January 19, 2022 – Page 3 – Indonesia News Gazette

January 19, 2022

Finance Minister warns of commodity price pressure on foodstuff prices

Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has warned of global commodity price pressure on domestic foodstuff prices although national inflation is still relatively low.

“We have begun to see several global commodity price pressures on the country such as (the impact of) the crude palm oil (CPO) (price hike) on cooking oil (price) in Indonesia,” she said during a working meeting with Commission XI of the House of Representatives (DPR) in Jakarta on Wednesday.

She also warned of global supply disruptions and stagflation and said they would also need to be monitored for any potential impact on commodity prices in Indonesia. This is one of the global economic risks today, she remarked.

Given the relatively controlled inflation rate, the government is focusing on accelerating economic recovery to make the domestic economy stronger and be able to withstand price pressures that may be felt this year, Indrawati said.

“This is the strategy that we will take into account,” she added.

She said global developments must be one area where the nation must stay alert to ensure sustainable development.

In addition to global supply disruptions and potential stagflation, there are at least three other crucial factors that will influence the global economy in 2022 and 2023, according to Indrawati.

The issues are the reduction of asset purchase tapering by the US Federal Reserve, the European central bank, and policy changes in China, she said.

Therefore, to maintain economic recovery, the nation must exercise caution because it will need to take into account global and domestic conditions, she added.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

New capital construction must not strain state budget: deputy speaker

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR RI) Muhaimin Iskandar has urged the government to devise financing plans for the construction of the new national capital to avoid straining the state budget.

“The government must be consistent in its stand on not placing a great burden on the state budget for the new national capital construction,” Iskandar said, in response to the government’s plan to utilize the state budget and a portion of the National Economic Recovery fund for the new capital’s construction, in Jakarta on Wednesday.

The deputy speaker urged the government to calculate the total funds needed for the new capital’s construction with prudence and to devise short- and long-term funding strategies for the process.

He also suggested that the government prioritize domestic and foreign investment schemes for securing funding and refrain from committing to a long-term loan to prevent any debt burden in the future.

“I also urge the government to prioritize the national budget for priority programs instead, including for the 2022 National Economic Recovery purposes,” Iskandar said.

He also reiterated the parliament’s commitment to monitor the government’s utilization of the state budget and financial plans for the new national capital’s construction.

Earlier, National Development Planning Minister and National Development Planning Agency head, Suharso Monoarfa, had proposed that the funding for the new capital’s construction be sourced from the state budget through a long-term tenor payment scheme.

The rationale for the proposal is that procuring the funds from the state budget will reduce the threat of stalling of the new capital’s construction that will take years to complete, he said.

“To ensure the construction progress is not stalled mid-way, we must devise a financing scheme plan. That is why besides appropriating the state budget, we will also open another financing scheme,” Monoarfa explained.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

No PEN funds for capital if law does not allow: minister

The National Economic Recovery (PEN) funds will not be utilized for the development of Indonesia’s new capital (IKN) if their use is deemed to violate Law Number 2 of 2020, the Finance Minister has said.

The law is the basis for the distribution of the funds, Sri Mulyani Indrawati noted.

“If we are going to reallocate, such as (through) refocusing, there must be a reason and a basis,” she said during a working meeting with Commission XI of the House of Representatives, accessed online from Jakarta on Wednesday.

With regard to the development of the new capital, the government could also use the budget allocated to ministries and institutions, for example, the budget for the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (KemenPUPR), which is pegged at Rp110 trillion for 2022, she advised.

The minister said she could use the national economic recovery (PEN) budget of Rp178.3 trillion for the economic strengthening cluster, which, in 2020, was also used for food security programs.

A part of the PEN funds for the economic strengthening cluster could be used to build essential infrastructure in Indonesia’s new capital when the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing is ready to carry out the works, she suggested.

“We will see the readiness of the ministries and institutions. We will also see the execution capacity of the ministries and institutions,” the minister assured.

The government earlier estimated that the total budget requirement for Indonesia’s new capital would reach Rp466 trillion.

Of the total funds, Rp89.4 trillion will be sourced from the state budget, Rp253.4 trillion from government business entity cooperation (KPBU), and Rp123.2 trillion from the private sector, officials said.

At least 180 thousand central government employees will be relocated to Indonesia’s new capital spanning the districts of Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kartanegara in East Kalimantan, an official informed earlier.

“The central government is 100-percent ready for the new capital city,” acting regional secretary of Penajam Paser Utara district, Muliadi, said in Penajam on Wednesday.

