Day: April 11, 2022

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Ministry urges industries to not use subsidized diesel fuel

The Industry Ministry has urged industry players to not use subsidized fuel, such as biodiesel, for production processes, power generation, or transportation, to ensure the effective allocation of the supply of subsidized fuel.

“We have (issued directives to) each directorate within the Industry Ministry to appeal to all of their sectors to not use subsidized fuel. If industrial companies still use subsidized fuel, there will be strict sanctions,” Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita said in a statement received here on Monday.

According to the National Industrial Information System (SIINas) data, the demand for diesel in the industrial sector for production processes and power generation has continued to increase. In 2021, the demand for diesel fuel for production was 8.4 billion liters, an increase from 214.9 million liters in 2019.

Kartasasmita said he believed that the industrial sectors under the ministry’s authority would comply with the applicable regulations regarding the use of diesel fuel, specifically Presidential Regulation Number 117 of 2021 about the Third Amendment to Presidential Regulation Number 191 of 2014 in regard to the Supply, Distribution and Retail Selling Price of Oil Fuel.

The Presidential Regulation states that diesel is a type of fuel subsidized by the government, with the Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Agency stipulating its supply and distribution, including limits on the distribution volume.

According to Presidential Regulation Number 66 of 2018, certain types of diesel fuel are subject to mandatory rules for mixing with FAME Biodiesel, with a composition of 30 percent (B30), and the difference in the price will be taken care of by the Palm Oil Agency.

“So, the industry must use diesel fuel specifically for industry, whose distribution scheme is different from certain types of subsidized diesel fuel. There are differences in the specifications of industrial fuel (Industrial Diesel Oil/IDO) with diesel fuel or subsidized B30 (Automotive Diesel Oil/ADO) which, if forced to use, will damage industrial machines,” the minister informed.

The National Police and investigators from State Civil Servants will supervise the use of certain types of subsidized fuel that have been subsidized.

An Anti-Illegal Export of Diesel Fuel Task Force has been formed under the Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, which has set uniform border security measures to prevent the misuse of diesel fuel for activities that violate the law. The task force was created to address issues of illegal exports of diesel fuel.

The special task force comprises relevant ministries such as the Industry Ministry, represented by the Inspectorate General, Indonesian Police, Navy, National Defense Force Headquarters, and the Maritime Security Agency.

Source: Antara News

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Indonesia needs huge demand for certified teachers: Education Ministry

The demand for certified teachers is very large, director general of teachers and education workers at the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology, Iwan Syahril, highlighted at an online media briefing on Monday.

“However, this demand is not met with the number of teachers who became the participants of Teacher Education (PPG),” he added.

In 2022, the number of teachers who retired reached 70 thousand. However, the number of teachers and teacher candidates who participate in the PPG program stood at only 30 thousand, he noted.

This is despite the fact that a teacher’s prosperity and management are secured by participating in the PPG program, he said.

“This PPG aims to improve teachers’ prosperity,” he added.

University graduates who participate in the PPG program have no cause for concern because the government has continued to increase the number of open spots for teachers.

In 2021, the government announced 506 thousand open spots for contract-based government employees (PPPK) in teaching. However, 117 thousand spots were not filled.

According to ministry official Lukman, currently, there are more than 1.2 million teachers who do not have an educators’ certificate.

“In addition to many teachers who do not have educators’ certificates, there are also many from the Education Workers Educator Institution (LPTK) who are not capable to serve the need for teacher certification each year,” he added.

These people, as the organizers of PPG, need to improve their skills in designing innovative learning, he said.

In addition, Syahril lauded teachers who have passed the recruitment phase and regional governments that have already finished the PPPK Main Number.

He said he expects PPPK teachers to improve their spirit in providing guidance to students in order to create a bright future generation.

Source: Antara News

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Girls need reproductive health education to prevent sexual violence

Girls need to be edified about reproductive health from an early age so that they can protect themselves from the risk of sexual violence, Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection, Bintang Puspayoga, has said.

“The presence of the ‘Sejuta Putri Brilian’ program is very important because it discusses issues for girls such as reproductive health, including self-care and menstrual health, prevention of child marriage, and family life,” Puspayoga noted in a press release on the launch of the program by Womenpreneur Indonesia Networks (WIN) at the Muhammadiyah Baby Orphanage on Monday.

