Month: December 2021

The Traffic Directorate of the Jakarta Metropolitan Police disclosed on Wednesday that at least 1,200 traffic officers would be deployed to prevent crowds at several locations in the capital city on New Year’s Eve.

“The directorate has readied around 1,200 personnel to monitor key locations in the city,” the directorate’s Law Enforcement Sub-directorate head, Adjunct Senior Commissioner Argo Wiyono, informed on Wednesday.

The officers will be deployed at ten locations that have the potential to attract crowds on New Year’s Eve, he said.

The ten locations are the East Flood Canal in East Jakarta; Kemayoran, Sudirman-Thamrin road, Asia-Africa road, the National Monument in Central Jakarta; Kemang, Bulungan and Barito, Senopati-Gunawarman, and SCBD in South Jakarta; Jakarta Old Town in West Jakarta; and Kelapa Gading in North Jakarta, Wiyono disclosed.

A “crowd-free night” will be enforced from 10 p.m. local time (UTC +7) on December 31, 2021, until 4 a.m. on January 1, 2022, the sub-directorate head said.

All business establishments, such as cafés, restaurants, bars, malls, and department stores, within the crowd-free night locations have been instructed to close at 10 p.m., he added.

“All business establishments must close by 10 p.m., but we will provide a one-hour buffer period until 11 p.m. After 11 p.m., the officers will conduct a sweeping to examine the ten locations,” Wiyono stated.

No public activities will be allowed in the ten crowd-free night zones after 11 p.m., and the police will enforce a traffic diversion to ensure the zones remain empty until the conclusion of the crowd-free night, he added.

Earlier, the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, the Jakarta Regional Military Command, and the Jakarta provincial authority had deployed 8 thousand joint officers to monitor public activities and security during the Christmas and New Year period.

The decision to enforce the crowd-free night during New Year’s Eve is meant to prevent public locations from turning into COVID-19 infection hotspots, particularly as the Omicron variant has been recently detected in Indonesia, Wiyono said.

Source: Antara News

Head of the National Narcotics Agency (BNN) Petrus Reinhard Golose has revealed that his agency seized 115.1 tons of marijuana, 3.3 tons of crystal methamphetamine, 191,575 ecstasy pills, and 50.5 hectares of marijuana plantations in 2021.

The confiscated items were evidence against the 85 drug syndicate networks, both national and international, uncovered by BNN in 2021, he said at a press conference here on Wednesday.

“The most exposed international drug syndicate networks come from the Golden Triangle and the Golden Crescent,” Golose informed.

BNN successfully uncovered 760 drug crimes and arrested 1,109 suspects from the networks, he said. BNN also succeeded in uncovering money laundering (ML) cases connected to the drug crimes, he added.

“From the uncovered 14 money laundering cases and 16 suspects, BNN has confiscated ML evidence in the form of assets and Rp108.3 billion cash,” he informed.

Those actions taken by BNN were part of the implementation of the hard-power approach or an approach that focuses on eradication measures, he explained.

To maximize that strategy, the agency also conducted joint operations with several state institutions for eradicating drug abuse, he said.

“This is a form of synergy for eradicating drug abuse with all ministries and agencies, as well as related institutions, which has been done 199 times,” Golose added.

At the press conference, BNN also displayed 163.8 kg of crystal methamphetamine seized during BNN’s monitoring and operations. The drugs were seized from the Golden Triangle drug syndicate network and the Madura-Jakarta national network, Golose said.

“This is not a Christmas gift, but the result of the operations conducted at the end of the year, which also involved all relevant ministries and agencies,” the BNN head remarked.

Source: Antara News

Pertamina received 23 gold awards in the Corporate Performance Rating Program in Environmental Management (PROPER) 2021 organized by the Environment and Forestry Ministry for successfully implementing Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) for business sustainability.

The number of awards garnered had increased sharply as compared to 16 Gold PROPER in 2020.

According to the Ministry of Environment and Forestry’s website, PROPER is an environmental program to promote and enforce environmental regulation, compliance with pollution control standards, and encourage pollution reduction.

The gold award is bestowed on a company that demonstrates environmental excellence consistently in production and services, conducts business ethically, and is responsible to the community.

PROPER Gold 2021 was bagged by the Pertamina Group across business sectors starting from upstream to processing (midstream), and downstream.