According to data provided by the central government, there is a plan for relocating 180 thousand central government employees, he added.

The transferred employees are expected to gain an understanding of each task and function and get acquainted with living in East Kalimantan, he said.

Officials and newcomers who are about to move to East Kalimantan should be able to mingle with the local community to ensure there are no social conflicts, he added.

Central government employees will also need to gain an understanding of the local context and outlook that prevails in Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kartenegara districts, he said.

“It is the same for local people, that this region has become Indonesia’s capital territory,” he remarked.

An understanding between newcomers and local people needs to be arrived at through special means, such as by involving the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP), to instill the context of national insight, as the problem is complex, he said.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

Sports paramount for children’s character development: ministry

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology has highlighted the importance of exercising for children’s character development.

“Doing sports is one of the ways to improve the relationship between parents and children. Sports also help build noble personalities in children,” Director of Elementary School Development at the ministry Sri Wahyuningsih remarked here on Wednesday

Sports can teach children to synergize and respect one another as well as develop a playful mentality, she said.

Therefore, parents need to ensure their children are physically active through sports, she added.

“Early-age occurrences of good imagination skills, active movements, and creativity will gradually become habits and (build) a child’s character,” she explained.

One example of the supports that parents can provide to their children to make them energetic and creative is by inviting them to join competitive activities that can boost their creative skills, she pointed out.

Such competitions can be in schools, communities, and even the industry, she added.

According to Wahyuningsih, in an era of technological advancements, parents must let children join competitions that are aimed to strengthen their mental faculties so that in the future, children have a strong mindset.

Furthermore, the COVID-19 pandemic, which has almost lasted two years, has necessitated remote learning, which has made it less likely for children to move around, she explained.

“Distance education (PJJ) has impacts on children, such as falling behind on learning targets and (having) fewer body movements, (where most of the time they need to) sit,” Wahyuningsih said.

Therefore, she stressed, parents should encourage their children to be active physically since less physical movement can negatively influence their health.

Parents must also teach children to comply with the health protocols, and live a hygienic and healthy lifestyle, she said. They must also bring their children for vaccinations to boost their immunity, she added.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

Bogor: Task Force pushes vaccinations for 6–11 year olds

The COVID-19 Task Force has informed that it has expedited vaccinations for children aged 6–11 to prepare for the re-implementation of face-to-face learning in Bogor District, West Java.

“If children have been vaccinated, they are protected. Prior to face-to-face learning, parents are more at peace in letting their children go to school because they are protected from COVID-19,” Bogor District Head Ade Yasin said while observing children’s vaccinations in Bogor on Wednesday.

Currently, out of the 553,605 children in the 6–11 age group targeted for vaccinations in Bogor District, 37.8 percent or 209,257 children have been given the first dose and 0.13 percent or 703 children have been administered the second dose, she informed.

The vaccination effort involved data collection at schools, from kindergarten to elementary levels, and preparing human resources and logistics for the provision of the vaccines, Yasin said.

“I urge parents to actively participate in encouraging their children to immediately get vaccinated, at school or at public health facilities, so that children can get involved in face-to-face learning, and remain protected during this pandemic,” she added.

Meanwhile, the head of daily affairs at the Bogor COVID-19 Task Force, Burhanudin, revealed that the task force is aiming to vaccinate 1,700 children per day in order to meet the vaccination target by early February 2022.

The National Defense Force and Police Force in Bogor have been asked to assist in the acceleration of the vaccination program for children, he added.

He said he was also working with the Depok Police Force and District Military Command so that data collection could be focused at the Bogor COVID-19 Task Force.

The decision was taken because there are two sub-districts in Bogor District, which are under the jurisdiction of the Depok Police Force and District Military Command: Bojonggede and Tajurhalang Sub-districts, he informed.

“The same goes for schoolchildren from Bogor district who study in Bogor city, or other areas, especially those on the border, such as Depok, Bogor city, Tangerang, Sukabumi, to Cianjur,” he stated.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

Follow health protocols amid increase in public mobility: spokesperson

Government spokesperson for COVID-19 handling Reisa Broto Asmoro has asked people to comply with the health protocols amid an increase in mobility post the Christmas and New Year holidays.

“In January, we are experiencing an increase in public mobility because business and economic activities have started running again after the Christmas and New Year holidays,” she informed in a press statement streamed on the Presidential Secretariat’s YouTube channel on Wednesday.

In addition, the increase in public mobility can be gauged from the arrival of people following travel abroad and the implementation of face-to-face learning at schools, she said.

