July 4, 2022 – Page 2 – Indonesia News Gazette

July 4, 2022

Apindo lauds good result of 2022 voluntary disclosure program

Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo) praised achievements of the voluntary disclosure program (PPS) ending June 30, 2022, with disclosed assets worth Rp594.82 trillion, and payment of tax obligations as represented by income tax (PPh), Rp61.01 trillion.

“This is a good result, since although tax amnesty was conducted in 2016, it is still able to collect voluntary disclosures of up to Rp594.82 trillion,” Apindo General Chairman Hariyadi Sukamdani stated at a press conference in Jakarta, Monday.

Hence, he expressed gratitude to the entrepreneurs, who actively participated in supporting the PPS this time.

He also congratulated the government, in particular, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani, who along with the entire team of the Ministry of Finance (Kemenkeu) had worked hard to complete the voluntary disclosure program.

With the implementation of PPS in 2022 and tax amnesty in 2016, Apindo is optimistic that the taxpayer data will be better, as disclosure of all assets had been conducted thoroughly.

Taxpayers are also expected to have more foundations to develop in terms of their business or profession.

“We hope to build mutual trust between taxpayers and the state,” he stated.

In addition, Sukamdani expressed optimism that good results from this year’s PPS will become a strong foundation for future development of the country, so that the fundamentals for increasing the tax ratio will also become better.

During the PPS, Apindo has become the main supporter through a series of simultaneous sessions to disseminate information since 2021.

Apindo also actively encourages sectoral association partners and all members to participate in PPS.

The Directorate General of Taxes had earlier sent 18 million emails inviting taxpayers to participate in its voluntary disclosure program, which ends this month, according to an agency official.

“This email is to remind (taxpayers). Hence, if they have participated or are not required to participate, then just ignore the email,” the directorate general’s director of counseling, service, and public relations, Neilmaldrin Noor, stated.

Earlier, in March 2022, the directorate general had sent at least 1.62 million emails with the same message, he added.

He said that the process of sending the emails commenced in May and is still ongoing.

Despite consistently reminding taxpayers to participate in the voluntary disclosure program, the directorate general has not set a revenue target, considering the program’s voluntary nature, the director stated.

“We could not set the target, and the estimates are not available yet,” Noor stated.

He then expressed optimism that taxpayers would utilize the opportunity provided by the program and not report overdue taxes close to the deadline, as the program will not be extended.

Meanwhile, director general of taxes, Suryo Utomo, stated that as of 11 p.m. local time (UTC +7) on June 5, 2022, income tax collected under the voluntary disclosure program has reached Rp12.56 trillion (US$866 million).

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

Ministry helps supply Jakarta’s food requirements ahead of Eid al-Adha

The Agriculture Ministry helped supply the food needs of the Jakarta Capital, with the items being sourced from several regions in Indonesia to anticipate the increase in food demand before Eid al-Adha 1443 Hijriah/2022 AD.

“Essentially, I, am open to the Jakarta Provincial Government and to other governors to being the supporting system for food needs in each region. We want to ensure that our supply is sufficient, and our (food) balance sheet is safe,” Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo explained here Monday.

Limpo delivered the statement at the launch of the ministry’s “Support in the Strategic Provision of Sacrificial Livestock and Food for the Jakarta Region” program.

The agriculture minister stated that the support was offered to maintain food availability in Jakarta.

In addition, Limpo said his side had conducted mapping of the food supply and demand in Indonesia.

According to the minister, for the Jakarta region, the ministry will help supply several staple foods, such as chili, shallots, and beef cattle, for meeting the needs of sacrificial animals.

Limpo has especially ensured large supply of chili and livestock from some central areas, such as Sumedang, Wonosobo, Temanggung, Kediri, and also Sulawesi.

Speaking in connection with the safety of livestock from foot-and-mouth disease (FMD), Limpo ensured that the vaccination continues, and cows exiting the regions with red zone status have undergone inspection, quarantine, and vitamin administration.

“Jakarta is a very large and determinative area in this country. I promise we will back up Mr. Governor. We (would be) the support system for the provincial government, as long as we have the ability and it is good for the country,” Limpo remarked.

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

G20 research collaboration vital for boosting pandemic handling: BRIN

Collaboration between G20 members is very important to handle the COVID-19 pandemic and bolster pandemic surveillance, head of the National Research and Innovation Agency’s (BRIN’s) Health Research Organization, Ni Luh P. Indi Dharmayanti, has said.

Sharing of research and development results among all institutions and countries will help ensure complete and connected global data, she told ANTARA here on Monday.

G20 is an international forum comprising 19 countries and the European Union that work together to handle major issues. Indonesia is holding the presidency of the grouping this year.

Access to integrated and comprehensive global data from research and development activities would support the realization of a stronger, more collaborative, and effective pandemic surveillance system in the future, she said.

Developed and developing countries, specifically fellow G20 members, could collaborate to maximize their existing capacity and resources to reach their collective goals and realize prosperity for the international community.

According to Dharmayanti, developed countries generally have strong infrastructure and human resources; however, the number of disease cases needed for research is limited.

Conversely, developing countries have many cases, but face limitations in terms of infrastructure and human resources.

To this end, collaboration could help countries support and strengthen one another, including in research and development for pandemic surveillance.

