VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has instructed Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Head Bahlil Lahadalia to leave no stone unturned in catering to all requirements of investors in Indonesia.

"If the (process to obtain) permit is difficult, I will order the head of BKPM to handle it from A to Z and complete all necessary requirements, so that investors feel they are served well. This is very important," President Jokowi stated at the integrated industrial zone of Batang, Central Java, on Tuesday（6/30）

In addition to reviewing the venue, President Jokowi is scheduled to witness a presentation on redirecting foreign investment to Indonesia.

"I have ordered the minister and the head of BKPM to offer the best possible services to industries that will relocate from China to Indonesia, as well as from Japan, Korea, Taiwan, and the US," he noted.

Jokowi especially laid emphasis on two types of services, notably those concerning permits and land availability.

According to the head of state, of the total four-thousand-hectare Batang industrial area, work on 450 hectares was already complete.

The best services are crucial since the projects will create job opportunities, he noted.

Minister of State Enterprises (SOEs) Erick Thohir noted that the Batang industrial zone entirely came under state-owned plantation company PT Perkebunan Nusantara (PTPN) IX.

"Hence, no problems should be encountered concerning relocation and the licensing process, as everything comes under the authority of PTPN IX. Moreover, we are keen to integrate the Brebes, Kendal industrial area, and no less important the Borobodur tourism area. The Batang industrial zone is part of the efforts to develop manufacturing centers of industrial zones on Java Island that include Cikarang-West Java, Gresik-East Java, and the consolidation of three industrial areas in Central Java as a hub," Thohir explained.

Seven companies have, until now, confirmed to relocate to and join the Batang Industrial zone.

The seven companies are PT Meiloon Technology Indonesia from Suzhou, China; PT Sagami Indonesia from Shenzhen, China; PT CDS Asia (Alpan) from Xiamen, China; PT Kenda Rubber Indonesia from Shenzen; PT Denso Indonesia from Japan; PT Panasonic Manufacturing Indonesia from China; and PT LG Electronics Indonesia from South Korea.

In addition to the seven companies, other 17 firms intend to relocate their industries to Indonesia, with investment totaling US$37 billion and would provide employment to an estimated 112 thousand people. (Antara)

The Wakatobi district administration in Southeast Sulawesi Province will re-open tourist destinations for local and foreign tourists as of July 2020.

"We are optimistic of receiving domestic and foreign tourists no later than the start of July 2020 in the wake of the provisions of the COVID-19 health protocols," Nadar, head of the Tourism Office of Wakatobi District, stated here on Monday.

The district, known for its marine tourism, recorded no tourist arrivals since March 2020 following the government's announcement of the country's first confirmed COVID-19 cases and cancellations of all domestic and international flights from and to Wakatobi.

Several travel operators from Jakarta and Bali had contacted the tourism office to inquire when Wakatobi will reopen its region for tourists.

"Currently, the government, through the district and provincial COVID-19 Task Force Teams, had proposed to immediately reopen the district to tourists, albeit through the application of strict health protocols," Nadar remarked.

Currently, only Wings Air is operating flights twice a week from the Haluoleo Airport in Kendari, the capital of Southeast Sulawesi, to Matahora Aiport in Wakatobi, and from Tomia Airport to Denpasar, Bali Island.

"Hence, apart from using air routes, tourists headed for Wakatobi can also opt for means of sea transportation opened via Baubau by ferry and Jet Liner fast ships," he stated.

Several hotels and a resort in Wangi-wangi were also reopened, he remarked.

During the January-February 2020 period, Wakatobi had recorded arrivals of some 28 thousand domestic tourists and six thousand foreign tourists.

Since 1996, Wakatobi has had a conservation area or a national marine park spanning an area of 1.39 million hectares. The park has 25 clusters of coral reef, 600-km-long coastal line, 112 species of coral reef from 13 families, and 93 species of fish. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian government, through a resolution issued by the Ministry of Health, has officially enforced health protocols for the tourism and creative economy sector.

The health advice has been put together by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy and concerned stakeholders and ministries.