The nine recipients of the 2021 Gold PROPER in the upstream sector comprised PT Pertamina EP Asset 3 Subang Field, PT Pertamina EP Asset 5 Sangasanga Field, PT Pertamina EP Asset 5 Tarakan Field, JOB Pertamina – Medco Energi Tomori Sulawesi, PT Pertamina Geothermal Energy Kamojang Area, PT Pertamina Hulu Energi Jambi Merang, PT Pertamina Hulu East Kalimantan, and PT Pertamina Hulu Mahakam BSP Field and South Processing Unit.

The two recipients of the 2021 Gold PROPER in the processing sector were PT Pertamina (Persero) RU II Sei Pakning Refinery and PT Pertamina (Persero) RU VII Kasim Sorong Refinery.

The 12 recipients of the 2021 Gold PROPER in the downstream sector comprised Fuel Terminal Cikampek, Fuel Terminal Bandung Group, Fuel Terminal Boyolali, Fuel Terminal Maros, Fuel Terminal Rewulu, Fuel Terminal Tuban, Integrated Terminal Semarang, Integrated Terminal Semarang Surabaya, Ngurah Rai Bali Aircraft Filling Depot (DPPU), Sepinggan Balikpapan Aircraft Filling Depot (DPPU), and Hasanuddin Makassar Aircraft Filling Depot (DPPU) and PT Badak LNG.

The award handover ceremony was attended and witnessed by Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia Ma’ruf Amin and Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar.

The award was received directly by President Director of Pertamina Nicke Widyawati at the Proper Environmental Award event that took place in Jakarta on Monday (Dec 27).

During the ceremony, Amin stated that PROPER had developed into a platform for the business world to conduct sustainable business practices by applying the principles of the green economy.

Amin also pinned high hopes on the business community playing an active role in tackling climate change and encouraging sustainable environmental management. As a result, industry players participate in handling and mitigating the impacts of disasters.

“Indonesia’s 2030 target is to reduce the adverse impacts of climate change, as Indonesia is highly committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and remains committed to achieving net-zero emissions by 2060,” he affirmed.

On the same occasion, Widyawati explained that Pertamina positively welcomed the Proper activities organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry. Through PROPER, assessing a company’s environmental management performance become more measurable, objective, and accountable.

According to Widyawati, PROPER aligns with Pertamina’s commitment to implementing Environmental, Social & Governance (ESG) in an integrated manner from upstream to downstream to support a sustainable business. The increase in Pertamina’s Gold PROPER achievement in 2021 demonstrates its seriousness in implementing ESG across all business lines.

Pertamina has succeeded in increasing the ESG Risk Rating by 28.1 and is considered to be at Medium risk. With this standing, Pertamina occupies the 15th position out of the 252 companies in the Oil & Gas industry and the eighth position in the integrated Oil & Gas sub-industry. Pertamina is in the same cluster (Medium Risk) as global companies comprising Repsol, ENI, PTT Thailand, and TotalEnergies. This position was recorded better than BP, Exxon, and Chevron.

“Pertamina will continue to consistently implement the ESG aspect in the company’s business strategy by continuing to pay attention to PROPER’s performance that is following the rules set by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry,” Widyawati affirmed.

In implementing ESG, she noted that Pertamina has set 10 sustainability focuses that will guide the implementation of ESG in future and had formed a Sustainability Committee to ensure that the ESG aspects are implemented properly. Pertamina has also launched policies related to ESG, such as the Sustainability Policy, Human Rights Policy, and Respective Workplace Policy.

Pertamina’s compliance level and the operating unit on social and environmental issues were observed based on their participation during the last four years. In 2017, Pertamina won 11 out of the 19 Gold PROPER. Thereafter, in 2018, Pertamina bagged 14 out of the 20 Gold PROPER. Meanwhile, in 2019, it received 13 out of the 26 Gold PROPER. In 2020, Pertamina won 16 out of the 32 Gold PROPER.

“The increase in the number of Gold PROPER won by Pertamina shows its superior performance as a world-class energy company that always prioritizes environmentally friendly business operations. Congratulations to colleagues from the unit that received the gold PROPER award. This is a motivation for others, with a sustainable program that is much better and in line with Pertamina’s commitment in Indonesia. I am very proud to be a big family of Pertamina,” Widyawati affirmed.

Source: Antara News

The Yogyakarta Crafts and Batik Agency, under the Industry Ministry’s Industrial Service Standardization and Policy Agency, and the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago, US, recently organized a batik design competition to introduce batik to US citizens.