In the period from December 24, 2021, to January 2, 2022, the Ministry of Transportation recorded a 13.91-percent increase in public transport passengers compared to the same period the previous year, Asmoro noted.

“This is crucial as a reminder that we need to always comply with the health protocols on public transport, in public places, and implement the health protocols when we arrive home to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission,” she said.

She also reminded citizens who have traveled abroad to obey the quarantine policy to prevent virus transmission.

The spokesperson revealed that throughout 2021, the number of arrivals of Indonesian citizens who traveled abroad reached 514,251.

“Like what President Joko Widodo has conveyed on January 18, 2022, if people do not have urgent needs, they are advised to reduce activities at crowded places,” she said.

The President has also advised people to work from home if they can, she added.

Asmoro noted that the cooperation of all parties is key to the effective handling of COVID-19 because the community plays a vital role in prevention efforts to support the steps taken by the government.

“One of the examples is to register for vaccinations immediately, whatever the vaccine is. All vaccines have been proven to provide effective protection against all variants (of COVID-19),” she remarked.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

Jakarta prioritized for administration of booster vaccination

Deputy Governor Ahmad Riza Patria said Jakarta has currently become one of the priority provinces to administer the third dose of vaccination, or booster shot, on account of the high COVID-19 transmission rate.

At the Jakarta City Hall on Wednesday, Patria noted that ever since it was implemented on January 12, 2022, a total of 164 thousand residents of Jakarta had received their third dose of vaccination.

He urged Jakartans, especially the elderly, that had received the primary vaccination dose to vaccinate themselves for the third time.

This booster vaccine is especially important for the elderly and adults, he affirmed.

When it comes to the vaccination demand, the central government guarantees the availability of vaccine for the third dose of vaccination for Jakarta’s residents.

“What is certain is that the central government, through its Ministry of Health, ensures that the vaccine dose for the booster shot is being readied,” he stated.

Earlier, Jakarta Health Office Head Widyastuti had recorded that the third dose vaccination coverage target for residents aged 18 years and above in the capital city had reached around eight million people.

“The booster vaccination is for people aged 18 years and above, with the elderly and residents with comorbidities being prioritized,” she noted at the Jakarta City Hall on Wednesday, January 12.

Currently, vaccine distribution for the booster shot in Jakarta is being conducted gradually to achieve the target of eight million people.

Health facilities, including those managed by the military and police, also collaborate to support vaccination in addition to the Public Health Centers (Puskesmas).

Puskesmas at the sub-district level have conducted the third dose vaccination with limited quota and operational hours that differ from the other Puskesmas.

Source: Antara News

January 19, 2022

Full offline learning mode to be suspended if COVID-19 clusters found

Face-to-face learning will be temporarily suspended if clusters of COVID-19 transmission were identified, the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry stated.

“Based on the decrees of four ministers, the limited face-to-face learning method is temporarily suspended (for) at least 14 times in 24 hours if there is a cluster of COVID-19 transmission in the education unit and the positivity rate is above five percent and members of the education unit included in the notification of black cases reach above five percent,” Secretary General of the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, Suharti, noted here on Wednesday.

If after the surveillance is conducted, the results are not a limited face-to-face learning cluster or the positivity rate is below five percent, then limited face-to-face learning is only ceased in the study group with confirmed cases of COVID-19.

Furthermore, if the behavioral surveillance rate in the education unit is below 80 percent, then a reassessment of the readiness and the health protocol adherence would be conducted.

The face-to-face learning method in the education unit in question can be suspended until it is deemed ready to follow the health protocols, she said.

“Health protocols must be maintained, as they are part of the efforts to protect oneself from COVID-19 infection,” she remarked.

In the latest four ministers’ decrees, vaccination was a requirement in the face-to-face learning, she remarked. Teachers and education staff that had yet to be vaccinated could teach through remote means.

Those refusing to get vaccinated despite having met the requirement for the vaccine would be subject to sanctions as stipulated in Presidential Regulation No. 14 of 2021, which came in the form of delaying or terminating social security or social assistance, delaying or discontinuing government administrative services, and also fines.

Parents or guardians of students are urged to encourage their children, who have met the requirements to be vaccinated immediately, though it is not a requisite for limited face-to-face learning.

Suharti noted that 68 percent of the educational units were able to conduct 100-percent limited face-to-face learning, with a maximum duration of learning in classes capped at six hours, and only one percent of the education units being allowed.

The remaining 31 percent of education units conduct limited face-to-face learning, capped at 50 percent of the capacity, with a maximum duration of four hours of learning in class, she added.

Source: Antara News