Month: September 2021

Bandung Mayor Oded M Danial has said that Bandung has a big opportunity to quickly rise from the COVID-19 pandemic through economic recovery.

As one of the pioneering smart cities in Indonesia, it will be easier to adopt advances in digital technology, which can support the now massive online trade, he pointed out.

“Almost all residents, even from all walks of life, already have their own gadgets. Even if we add up, there are more gadgets than the total population,” Danial said here on Thursday.

He said he also expected economic growth in Bandung to run accordingly. Control and participation of all elements of society to access economic resources can be easily realized, he said.

“We must also provide opportunities to the MSME sector, which has proven to be a savior of the city’s economy from crisis to crisis. Because people can feel its real nature,” he added.

Head of the Bandung Mayor’s policy consideration team, Asep Warlan, said that the policies regarding the organizing of economic activities must be supported by policies on spatial planning, infrastructure, location security, investment, employment, local taxes, and retribution.

“In addition, there is also the need for business licensing, distribution of goods and services, management and protection of the environment, land, ease of funding sources, and a clean, competent, and responsive bureaucratic apparatus,” Warlan added.

He said that local governments must provide equal treatment to investors, ensure legal certainty, ensure business certainty, provide ease of doing business, ensure business security, and develop as well as provide protection and investment opportunities to MSMEs and cooperatives.

“The priority business fields are business fields that meet the criteria, in terms of capital, labor intensive, creative industry, high technology, pioneering industry, export orientation and research, development and innovation,” he added.

Source: Antara News

PT MRT Jakarta has been evaluating the price proposals submitted by prospective Japanese contractors for the construction of MRT Phase II 202 on the Harmoni-Mangga Besar and the 205A on the Bundaran HI-Mangga Besar route.

“This offer is still in the proposal evaluation process based on revisions by the offering contractor,” president director of MRT Jakarta, William P Sabandar, said here on Thursday.

PT MRT Jakarta is a regional-owned Enterprise (BUMD) of the Jakarta administration and manages the operation of Jakarta’s MRT (Mass Rapid Transit) on Corridor I, which comprises the Bundaran HI – Lebak Bulus route, since 2019.

Sabandar said that he could not reveal the price offered by the prospective contractors because it was still in the finalization process.

However, he promised to announce it to the public next week. “We will make an announcement once there is a result,” he stated.

The new price offer was proposed after Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi made a working visit to Japan, where one of his tasks included conducting intergovernmental diplomacy, Sabandar said.

“Intergovernmental diplomacy has been made during the working visit. Thus, the government of Japan has encouraged the offering contractors to reconsider the price,” he explained.

According to Sabandar, if PT MRT reaches a price agreement with the contractor, in October 2021, his team will sign a work contract for the CP 202 and 205A construction package.

Earlier, he said, the tender process for the package had failed twice because the price offered by the Japanese contractor candidates was higher than the price set by the committee (MRT Jakarta).

CP 202 and 205A are part of MRT Jakarta’s Phase II, with an investment value estimated at Rp22.5 trillion, he pointed out.

The development project of Jakarta MRT’s Phase II will cover an about 11.8-kilometer stretch from Bundaran HI to Ancol Barat, he informed.

This phase will extend the North-South corridor or Phase I (Bundaran HI – Lebak Bulus), which has been operating since 2019, with an investment value of Rp16 trillion, he added. (

Source: Antara News

The Ministry of Manpower will expand the network of Community Work Training Centers (BLK) by building 787 BLKs across Indonesia this year, Minister Ida Fauziyah has said.

“From 2017, we have been trying to bring services closer to the community,” she remarked at the signing of the working agreement on the Community BLK in 2021, here on Thursday.

According to Fauziyah, the ministry already has BLK managed by the central and local government, but she insisted that there is a need to bring the services closer to the community.

Launched in 2017, Community BLKs are a breakthrough initiative by President Joko Widodo.