“We expected the batik pattern design competition to introduce Indonesian batik to the general public in the United States and present feedback to us about the batik patterns preferred in the US,” Yogyakarta Crafts and Batik Agency head Hendra Yetty said in Yogyakarta on Wednesday.

Submissions for the batik pattern design competition themed “Best of Both Worlds: How Batik Bridges the Two Nations” were opened in October 2021. The organizers targeted Indonesians in Indonesia, the Indonesian diaspora, and US nationals to join the competition, the agency head informed.

Out of the 250 submissions, the organizers selected the top 12 designs for the final selection stage, and the three winners will be announced on Wednesday (December 29, 2021), she said.

“Besides introducing Indonesian batik, the competition has also been organized to probe Indonesian batik’s market potential in the US; hence, batik industry actors can understand preferred batik designs in the states (US) and satisfy their batik demand,” Yetty said.

The batik industry makes a major contribution to the national economy and provides job opportunities for thousands of people, she highlighted.

The industry, which is dominated by small and medium-scale enterprises (SMEs), employs 200 thousand people in 47 business units scattered across 101 regional batik centers nationwide, she informed.

“The batik industry has been prioritized for further development as the industry has provided a great leverage for national economic growth,” the agency head said.

Besides contributing to the national economy, the national batik industry has become a global market leader and Indonesia’s batik products are renowned in several countries, she added.

“Batik is the identity of Indonesians as this craft has been recognized as UNESCO’s Masterpiece of Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. Furthermore, as batik is part of our creative industry, the art continues to be developed by the society,” Yetty remarked.

Source: Antara News

The manufacturing industry has become the main driving sector for Indonesia to recover from economic recession, Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita stated.

“The important role can be seen from the manufacturing industry’s performance in several indicators, including investment, exports, imports, tax contributions, contributions to GDP, growth rates, purchasing managers index (PMI), and employment,” he noted during his year-end press conference here on Wednesday.

The minister highlighted that the realization of investment in the manufacturing sector during the January-September 2021 period was recorded at Rp236.79 trillion, up 17.3 percent, as compared to investment during the corresponding period in 2020 of Rp201.87 trillion.

The base metal industry clocked the largest investment value followed by the food and beverage sector.

The realization of investment in 2021 is expected to exceed investment in 2020 recorded at Rp270 trillion.

Exports of the manufacturing industry continued to increase despite the COVID-19 pandemic. During the January-November 2021, it recorded exports valued at US$160 billion, or 76.51 percent of the total exports.

“The figure has exceeded the manufacturing exports achievement in 2020 of US$131 billion and is even higher than the exports in 2019 when the COVID-19 pandemic had not yet spread,” he stated.

In comparison with the January-November 2020 period, exports during the same period of 2021 had increased by 35.36 percent, maintaining the trade surplus recorded since May 2020.

“The achievements of the manufacturing industry sector, in terms of investment and exports, have supported the industry’s contribution to state revenues as well as the national GDP that continues to increase,” Kartasasmita noted.

Taxes from the manufacturing sector during the year contributed 29 percent on an average to the national tax revenue, while excise revenue from the industry contributed 95 percent of the total excise revenue.

“As for the contribution to GDP, the manufacturing industry in the third quarter of 2021 has contributed 17.33 percent (to the GDP), the highest figure among other economic sectors,” he pointed out.

Source: Antara News

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has highlighted the need for continuous innovation to support the halal industry in Indonesia.

“I think there needs to be a combination between halal assurance and innovation. We don’t just need halal assurance or innovation alone. We need both,” he said during a working visit to PT Paragon Technology and Innovation at the Jatake Industrial Estate, here on Wednesday.

Amin made the visit to review the implementation of halal practices at PT Paragon, which manufactures halal cosmetics under the Wardah, Make Over, Emina, Kahf, Putri, and LABORE brands. Besides producing popular cosmetic products, the company also won an award at the 2021 Indonesia Halal Industry Award (IHYA).

“I see (this company as a very large company) and I think they are not just a research-based company, but market-based as well,” the Vice President remarked.

He said he had witnessed the company’s journey from 1999, when it was still a cottage industry.

“After 22 years, they have become a big company and I think this (success) is due to halal assurance and innovation,” he added.

Amin also underlined the need for innovation to expand the market for halal products, especially cosmetics.

“Currently, we are observing several countries with extreme hot and cold weather, which allows the products being marketed, including in developed countries. We hope that there will be products produced through research,” said the Vice President.

