In a limited cabinet meeting on Wednesday (16/1), President Joko Widodo instructed his ministers to immediately finish the law which can accelerate national economy in 2020. Omnibus Law is made to target one great issue that can revoke or amend some laws to be simpler. To stimulate economic growth, the Indonesian government must move quickly so that the 5.5 percent economic growth projection in 2020 can be achieved. There are three focuses in the 2020 Omnibus Law, namely tax, providing employment, as well as empowering micro small and medium enterprises. In the limited cabinet meeting, the President targeted the Omnibus Law for employment and tax to be finished before 100 working day of Indonesian cabinet Onward. Therefore, he instructed all ministries and institutions, including National Police, State Intelligence Agency (BIN), and Attorney General Office to build one-way communication, as well as to communicate with involved organizations. President Joko Widodo hoped the Omnibus Law discussion can be finished soon. Because it can make Indonesia a country with good business ecosystem. Meanwhile, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs, Airlangga Hartarto said that the Omnibus Law bill is ready to be ratified before 2020 Idul Fitri. According to him, the discussion in government’s internal level had been finished. Therefore, he ensured the bill can be submitted to the House of Representatives immediately to be ratified. One of the main priorities under development in the Omnibus Law bill is manpower. The Omnibus Law is needed to increase Indonesian economic growth that was stagnant in 2019. The bureaucracy complexity that hampers business activities is the main target in the bill making. Therefore, Omnibus Law completion and implementation are very needed for the government as long as for prosperity and welfare of the people. However, it should be carefully checked again if related parties can make win-win solution for the developing and more complex current economic issues.
Indonesian Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) focuses on rehabilitation of Java through this year's Social Forestry program. Director General of Social Forestry and the Environmental Partnership at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Bambang Supriyanto said that in this rehabilitation effort, there will be an additional Indicative Map and Social Forestry Area for Permit of the Utilization of Social Forestry Forests in Java. Bambang Supriyanto in Jakarta, Monday (Jan 13), said, forest degradation in Java is below 10 percent. The location has been mapped as a location for Social Forestry Utilization Permit.
On the third revision of Indicative Map and the Social Forestry Area, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, reserved 13.8 million hectares area for social forestry. While the addition to the Permit of the Utilization of Social Forestry in Java will be around 326,000 hectares, covering the areas of East Java, West Java, Central Java, and Banten. The location lies in 44 districts and 74 sub-districts.
Bambang said, the realization of the Social Forestry program up to December 31, 2019 was recorded there have given management access to 818,457 households, with a total of 6,411 permits/management rights or a total area of 4,048 million hectares.
He said, after the Utilization Permit of Java Island Social Forestry was approved by Minister of Environment and Forestry, assistance to forestry extension would be immediately carried out. They will assist pre to post permits, preparing work plans, and determining the crops or agroforestry patterns which suitable for the specified area.
Bambang said, he wants to increase the number of assistants but reducing the target area of Social Forestry in 2020. This was done because the Ministry of Environment and Forestry wants to improve access of assistance, so that the social forestry business groups that had been running previously could increase and qualified. As of November 2019, 5,208 social forestry business groups have been formed in the Social Forestry program, which is spread across 33 provinces.
Travelling to Sumbawa Besar, the capital city of West Nusa Tenggara province, you can visit Batu Dulang tourism village. The village is located at an altitude 850 meters on sea surface with the temperature around 18 to 21 Celcius degrees. The village offers natural atmosphere which has fresh air. At the Batu Dulang village, you can see landscape of Sumbawa Besar, Moyo Island, and Mt. Tambora. Batu Dulang tourism village is located around 26 kilometers from Sumbawa Besar to the South.
To go to Batu Dulang tourism village, you can hear chirping of various species of birds along the street. There are around 25 bird species in Batu Dulang, among other punglor, sameong, pelatuk, kenenang kuning, kipas and owl bird. At this village, you can join in residents’ activities which traditionally produce Arabica and Robusta coffee. You can also visit the local Small and Medium Entreprises, namely forest products such as honey, coffee, candle nut oil and various fruits like mangosteen. In Batu Dulang, there are packages of harvest products such as packaging of honey, and coffee powder, curcuma, and candle nut which processed to be oil. This village is also a producer of a good quality honey because its forest is still very good as food resource of bee. Batu Dulang Tourism Village is the first village which applies preservation harvest of forest honey with honey drain technique by not using hands to squeeze, under the Management of Sumbawa Forest Honey Network since 2008 until nowadays.
Touring at Batu Dulang village, you can also enjoy the freshness of Tiu Dua waterfall. From the village, it is around 3 kilometers of distance to the waterfall or it takes around 5 minutes by using motorcycle and walk around 25 minutes. The waterfall has around 8 meters high. Below the waterfall, there are 2 big ponds which can be used for taking a bath and swimming. Batu Dulang village also provides some towers for selfie. At this tourism village, there are also 4 homestays with the tariff Rp75,000 per night.
First information is “Establishing Cooperation, 3 Sudanese Businesspeople visit PT INKA.”
Three business people who joined in Sudanese Engineer Association visited Indonesian state-owned enterprise, PT INKA’s train factory in Madiun, East Java on Thursday (9/1). Accompanied by PT INKA President Director Budi Noviantoro, the Sudanese businesspeople saw directly the facilities and potentials of Indonesian-made train industry products. One of the businesspeople said that the train produced by PT INKA is very appropriate for climate in Sudan. In the end of the visit, both parties made informal agreement to keep pursuing cooperation potential of rejuvenating Sudan’s train sector. This visit itself was follow-up of a meeting between Sudanese businesspeople and PT INKA President Director in Jakarta last week, facilitated by Indonesian Embassy in Khartoum. Four countries joined in MIKTA, namely Mexico, Indonesia, South Korea, and Turkey expressed their concern for bushfire in Australia. The concern was conveyed by four countries’ foreign affairs ministers as published on Indonesian Foreign Affairs Ministry’s website on Friday (10/1). The four foreign ministers expressed sympathy and deepest grief for those who lost family members, and expected speedy recovery for all affected people. The ministers hoped the bushfire could be controlled immediately. Until early January 2020, around 10 million hectares of land, park, and housing were burnt. Data collected by Australian authority until January 9 2020 showed that at least, 27 people died because of this natural disaster. Most of the casualties were firefighters.
Diplomatic Corner with, “Japan Committed being Key Partner for Indonesia’s Priority Sector Development.
Indonesia welcomed the commitment of Japan to keep being key partner for Indonesian priority sector development. That was affirmed by Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister to Japanese Foreign Minister Motegi Toshimitsu in the 7th Indonesia-Japan Strategic Dialogue in Jakarta on Friday (10/1). In his first visit to Indonesia, Minister Toshimitsu agreed to support Indonesian government’s priorities in economy and human resource development. In economy, besides increasing investment and trade cooperation, both foreign ministers also agreed to intensify the development of Integrated Fisheries and Maritime Center in six Indonesian outermost islands. Especially for Natuna, besides fishery industry, Japan will support the grant of fishery surveillance ship and tourism industry development.