Day: June 16, 2021

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Bappenas forecasts 5.78-6.53% GDP growth for eastern Indonesia

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The eastern part of Indonesia will see GDP (gross domestic product) growth of 5.78-6.53 percent in 2022, the National Development Planning (PPN) Ministry/National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas) has forecast.

“The regional development policy in the RPJMN (medium-term national development plan) 2022-2024 is aimed at reducing disparities among regions. In 2022, regional development will focus on several efforts to restore (the economy) from the COVID-19 impact soon and reduce disparities,” PPN Ministry/Bappenas deputy for regional development, Rudy Soeprihadi Prawiradinata, said during a working meeting with the Budget Committee of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

Bappenas is targeting to boost eastern Indonesia’s Human Development Index to 62.06-78.12 and lower the percentage of poor people to 10.97 percent, he informed.

The agency expects western Indonesia to record GDP growth of 4.99-5.68 percent in 2022. Meanwhile, its Human Development Index is projected to reach 70.53-82.99 and the percentage of poor people is targeted to reach 8.64 percent.

The target under national priority (PN) 2 of the government’s work plan for 2022 is to develop regions in order to reduce disparities and ensure regional equity, Prawiradinata said.

The national priority comprises seven programs, which include the development of regions in Sumatra, Java, Bali, Nusa Tenggara, Kalimantan, Sulawesi, Maluku, and Papua, he added.

“The regulation needed to support the national priority 2 is a bill on urban areas and revision of government regulation number 13 of 2017 on amendment to government regulation number 26 of 2008 concerning the national spatial plan,” he said.

Source: Antara News

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Industry chamber mulls waiting list system for self-funded vaccination

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has said it is considering introducing a waiting list mechanism for Gotong Royong vaccinations in view of the limited supply of vaccines in the country.

“The plan is to open a waiting list system, but at the moment we are still in the evaluation process with Bio Farma,” said deputy chairperson of Kadin, Shinta Widjaja Kamdani, during a dialogue on ‘Indonesia’s Readiness and Preparedness with Gotong Royong Vaccines’, originating from Jakarta on Wednesday.

A waiting list is being considered for companies that are looking to participate in Gotong Royong vaccinations given the high demand and relatively limited supply of vaccines provided by the government, she elaborated.

So far, at least 28 thousand companies with 10.5 million employees have registered with Kadin for the Gotong Royong vaccination program, she said.

However, just 500 thousand doses of the Sinopharm vaccine have been received as part of the first phase of the vaccine allocations, she revealed.

“This amount must also be divided again with State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) employees, so private companies can only get 300 thousand doses,” she said.

As per the government’s directions, priority will be given to participants from the manufacturing sector in the Greater Jakarta area in vaccine allocations, she added. “However, the number of vaccines cannot match that of companies’ requests. The allocation for companies is being done in stages,” she said, adding that it could be challenging to adapt to the volume of supply.

The paid vaccination program is open to all companies, including foreign capital companies (PMA), domestic investment companies (PMDN), and micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs), Kamdani said.

“But this is not mandatory, so all Indonesians can get free vaccines from the government. If there are companies that are severely affected by COVID-19 and cannot participate in the Gotong Royong vaccination, please join the free vaccination program,” she added. (INE)

Source: Antara News

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MPR lauds Nemangkawi task force for arrest of firearms supplier

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Chairman of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), Bambang Soesatyo, has praised the Nemangkawi Task Force for apprehending a man who is believed to have sold firearms and ammunition to Papuan separatists in Puncak Jaya district.

“I ask security personnel to investigate the case to see the intellectual actor behind the case and take stern measures against him, in accordance with the positive law in force,” he said in a written statement released on Saturday.

He also asked law enforcement personnel to conduct an in-depth investigation into the firearms and ammunitions syndicate.

Such an investigation is needed to trace the source of the funds being used by Papuan separatists to buy firearms and ammunition, he said.

“(I) hope for the commitment of the government and security personnel to break the firearm supply chain, including the flow of fund and the supply of weapons to the armed terrorist group, in order to narrow their movement space and prevent the repeat of terror act by the armed terrorist group and give tranquility to the public,” he added.

The Nemangkawi task force, which comprises military and police personnel, seized hundreds of millions of rupiahs from the suspect as evidence.

Soesatyo also asked the task force, set up to tackle violence in Papua, to launch a manhunt for members of the armed Papuan group and take firm and measurable act against them.