The government is currently working on opening up exports to non-traditional countries, he informed.

“Currently, there are 27 countries that are not export targets. Paragon needs to expand its market to non-traditional markets, not only to Malaysia, ASEAN, and the Middle East. We hope Indonesia will become the largest producer of halal products, thus enabling employment,” he said.

Earlier, President Joko Widodo had said he wanted Indonesia to become the center of the global halal industry by 2024, especially since the global market for halal products has great potential.

Based on the report of the State of Global Islamic Economy 2020–2021, the spending of global Muslim citizens on food products, fashion, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals, and recreation in the tourism sector, has reached more than US$2 trillion.

Based on data from the Trade Ministry, Indonesia’s exports of halal products have reached US$6 billion, making it 21st in terms of halal products exports globally.

Meanwhile, Indonesia’s exports of halal fashion products have reached US$4.1 billion. It now ranks in the top 13 in the global market in terms of halal fashion exports.

Source: Antara News

The government should create a policy strategy driven by the COVID-19 pandemic situation to bolster digitalization that is equitable for all strata of society, according to an economist.

“There is a need for a change in mindset and policy strategies in internet penetration that is followed with an economic ‘cake’ that is larger for all groups of society. Hence, the per capita income (PCI) increases, but the gap does not rise,” Indonesian Center of Reform on Economics (CORE) economist Hendri Saparini stated at the webinar on 2021 economic reflection here on Wednesday.

Saparini highlighted that in the finance sector, before the popularity of peer-to-peer lending financial technology (fintech) or online lending, the public had recognized Microfinance Institutions (MFI).

With the existence of online lending, the MFIs could disappear, as they could not compete with the higher cost of funds, according to Saparini.

“Hence, what needs to be prepared is how the government can present positive aspects and offer other benefits from digitalization,” he explained.

Saparini affirmed that the role of the authority regulating or managing MFIs and online lenders should be asserted, especially for those operating at the level of districts and cities.

Apart from fintech, the government must monitor the increase in the use of marketplace and e-commerce, he added.

Saparini deems it necessary since, nowadays, most people only use e-commerce services to sell products, but these items are mostly imported.

Hence, he called on the government to create a strategy, such as a more comprehensive policy, so that the increasing use of e-commerce can also boost recovery of the manufacturing industry structure.

According to Saparini, the fact that digitalization of the trade sector eases the benefits in various sectors of products, such as raw materials, should be viewed as opportunities through strategic policies.

Source: Antara News

Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini has informed that the realization of the distribution of social assistance under the national economic recovery program (PEN) has reached 97.98 percent as of Wednesday.

“We will continue to monitor the progress of the distribution. The achievement will certainly increase at the end of the year,” she stated at the National Meeting on Human Development and Culture here on Wednesday.

She further said that Rp99.3 trillion has been disbursed out of the budget ceiling of Rp101.4 trillion so far.

The realization of the Family Hope Program (PKH) targeting 10 million beneficiary families (KPM) has reached 98.66 percent, she informed. So far, Rp27 trillion out of the allocated Rp28 trillion has been distributed under the program, the minister said.

However, it must be noted that a budget of Rp378 million has been blocked from the PKH program, Rismaharini added.

In addition, Rp48.05 trillion out of the Rp48.69 trillion allocated for the regular non-cash food assistance (BPNT)/basic commodities card program has been disbursed to 18.8 million beneficiary families, she said.

Furthermore, the region-proposed BPNT/basic commodities card program with a target of 5.9 million beneficiary families has realized 95.14 percent of the allocated budget of Rp7.08 trillion – or equivalent to Rp6.7 trillion, she disclosed.

Meanwhile, Rp17,321 trillion out of the Rp17,322 trillion allocated for social cash assistance (BST) has been disbursed to 10 million beneficiary families, she said.

Meanwhile, 93.62 percent of basic necessities assistance has been provided to people living on less than $1.90 each day under the extreme poverty reduction program, she added.

The transfer of assistance to 79 beneficiary families is still being processed by state-owned banks, comprising BRI, BNI, BTN, and Mandiri (Himbara), the minister disclosed. In addition, 393 beneficiary families are in the process of opening collective accounts, she added.

Furthermore, assistance for 42,980 beneficiary families could not be processed by banks due to unmatched personal data, she informed. In addition, the applications of 35,452 beneficiary families for opening collective accounts have been rejected, she said.

“We still have to solve the obstacles,” Rismaharini added.

Source: Antara News