Day: December 22, 2021

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has said his government will continue to build infrastructure, both small and large scale, considering that infrastructure is the foundation and fundamental to improving Indonesia’s economic competitiveness.

“I am still going to continue this program,” he stated at the 7th anniversary of the Indonesia Solidarity Party (PSI) on Wednesday.

Many parties have questioned the government’s policy of building a lot of infrastructures, such as the construction of toll roads, ports, and airports, he noted.

“Many of them ask the purpose of this program. They say that people do not eat asphalt. But once again I emphasize, we want to compete with other countries,” he remarked.

Indonesia must be able to compete with other countries by increasing economic growth, encouraging competitiveness, and creating many job opportunities, President Jokowi said.

With this aspiration, infrastructure is the foundation and a fundamental requirement for increasing competitiveness, he explained.

“Because for me road infrastructure means welfare. If there is no road, there will be no infrastructure and no products,” he remarked.

He said the impact of infrastructure development will not be seen in the short term. However, with the presence of infrastructure, Indonesia already has the foundation to compete with other countries in order to improve people’s welfare, he added.

Furthermore, the Head of State emphasized that the government should not only build large-scale infrastructure, but also pay attention to small-scale and rural infrastructure.

In the last five years, fund transfers to villages reached Rp 400.1 trillion, he noted. In addition, the government has also built 227 thousand kilometers of village roads during the same period, he informed.

“We also pay attention to small infrastructure such as village roads. Until today, we have transferred Rp 400.1 trillion to villages in the last five years to build village roads, reservoirs, irrigation, bridges, public markets, and village-owned enterprises or BUM Desa,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Indonesian women must be healthy, prosperous, and empowered to contribute optimally to the state, including in the efforts to prevent and reduce the prevalence of stunting and maternal mortality (MMR), the Presidential Staff Office stated.

The statement was delivered by the Main Expert of the Presidential Staff Office (KSP), Brian Sri Prahastuti, during the event of National Mother’s Day on Wednesday, December 22, 2021.

“Women should be subjects, who are empowered, prosperous, healthy, and able to make the best decisions for themselves, so that they can contribute optimally within the family, community, and for the nation and state,” she noted in a written statement received here.

Prahastuti affirmed that women should not be treated as objects that were forced to sacrifice their interests and self-actualization for the sake of child care and family.

The message was backed up by the speech of the First Lady, Iriana Jokowi, during the commemoration of the 93rd Mother’s Day at the Mandala Bhakti Wanitatama Building in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.

In her speech, the First Lady said that the commemoration of Mother’s Day was not merely a moment to express gratitude for the mothers’ deeds but also the time to pay attention and acknowledge women in various development sectors.

“This special moment must inspire women to become more courageous in speaking out and showing their potential, being more empowered to build equality and a prosperous life, as well as being more innovative in contributing to the progress of the nation,” she remarked.

Prahastuti remarked that the Presidential Staff Office had paid great attention to addressing strategic issues pertaining to women and children.

Her administration also actively attempts to reduce stunting and the maternal mortality rate, as it was one of the national priorities.

Prahastuti noted that the office had collaborated with the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry to develop the SEJIWA program. One of the program’s functions aimed at providing mental health services, particularly for women, who were acutely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Presidential Staff Office also provides support to the legislature during the creation process of the Draft Law on the Crime of Sexual Violence. Through this anti-sexual violence law, perpetrators of sexual violence of any and all forms would be punished with legal sanctions.

Source: Antara News

Research by the Indonesian Institute of Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) has shown that women business players are quicker to adapt to digital technology and are more willing to formalize their business than men.

Assistant deputy for participation improvement of professional agencies and business world at the Ministry of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection (PPPA), Eko Novi Ariyanti, made the remarks at a webinar on the role of women on Wednesday.

“In this pandemic condition, the number of women accessing the marketplace increased to 47 percent from previously 32 percent. This proves that women are aware of the opportunities of technology,” she pointed out.

According to Ariyanti, 25 percent of men were utilizing the marketplace for running their businesses before the pandemic and their number increased to 40 percent during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Nevertheless, she added, women’s participation in the economy is still far lower compared to men. “But, in general, women’s participation in economic activities is still much lower than that of men, about 53 percent versus 83 percent,” she remarked.

According to Ariyanti, it is necessary to enhance women’s participation in the economy through partnerships such as establishing groups of women economic players; offering assistance to improve the quality of human resources and products; collaborating for supply chain facilitation, innovation, technology, and production facilities; expediting market access and funding; and encouraging women-led MSMEs (micro, small, and medium enterprises) to not only develop but also empower the local economy.

She also pointed out that women still have the opportunity to upgrade their role as economic drivers because their access to technology is high enough at 44.86 percent.

“Women and technology are a powerful combination to create change in the world, through access to education, information, and potential development,” Ariyanti remarked.

Source: Antara News

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has outlined three main conditions that must be met to bolster the empowerment of Indonesian women.

The three conditions are the equalization of digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and entrepreneurial skills training for women in remote regions of the country, he said.

He made the statement while opening the G20 Women’s Empowerment Kick-Off Meeting, according to a press release issued by the Ministry of Communication and Informatics here on Wednesday.

The equalization of digital infrastructure is required because it can support women in many productive activities, Jokowi said. One way is to make it easier for women in the digital industry to access financial services, he added.

According to the President, the development of the digital economy may turn out to be more massive, entering every aspect of people’s lives in the future. Hence, he said, the government must accelerate the growth of the digital economy.

“Digital infrastructure correlation is one of the conditions that can ease women’s access to financial services in the digital economy,” he explained.

Second, by encouraging Indonesian women to master digital literacy, each of them can use and benefit from digital technology by being productive, President Jokowi said.

Third, Indonesia should improve and increase women’s training and development so that Indonesian women can upgrade their qualities and skills, such as entrepreneurial abilities, he added.

He said the three conditions are important because they will have an impact on the progress of women in Indonesia in their efforts to become more independent. Thus, Indonesia can have a positive influence on women’s empowerment in the Asian continent in the future, he added.

“(This could be realized by) Adding more entrepreneurship training and workshops for women in Asia for the advancement of their protection and empowerment,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News