Source: Antara News

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Multi-faith gathering planned in Papua

Jayapura (ANTARA) – A multi-faith post-Eid gathering, locally known as halal bihalal, will be organized in Papua on Saturday to promote harmony in the province, also known as Bumi Cendrawasih.

“The halal bihalal will be held on Saturday (June 19, 2021) in Jayapura. The event will be open to the public to attend virtually through social media due to the COVID-19 pandemic,” chief of the event’s organizing committee, Nikolaus Kondomo, said in the provincial capital of Jayapura on Wednesday.

The event will be designed to reflect the harmony among adherents of different faiths in Papua, he added.

Concurring with Kondomo, secretary of the Indonesian Ulemas Council, Papua chapter, Faisal Saleh, who is also a member of the event’s organizing committee, said the event will be worthy of appreciation and will serve as a concrete measure to promote interfaith communication.

“Generally, the initiative to hold such event comes from Muslims. But this time, it is organized by Full Gospel,” he pointed out.

As it will draw all religious elements in Papua, the event can serve not just as a means of communication, but also concrete action, he added.

Source: Antara News

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493 killed in 1,423 natural disaster events this year: BNPB

Jakarta (ANTARA) – At least 493 people died and 68 others went missing in 1,423 natural disaster events in different parts of Indonesia between January 1 and June 15, 2021, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

The catastrophes affected 5,206,534 people, many of whom were forced to seek refuge elsewhere, as per BNPB data accessed by ANTARA here on Wednesday.

Floods, whirlwinds, landslides, and bush and forest fires were the most common disaster events reported in the country. As many as 135,187 homes and 2,920 public facilities were damaged in their aftermath.

According to the BNPB, Indonesia recorded 592 floods, 394 whirlwinds, and 288 landslides in the first half of this year.

In addition, the archipelago experienced 108 bush and forest fires, 20 events involving abrasion and high waves, 19 disastrous earthquakes, and two droughts.

The disaster events, which left 12,853 people injured, also damaged 1,367 educational facilities, 1,207 houses of worship, 346 health facilities, 492 office buildings, and 282 bridges.

Highlighting Indonesia’s vulnerability to a variety of natural hazards, BNPB spokesperson Raditya Jati has appealed to the people to remain alert.

This year, one of the deadliest catastrophes that Indonesia experienced was the 6.2-magnitude earthquake that rattled the districts of Mamuju and Majene in West Sulawesi province on January 15.

The quake claimed more than 100 lives and acutely affected several residents in sub-districts such as Mamuju, Tapalang, Tapalang Barat, Simboro Kepulauan, Kalukku, and Bonehau.

The earthquake damaged 9,179 houses in Mamuju district alone, the BNPB reported.

Sulawesi Island has repeatedly witnessed deadly earthquakes. On September 28, 2018, a 7.4-magnitude earthquake hit several parts of Central Sulawesi province, triggering a tsunami and soil liquefaction in Palu, the provincial capital.

The earthquake claimed 2,102 lives, left 4,612 persons injured, displaced 78,994 people, and rendered 680 others missing.

A total of 68,451 homes incurred serious damage in the quake.

Given the large number of rotting corpses, the authorities and humanitarian workers were forced to resort to mass burials.

Indonesia recorded its deadliest earthquake, which claimed 170 thousand lives, on December 26, 2004.

The undersea megathrust quake rattled Banda Aceh and several other parts of Aceh province, triggering a giant tsunami, which laid to waste several parts of the city located on the northernmost tip of Sumatra Island. (INE)

Source: Antara News

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Govt assures of free COVID-19 vaccines for all

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian government has assured it will provide COVID-19 shots to all citizens for free, Health Ministry’s spokesperson for COVID-19 vaccinatoion Siti Nadia Tarmizi said. ;

“We need to clarify perception on the Health Minister Regulation No. 18/2021, that added a regulation regarding the Gotong Royong (mutual cooperation) vaccination and the government’s vaccination program,” she said during a dialogue on the Gotong Royong vaccination here on Wednesday.

The Gotong Royong vaccination program was launched on May 18 this year. The program was initiated by the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) to support the national vaccination program.

Both programs are providing different vaccines for free, Tarmizi said adding, the Gotong Royong vaccines will be funded by companies for their employees.

“It (Gotong Royong) is aimed at expanding the COVID-19 vaccination coverage. The government’s vaccination program and the Gotong Royong program will not use the same vaccines. Sinovac, AstraZeneca, Novavac, and Pfizer cannot be used in the Gotong Royong (vaccination) program,” she elaborated.