In 2020, the ministry has established 2,127 BLKs for communities spread across many regions of Indonesia, Fauziyah said. This year, the ministry is targeting to establish 787 BLKs, she added.

Also, the ministry has signed a working agreement with the first phase Community BLK this year, she informed.

Under the agreement, 520 BLKs will receive government assistance and 267 BLKs will be provided aid in the second phase , she said.

“In 2021, we have invited as many strategic partners as possible because we want BLKs that we build to become independent centers that are part of the competency improvement implemented by the Manpower Ministry,” Fauziyah said.

Communities that have cooperated with the ministry are religious-based communities, such as Islamic boarding schools (Pesantren) and seminaries, she informed.

The ministry has also cooperated with trade and workers unions to develop Community BLKs since last year, she said.

“We are not satisfied with just building (the BLKs), we want them to be independent, as part of the government’s efforts to improve our workforce competencies,” Fauziyah affirmed.

“BLK is one of the real steps taken by the ministry to enhance Indonesia’s human resource competence towards the peak of Indonesia’s demographic bonus, which is expected to happen in 2030,” she added.

Source: Antara News

The Indonesian Government is seeking to optimize the contribution of non-tax state revenues (PNBP) to the 2022 state budget (APBN) through a better management system, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has said.

“The role of the non-tax state budget as a sectoral policy instrument through a regulatory function will also be pushed, particularly to support economic activities, investment, and public services,” she said at the 6th House Plenary Session during the 2021-2022 session period in Jakarta on Thursday.

State income in the 2022 state budget, derived from non-tax state revenues, will reach Rp335.6 trillion, Indrawati projected.

In addition to non-tax state revenues, state income will also come from tax receipts, which are projected to reach Rp1,510 trillion, so overall state income in 2022 will reach Rp1,846.1 trillion, she said.

The government has taken into account various economic factors to set the target of state revenues for 2022, she informed.

“Among the factors are sectoral conditions, investment climate, business competitiveness in gauging taxation basis, and public capacity in fulfilling taxation obligation,” she said.

The minister further said that state expenditure in the 2022 state budget is targeted to reach Rp2,714,2 trillion, comprising central government spending of Rp1,944.5 trillion and transfers to regions and village funds (TKDD) of Rp769.6 trillion.

The budget spending will be allocated for COVID-19 pandemic handling and economic recovery, which will be implemented simultaneously with structural reform efforts, Indrawati informed.

Therefore, the minister added, the government will continue various programs to support pandemic handling and economic recovery efforts to stimulate the economy and achieve the target of priority national programs.

Source: Antara News

The East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Provincial Higher Prosecutor’s Office (Kejati) saved the state potential losses of Rp17.3 billion from an alleged corruption scheme involving a cooperation agreement on the use of a Kupang District Government’s asset. “Through a long investigation process, the NTT Provincial Kejati has succeeded in saving Rp17.3 billion of the state’s funds from PT Nusa Investasi Mandiri, who used the property,” said Yulianto, Head of the NTT Provincial Kejati, on Thursday.

He added the state’s loss was the difference in the rental costs of the asset, which was used as a supermarket for 30 years.

“The difference in rental costs should belong to the Kupang District Government,” he stressed, while accompanied by the Head of Kupang District, Korinus Masneno.

The handling of corruption case by the prosecutor’s office was more focused on the attempt to recover the state’s losses and not on the number of cases and suspects caught, he further added.

According to the head of the higher prosecutor’s office, the stolen Rp17.3 billion should have been used for the economic development of the local community.

“Previously, we had mediated between the two parties and encouraged investor to return the cost difference. The attempt was successful as the investor returned the fund,” he explained.

However, he stressed the investigation will still be continued by the NTT Provincial Kejati.

“Next week, the NTT Provincial Kejati will decide whether the investigation will continue or not. More than 30 people have been questioned by our officers to date. However, no suspects have been identified,” he added.

Source: Antara News