The health protocols for the sector have been ratified by the Health Minister's Resolution, Number HK.01.07/Menkes/382/2020, on Health Protocols for Communities in Public Places and Facilities in the Context of Prevention and Control of Corona Virus Disease 2019 (COVID-19).

In a statement received here on Monday, deputy of strategic policy at the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, R Kurleni Ukar, said the health protocols for the tourism sector and creative economy have been compiled based on three main issues — cleanliness, health, and safety

The health minister’s resolution has laid down protocols for hotels, inns, homestays, hostels, and other accommodations, restaurants, smaller food joints and food services, tourist locations, modes of transportation, creative economy services, event/meeting organization services, as well as other relevant public places and facilities closely affiliated with the tourism sector and the creative economy.

The protocols can be used as a reference by ministries, institutions, provincial regional governments, district and city governments, and the community, including associations, managers, owners, and workers managing public places and facilities as well as visitors, said Kurleni Ukar.

The health protocols are expected to support the plan for gradually reactivating the tourism and creative economy sectors to revive businesses in the field, which have been hit the hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Decisions related to the reactivation, however, will need to be adjusted to the level of risk of COVID-19 spread and a region's ability to control the disease, Kurleni Ukar pointed out.

"Local governments as well as tourism and creative economy businesses are expected to prepare and implement health protocols in accordance with the decision signed by the Minister of Health," he said.

Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Wishnutama Kusubandio, lauded the approval of the health protocols for the tourism and creative economy sector.

The endorsement has come through a single channel, which is the Minister of Health, and that ensures the protocols are in harmony with those prescribed by other ministries and institutions, he noted.

"The health protocols have been officially released by the Ministry of Health so that they can become a common reference, and there are no ministries/institutions that issue them independently as it (their implementation) is coordinated," Wishnutama said.

The ministry had also prepared technical guidelines, both in the form of videos and handbooks, that refer to global standards.

The handbook is a more detailed derivative of the protocols signed by the Ministry of Health, which means, it will be easy for the tourism and the creative economy sector to carry out activities, the minister pointed out.

The promulgation of the protocols is an important aspect as tourism is a business that relies heavily on the confidence of domestic and international tourists, he said.

"Gaining trust or confidence (of tourists) is the key to accelerating recovery, so it must be highly considered and implemented," the minister added.

He underlined President Joko Widodo's message in which he said the protocols need to be implemented properly and gradually.

"So that, later on, when the tourism and creative economy sectors are reopened, they can be productive and (people) remain safe from COVID-19. That was a fundamental aspect of the President's directives," the minister said. (ANTARA)

The pharmaceutical and medical device industries are included in the Ministry of Industry's Making Indonesia 4.0 Program that targets to expedite the application of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing sector.

"Making Indonesia 4.0 is a strategy towards Industry 4.0 with the transformation of digital manufacturing. The aim is to increase productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness of national industries," Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated here on Saturday.
Making Indonesia 4.0 serves as a roadmap to expedite the development of globally competitive industrial sectors. The program aims to realize the target to secure Indonesia’s ranking among the top 10 countries with the largest economies in the world by 2030.
The Making Indonesia 4.0 program is also expected to help boost the country's net exports by 10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), double the productivity against costs, and step up spending on research and development by two percent of the GDP.

"In fact, the implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0 will create employment opportunities with new expertise in the industrial sector and industrial support services that are supported by the demographic bonus momentum," the minister stated.

When the program was implemented in 2018, the Ministry of Industry had selected five priority sectors -- the food and beverage industry, textiles and apparel, automotive, chemical, and electronics -- to be the focus of development under the Making Indonesia 4.0 Program.

The five industrial sectors were chosen on the basis of several crucial factors, including the fact that they had contributed 70 percent of the national GDP.

Furthermore, the industries represent 65 percent of industrial exports and absorb some 60 percent of the industrial workforce.

In its development plans under the roadmap, the Ministry of Industry has also included the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.

"The inclusion of the medical device and pharmaceutical industries in the priority development of Making Indonesia 4.0 is one of the efforts of the Ministry of Industry to immediately realize a self-reliant Indonesia in the health sector," the industry minister stated.
Kartasasmita highlighted the significance of Indonesia's self-reliance in the medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries, especially during health emergency scenarios as it is today.

The medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries come under the high-demand category amid the COVID-19 pandemic when other sectors are bearing a major brunt.

Furthermore, self-reliance in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries is projected to contribute to the program of curtailing imports by up to 35 percent by the end of 2022.
"Innovation and application of Industry 4.0 in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries can increase productivity," he noted.

To this end, the Ministry of Industry has continually boosted the competitiveness of the medical device and pharmaceutical industries by encouraging the transformation of digital-based technology.

Utilization of this digital technology will later begin, right from the stages of production to distribution and to consumers.

"By running digitalization, companies can manage their work processes and human resources and stay productive," the industry minister stated.

In 2019, the Ministry of Industry had launched the Indonesia Industry 4.0 Readiness Index, also called INDI 4.0, under which industrial companies conduct independent assessments to gauge their readiness in applying Industry 4.0.

"We will once again conduct an INDI 4.0 assessment to measure the industry's readiness to implement Industry 4.0 in the context of efforts to restore the national industry," he added.

Pharmaceutical, medical industries included in Making Indonesia 4.0

The pharmaceutical and medical device industries are included in the Ministry of Industry's Making Indonesia 4.0 Program that targets to expedite the application of Industry 4.0 in the manufacturing sector.

"Making Indonesia 4.0 is a strategy towards Industry 4.0 with the transformation of digital manufacturing. The aim is to increase productivity, efficiency, and competitiveness of national industries," Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated here on Saturday.

Making Indonesia 4.0 serves as a roadmap to expedite the development of globally competitive industrial sectors. The program aims to realize the target to secure Indonesia’s ranking among the top 10 countries with the largest economies in the world by 2030.

The Making Indonesia 4.0 program is also expected to help boost the country's net exports by 10 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP), double the productivity against costs, and step up spending on research and development by two percent of the GDP.

"In fact, the implementation of Making Indonesia 4.0 will create employment opportunities with new expertise in the industrial sector and industrial support services that are supported by the demographic bonus momentum," the minister stated.

When the program was implemented in 2018, the Ministry of Industry had selected five priority sectors -- the food and beverage industry, textiles and apparel, automotive, chemical, and electronics -- to be the focus of development under the Making Indonesia 4.0 Program.

The five industrial sectors were chosen on the basis of several crucial factors, including the fact that they had contributed 70 percent of the national GDP.

Furthermore, the industries represent 65 percent of industrial exports and absorb some 60 percent of the industrial workforce.

In its development plans under the roadmap, the Ministry of Industry has also included the medical device and pharmaceutical industries.

"The inclusion of the medical device and pharmaceutical industries in the priority development of Making Indonesia 4.0 is one of the efforts of the Ministry of Industry to immediately realize a self-reliant Indonesia in the health sector," the industry minister stated.

Kartasasmita highlighted the significance of Indonesia's self-reliance in the medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries, especially during health emergency scenarios as it is today.

The medical equipment and pharmaceutical industries come under the high-demand category amid the COVID-19 pandemic when other sectors are bearing a major brunt.

Furthermore, self-reliance in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries is projected to contribute to the program of curtailing imports by up to 35 percent by the end of 2022.

"Innovation and application of Industry 4.0 in the medical device and pharmaceutical industries can increase productivity," he noted.

To this end, the Ministry of Industry has continually boosted the competitiveness of the medical device and pharmaceutical industries by encouraging the transformation of digital-based technology.

Utilization of this digital technology will later begin, right from the stages of production to distribution and to consumers.

"By running digitalization, companies can manage their work processes and human resources and stay productive," the industry minister stated.

In 2019, the Ministry of Industry had launched the Indonesia Industry 4.0 Readiness Index, also called INDI 4.0, under which industrial companies conduct independent assessments to gauge their readiness in applying Industry 4.0.

"We will once again conduct an INDI 4.0 assessment to measure the industry's readiness to implement Industry 4.0 in the context of efforts to restore the national industry," he added.