VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director General of Asia-Pacific and African Affairs Abdul Kadir Jailani answering reporters' questions in Jakarta on Monday (December 6, 2021). (ANTARA/Yashinta Difa/KT) - 

The Indonesian government has cogitated over reactivating its embassy in Kabul, Afghanistan, in pursuit of constructive engagement with the country currently ruled by the Taliban group.

Earlier, Indonesia temporarily relocated its diplomatic mission in Kabul to Islamabad, Pakistan, following the Taliban's takeover of the Afghanistan government last August.

"The objective (of reactivating the Indonesian Embassy in Kabul) is to conduct constructive engagement, especially in terms of humanity, aid for women, and awarding scholarship, among others," Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Director General of Asia-Pacific and African Affairs Abdul Kadir Jailani noted at a media gathering here on Monday.

However, Jailani stressed that the plan to reactivate the Indonesian Embassy in Kabul in no way hints that Indonesia recognizes the Taliban government.

Jailani emphasized that Indonesia will continue to monitor the extent to which the Taliban fulfills its commitment to a government that is more inclusive, especially with respect to women's and children's rights as well as counterterrorism endeavors.

"We hope that the Taliban government would uphold its full commitment to not let its country become a land for homegrown terrorism (or a place to train terrorists)," he affirmed.

Furthermore, Jailani remarked that Indonesia will continue to offer assistance to tackle the humanitarian crisis in Afghanistan, which is currently worsening due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the winter season that makes food supply a challenge for the residents itself.

Apart from the humanitarian aid, Indonesia also pushes for a meeting of foreign affairs ministers to discuss the Afghanistan issue.

In the near future, the foreign ministers of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) will hold an extraordinary meeting, hosted by Pakistan to discuss the Afghanistan issue.

"Our interest is Afghanistan that is inclusive, open, and prosperous because we are aware that it will encourage for a more stable Afghanistan, so forms of interference, such as terrorism, to our country can decrease," Jailani emphasized//ANT

Screenshot of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) during his statement at the Congress for Alumni Association of the Indonesian National Student Movement at the State Palace on Monday, December 6, 2021. (ANTARA/Indra Arief/rst) - 

Indonesia ranked among five countries worldwide to have successfully handled the COVID-19 pandemic at level 1 through hard work and mutual cooperation among all parties, according to President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

"We became one of the five countries in the world to have succeeded in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic at level 1. This proved our nation's ability to face challenges," he remarked at the Congress for Alumni Association of the Indonesian National Student Movement at the State Palace on Monday.

President Jokowi affirmed that Indonesia's success in controlling the COVID-19 pandemic demonstrated its ability to turn difficult challenges into opportunities in order to forge ahead.

Indonesia has also been exceedingly thorough and careful in its approach while issuing policies to control the COVID-19 pandemic and simultaneously restore the community's economy, he noted.

"When the world is under lockdown, we are carefully controlling the pandemic while still moving the economy carefully," Jokowi remarked.

The president later noted that the COVID-19 pandemic had posed challenges and disruptions that had compelled Indonesia and the world to implement new development methods and acclimatize to the new normal.

"We must make the most of this disruption as an opportunity. When the world stops for a moment, we must keep moving forward," he remarked.

According to the latest data from the COVID-19 Task Force, the trend for additional cases of COVID-19 has been apparent from the hundreds of cases in recent weeks, or a significant decline as compared to the addition of tens of thousands of cases at the peak of the second wave in July 2021.

As of December 5, some 196 new confirmed cases of COVID-19 were reported throughout Indonesia, thereby bringing the total count of confirmed cases of COVID-19 since March 2020 to date to 4,257,685.

Meanwhile, the Health Ministry's data as of December 5 showed that over 142 million Indonesians had received the first dose of vaccination, or 68.42 percent, and 99 million people had been fully vaccinated, or 47.55 percent//ANT

Chairman of OJK's Board of Commissioners, Wimboh Santoso, delivers a public lecture at the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta on Monday. (December 6, 2021). (ANTARA/YouTube OJK) - 

The number of capital market investors increased significantly to 6.8 million in October 2021, chairman of the board of commissioners of the Financial Services Authority (OJK) Wimboh Santoso informed on Monday.

“Investors can now use technology from anywhere, small amounts can also be used. The majority (of capital market investors) are retail investors under the age of 30," he said while giving a public lecture at the University of Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta.

According to the OJK, the number of capital market investors more than doubled during the pandemic compared to 2019, when their number was pegged at 2.6 million, he noted.

Likewise, the proportion of young investors climbed from 54.90 percent in December 2020 to 59.50 percent in October 2021, Santoso informed.

The increase in investor interest was due to restrictions on mobility during the COVID-19 pandemic, which prompted young investors to shift their money to the capital market, he explained.

The handling of the economic crisis caused by the COVID-19 pandemic was still better than the crises in 1997–1998 and 2008 because of the presence of technology, Santoso observed.

"This is an economic laboratory, so we did not create this but it is real and technology helps," he remarked.

In addition, fundraising in the capital market in 2021 topped the value recorded in 2020, he said. As of November 30, 2021, it reached Rp321.8 trillion from 169 public offerings (PU), he added.

"There are still 9 PUs of Rp6.51 trillion that are in the pipeline; it is estimated that the 2021 target has been achieved," he said.

The good performance of the capital market is also reflected in the Indonesian Composite Index (IHSG), which has continued to move positively after reaching its lowest point of 3,937.63 on March 24, 2020, he added.

The OJK has issued a market stabilization policy in the form of a ban on short-selling, trading halts, adjustment of auto rejection limits, and share buybacks without a general meeting of shareholders (RUPS), he said.

"With this policy, the Indonesian Composite Index continues to move in a positive direction, where on December 2, 2021, IHSG (was recorded) at the level of 6,583.82," Santoso added//ANT

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin speaks in the closing ceremony of a meeting of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Bali, Dec 4, 2021. ANTARA/HO-Setwapres - 

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said that the social welfare gap in various regions remains a serious problem that must be resolved in Indonesia.

Based on the data of the National Socio-Economic Survey conducted by the Statistics Indonesia (BPS) in 2019, only 21.9 percent of the Indonesian population enjoyed economic prosperity, Amin said.

"In fact, economic prosperity in Indonesia is only enjoyed by no more than 21.9 percent of the top tier population. This means that inequality remains a serious problem in Indonesia," he remarked in a statement here on Sunday.

Based on the 2019 BPS data, 9.4 percent of the Indonesian population is categorized as poor, 20.6 percent as vulnerable people, 48.2 percent as transitional toward middle class, 21.5 percent as middle class, and only 0.5 percent as high incomes.

To lift people out of poverty, more people should be involved in business activities, he said.

Meanwhile, the 2021 data of the Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises showed that as many as 64 million residents are engaged in business activities, including 98.6 percent engaged in micro businesses, 1.2 percent in small businesses, 0.09 percent in medium scale businesses, and 0.01 percent in major businesses.

"This means that serious steps are needed to be taken to increase the number of people engaged in medium and large scale businesses," he added.

The Vice President said those data showed that redistribution of people's welfare remains a homework that must be done by various parties.

"It shows that the redistribution of welfare is a crucial homework for this nation, in order to make social justice a reality, and not just written in the state principle and the constitution," Ma'ruf Amin remarked//ANT