She also said that building an entrepreneurial mindset is important and strategic for the future of Indonesian girls. Knowledge of reproductive health needs to be socialized from an early age, especially since gender inequality has created barriers for girls in terms of access to this knowledge.

Not only that, reproductive health knowledge has a bearing on women’s health when they become mothers in future. The health of children who are conceived and born later is also affected by their mothers’ knowledge of reproductive health.

It is also important to provide married life education since creating a strong nation requires building equal, strong, and prosperous family units.

Puspayoga also asked the caretakers at the orphanage to uphold children’s rights, both in terms of education, participation, and protection from all violence, exploitation, and other forms of mistreatment.

“I hope that the launch of this program can become a good practice for cross-sectoral synergies in an effort to achieve gender equality and empower women and can inspire other stakeholders to work together,” she added.

Source: Antara News

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Indonesians Protest Rumors of 2024 Election Postponement

Rumors that Indonesia might postpone the scheduled 2024 presidential elections caused thousands of students around the country to march in protest on Monday.

The students say postponing the vote would allow President Joko Widodo, or Jokowi as he goes by, to remain in office beyond a two-term limit. Widodo has denied the rumors.

“This needs to be explained so that there are no rumors circulating among people that the government is trying to postpone the election, or speculation about the extension of the president’s tenure or a related third term,” Widodo said at a Cabinet meeting on election preparations.

In front of the parliament building in Jakarta, police used tear gas and water cannons to try to end the protests. Most left after some politicians met with them and vowed to protect the constitution.

However, some politicians reportedly support an extension for Widodo, saying he needs more time to fix the country’s economy, which has been hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic.

“We demand that the lawmakers do not betray the country’s constitution by amending it,” Kaharuddin, a protest coordinator, said. “We want them to listen to people’s aspirations.”

Another protester, Muhammad Lutfi, blamed the country’s elites for trying to delay the elections.

A two-term limit for the president was established in 1999 as the first amendment to the country’s constitution. That came one year after pro-democracy protests caused dictator Suharto to step down after leading the country for decades.

Source: Voice of America

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Indonesian Security Forces Clash With Separatist Group In Papua Province

The ongoing conflict between the Indonesian joint security forces and an armed separatist group has been heating up in the country’s easternmost province of Papua, causing casualties.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, at least 16 houses in Kimak village, Puncak district, were set on fire by the Papuan separatist rebels. When security personnel came to put out the blaze, they were ambushed by the militants, which led to a two-hour gunfight.

The Papua police believed the separatists set the houses ablaze in revenge for the death of their young fighter, Ali Kogoya, a 35-year-old man, who was shot dead by the joint security forces last Sunday.

“The rebel group always makes a counter-attack when some of its fighters are arrested or have been shot by officers,” Papua Police Chief, Mathius Fakhiri told local media.

“We have reminded our personnel to be on alert. I’ve asked them not to be easily provoked because there would be a retaliation,” he added.

It is not the first time this year that the Papuan separatist group launched attacks.

According to data from the Presidential Staff Office, during the first three months of 2022, there have been at least seven brutal criminal attacks committed by the group, claiming 13 lives – including military personnel and civilians – and injuring five people.

Security forces were also hunting for armed criminals, after an army soldier and his wife, who worked as a midwife, were killed in an assault at a house in Yalimo district, late last month.

The attackers fatally shot the soldier and killed his wife by slashing her neck, and injured their two children. They immediately fled to the jungle after carrying out the attack.

The West Papua National Liberation Army (TPNPB), the armed wing of the Free Papua Movement (OPM), claimed responsibility for the attack, saying, it was part of their struggle for independence from Indonesia, which they accused of conducting a genocidal campaign against indigenous communities in Papua.

Papua is a former Dutch colony situated in the western part of New Guinea island. Despite its rich natural resources, it is one of the poorest regions in Indonesia. Papua has been home to separatist insurgencies since decades ago.

Indonesian President, Joko Widodo, visited Papua and its neighbouring province, West Papua several times during his term, and conducted dialogues in an effort to build trust with native Papuans.

To reduce economic inequality in the two provinces, the government persistently built a number of infrastructures, including roads and healthcare facilities, although some of them were damaged by the Papuan separatists.–

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

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