Sinopharm and Cansino vaccines will be provided under the Gotong Royong program, Tarmizi said.

However, the same vaccine can be used for both programs if obtained through a grant as in the case of about 500 thousand doses of the Sinopharm vaccine donated to Indonesia by the United Arab Emirates recently, she clarified.

“Although the Sinopharm vaccine is already being used in the Gotong Royong program, it can also be used in the government’s vaccination program because we obtained it as a grant,” she added.

According to chairman of the Indonesia Health Economic Association, Hasbullah Thabrany, the Gotong Royong program would help KADIN members to expand vaccination coverage for workers and recover productivity.

“The challenge now is to meet vaccine demand for 28 thousand companies registered (for vaccination) through KADIN,” said deputy chairman for international relations at KADIN, Shinta Widjaja Kamdani.

State-run vaccine maker Bio Farma has pledged about 15 million doses of the Sinopharm vaccine for the Gotong Royong vaccination program. (INE)

Source: Antara News

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BNPB gives due weightage to disaster management in response mechanism

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Director of Disaster Management Strategy Development of the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) Agus Wibowo underscored the criticality of disaster management in the mechanism to deal with disasters.

“Disaster management is not just a response but also disaster risk management before, during, and after a disaster,” Wibowo remarked during a discussion held by BNPB and monitored virtually here on Wednesday.

Wibowo stressed on the need to effectively handle the disaster management process before, during, and after the disaster.

To implement the disaster management system, it is necessary to develop the capacity of various supporting aspects, right from institutions, planning, and funding to legislation. Under this falls disaster risk management that necessitates disaster risk studies and preparation of disaster management and mitigation plans.

Moreover, under disaster emergency management, preparing emergency management and contingency plans as well as emergency operations are also deemed important. Meanwhile, in the area of disaster recovery management, it is essential to prepare a rehabilitation and reconstruction plan.

Disaster management plans should contain all policies, strategies and action options, governance, and disaster risk reduction actions at each stage in the disaster management cycle.

“The most important aspect after we know the threat is that we need to plan or take certain actions or policies to overcome the threat,” Wibowo remarked during a discussion on the integration of disaster management plans into development planning.

The disaster management plan is determined by the regional government and should be legitimized into a regional regulation or regional head regulation.

Source: Antara News

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Local govts asked to offer services for violence, trafficking victims

Denpasar, Bali (ANTARA) – The Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA) has encouraged regional governments to offer services to those who fell victim to domestic abuse and human trafficking in the area.

“In order to support the provision of services, we encourage regional governments to form a Regional Technical Management Unit (UPTD) guided by PPPA Minister Regulation Number 4 of 2018 on Guidelines for the Establishment of UPTD for the Protection of Women and Children (PPA) and PPPA Minister Regulation Number 11 of 2019 on Guidelines for Institutional Evaluation of UPTD-PPA,” PPPA Minister Bintang Puspayoga stated during a National Coordination Meeting in Denpasar, Bali, on Wednesday.

The minister elaborated that support had poured in for the establishment of the Regional Technical Management Unit for the Protection of Women and Children (UPTD PPA), as conveyed through the Minister of Home Affairs’ letter to the Provincial and District/City Heads and accords priority to the implementation, or planning and budgeting, preventing and handling violence against women and children.

“However, according to the latest data, only 29 provinces and 104 districts/cities have UPTD-PPAs already established. This is a challenge that we must be able to overcome,” Puspayoga stated.

The minister explained that the Online Information System for the Protection of Women and Children (Simfoni PPA) will also be developed by the Ministry of PPPA as a case management instrument at all governmental levels, in addition to producing data accrued on violence against women and children and human trafficking.

Thus, cases can be monitored, and it can be determined whether women and children, who fell victim to violence and human trafficking, were offered services that aligned with their needs. “Hence, we hope that an integrated service management system between service institutions and the implementation of the PPA Simfoni would also become a priority in your area,” the minister noted.

Puspayoga reminded and underlined the mandate of Law Number 23 of 2014 on Regional Government with regard to the president’s directive to improve the quality of services offered to women and children, who fell victims to violence and human trafficking.

One of the powers shared is the authority for women empowerment and child protection affairs that houses six sub-functions encompassing the quality of life for women, protection of women’s rights, quality of families, gender and child data systems, fulfillment of children’s rights, and special protection for children.

Within these sub-functions, authority is divided between the central government and the provincial and district/city governments in terms of offering services for women victims of violence and for children in need of special protection, for which the implementation must be ensured.

Source: Antara News

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