ministry's request.

According to Article 2 Point 6 of the new regulation, the government will prioritize the procurement of the vaccine from Indonesia, while Article 5 Point 1 of the regulation states that state pharmaceutical holding company PT Bio Farma has been tasked with procuring the vaccine.

The Indonesian Health Ministry has assigned the task to PT Bio Farma, which is expected to rope in its sister companies -- PT Kimia Farma Tbk and PT Indonesia Farma Tbk — to carry it out.

Meanwhile, international agencies and bodies that can be invited to participate in bidding or research, production, or COVID-19 vaccine procurement include the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI), among others.

The newly-signed presidential regulation also stipulates that the Health Ministry would determine the selling prices of the COVID-19 vaccine by taking the emergency situation and limited stocks of the vaccine into account.

Coronavirus infections initially emerged in the Chinese city of Wuhan at the end of 2019. Since then, COVID-19 has spread to over 215 countries and territories, including 34 provinces of Indonesia, with a massive spurt in death toll.

To protect Indonesians from the deadly virus, the Indonesian government has been striving to obtain COVID-19 vaccine candidates through bilateral and multilateral mechanisms.

Indonesia, for instance, has collaborated with the Chinese government through Sinovac Biotech's candidate vaccine, but it is also leaving no stone unturned to develop its own vaccine to fight the virus.

Indonesian scientists are currently working on the vaccine, which has been named after the country's national flag, Merah Putih (Red and White). (ANTARA))

The University of Indonesia (UI) and University of Queensland (UQ) Australia are intensifying cooperation through the implementation of the UI-UQ Bilateral Research Forum.

UI Chancellor, Professor Ari Kuncoro, noted in a statement received here on Saturday that in the past two decades, both universities had forged strong cooperation, which started when UI unveiled an International Double Degree Program for its Psychology Faculty.

The collaboration continues to develop by opening undergraduate and postgraduate double degree programs at the Faculty of Public Health, Engineering, Economics and Business, as well as the Communication Study Program.

At the research level, UI and UQ researchers often collaborate to produce scientific studies that have been published and been demonstrated to be beneficial to the government and society.

UI Deputy Chancellor for Research and Innovation Professor Dr rer nat Abdul Haris stated that the COVID-19 pandemic had given rise to multidimensional problems, including hindering efforts to establish relations with partner universities abroad in the wake of travel restrictions.

"However, with increasingly sophisticated technology, we are now able to establish collaborations, including conducting research and studies, and the dissemination can be delivered through online seminars," he stated.

The seminar is expected to serve as a forum for scientific discussions as well as a platform to maintain strong cooperation between both universities and countries.

The topic to be discussed at the seminar is one of importance for both nations and is expected to yield solutions that can benefit the people.

The research collaboration between the two campuses was marked by the implementation of the first series of online seminars on "Policies to Prevent Violent Extremism, Landscapes and Its Implications for Security, Law and Bilateral Justice" on Thursday (Oct 1)

The panelists comprised academics, researchers, and experts in the respective fields, including Mirra Noor Milla, the UI social psychology expert; Susilo Wibisono, the UI social researcher; and Professor Winnifred R. Louis, the professor of Psychology at UQ.

Pribadi Sutiono, the assistant for coordination work for Asia-Pacific and Africa, Coordinating Ministry for Political, Legal and Security Affairs, and Dwi Rubiyanti Kholifah, the Indonesia country director of the Asian Muslim Action Network, were the other panelists. (ANTARA)

The Industry Ministry will support certification for the local content level (TKDN) of pharmaceutical products and healthcare equipment to bolster the national industry's self-reliance and global competitiveness.

"Certification is crucial since currently, we have 10 thousand pharmaceutical products that would require certification demonstrating the local content of the products," Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita noted in a statement here on Saturday.

The minister suggested state budget allocation for the certification.

"This is especially since the pharmaceutical and healthcare equipment industry had been included in the additional list of priority sectors in the Making Indonesia 4.0 roadmap," he pointed out.

The minister opined that Indonesia's self-reliance in the pharmaceutical and healthcare equipment industry was deemed crucial, especially under the health emergency scenario.

The industry witnessed a sharp spike in demand during the COVID-19 pandemic, while other sectors were severely impacted.

The Industry Ministry’s data indicated a positive growth of 5.59 percent in the chemical, pharmaceutical, and traditional medicine industry in the first quarter of 2020.

The chemical and pharmaceutical industry contributed significantly to the country's investment, with Rp9.83 trillion of investment during the period.

Kartasasmita called for encouraging the pharmaceutical and healthcare equipment industry to meet the domestic demand. The industry's self-reliance is expected to help the country reduce imports to 35 percent by the end of 2022.

"Innovation and the implementation of industry 4.0 in the pharmaceutical and healthcare equipment industry would boost productivity," he affirmed.

Industry Minister’s Regulation No. 16 of 2020 stipulates that the local content level of pharmaceutical products will employ the process-based method rather than the cost-based system.

The process-based method will take into account the research and development conducted by the industry and maintain the confidentiality of the formula, he added. (ANTARA)