So far, such collaboration has been coordinated by the World Health Organization (WHO), but it still needs to be bolstered.

Earlier, Indonesia G2O Co-Sherpa Dian Triansyah Djani said that Indonesia, through its role as this year’s G20 president, is seeking to ensure exit strategies from the COVID-19 pandemic.

“While it is difficult, our finance and sherpa tracks are currently working on strategies to get out of this pandemic,” he said during the “Diversity and Inclusion in the G20—Opportunities for Policy Reform” event.

These strategies will encompass fair vaccine distribution and access, funding strategy, prevention initiative, preparedness, and future pandemic response, he informed during a panel discussion held in a hybrid format on June 18, 2022.

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

BA.4, BA.5 make up 81 percent of Indonesia’s COVID-19 cases: Minister

Some 81 percent of the COVID-19 cases in Indonesia were of the Omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin stated.

“I explain that 81 percent of all cases in Indonesia are of BA.4 and BA.5, so it is not only in Jakarta. Jakarta has 100 percent (cases of) BA.4 and BA.5,” Sadikin noted at the Jakarta Presidential Office, Monday.

Sadikin conveyed the statement at a press conference after attending a limited meeting with the agenda of evaluating the implementation of community activity restrictions (PPKM).

“We see that the (number of) cases is still under control. The message to the public is the same, i.e., the policy of wearing masks indoors. Someone who is sick should use mask. People should use masks in crowded places. (The administration of) booster vaccination should be accelerated. God willing, that is a sufficient response to welcome Eid al-Adha normally,” Sadikin stated.

The government had found one case of the BA.4 subvariant and three cases of the BA.5 subvariant on June 6, 2022.

According to the report, BA.4 and BA.5 had a likelihood of spreading faster than the Omicron BA.1 and BA.2 subvariants.

Meanwhile, judging from the severity of BA.4 and BA.5, there is no indication of causing more severe pain than the other Omicron variants.

Three countries — South Africa, Portugal, and Chile — that have recorded an increase in COVID-19 cases are associated with an increase in BA.4 and BA.5 cases.

Meanwhile, in Indonesia, with the surfacing of BA.4 and BA.5 cases in early June 2022, the peak spread of cases is estimated to occur in early July of 2022.

Based on data from the COVID-19 Task Force as of July 3, 2022, the total number of confirmed positive cases in Indonesia had increased by 1,614, thereby bringing the total number of cases to 6,093,917. Meanwhile, the number of active cases of COVID-19 in Indonesia reached 16,919.

The number of recoveries also increased by 1,606, thereby bringing the total to 5,920,249 cases, while the number of those succumbing to the disease increased by four to reach a total of 156,749 since the COVID-19 pandemic hit Indonesia in March 2020.

With regard to the vaccinations conducted, the government administered the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine in Indonesia, with a total of 201,565,306 doses, the second-dose vaccination reaching 169,117,557 doses, and the 3rd-dose vaccination having reached 50,916,428 doses.

This means that the administration of booster vaccination had only reached 24.5 percent of the total vaccination target.

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

Jokowi urges ministries to intensify promotion of health protocols

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) urged the Onward Indonesia Cabinet ministers and ministerial-level officials to ramp up the promotion of health protocols amid the surge in COVID-19 cases in Indonesia.

While presiding over a limited meeting on evaluation of Activities Restriction Enforcement (PPKM) at the Merdeka Palace here Monday, the president noted that intensifying health protocols will be crucial to prevent a spike in cases from spiralling out of control and disrupting the national economic recovery.

“We need to intensify the enforcement of health protocols. This will be important because we do not want COVID-19 handing disrupting our economy,” Jokowi stated at the start of the meeting, as observed from the Presidential Secretariat YouTube channel on Monday.

The head of state emphasized that the meeting must discuss efforts to control the surge in COVID-19 cases due to the BA.4 and BA.5 Omicron variants that are expected to peak in the second or third week of July.

“We will re-evaluate the PPKM measures. We know that we have 1,614 new (COVID-19) cases as per July 3 and expected to peak in the second or third week of this July,” Jokowi noted.

The president accentuated the need to bolster the distribution of COVID-19 booster vaccine, as the current vaccination rate stands at only 24.5 per cent.

He also specifically called on Indonesian Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo, Indonesian National Defence Forces (TNI) Commander General Andika Perkasa, the Health Ministry, and the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), whose officials were present at the meeting, to continue organising booster vaccination drives.

“(This is) particularly in cities with high levels of social interaction,” Jokowi stated.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin, Coordinating Minister of Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung were among the officials present at the limited meeting.

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

Ulum as West Java acting governor during Kamil’s Hajj visit

West Java Deputy Governor Uu Ruzhanul Ulum will lead the province as acting governor, while Governor Ridwan Kamil and his family are abroad to perform the Hajj pilgrimage.

“I am the acting governor, and yes, the governor has given his signature after walimatul safar (Hajj farewell). We have provided our signature to officiate the duty handover to the acting governor,” Ulum stated here on Monday.

Governor Ridwan Kamil will depart for Saudi Arabia on Monday to perform his Hajj ritual and serve as the Amir al-Hajj (Hajj leader) for some 17 thousand Indonesian pilgrims from West Java, he said.

The deputy governor said he would be acting governor for at least two weeks.

“Until he (Ridwan Kamil) returns. If I am not wrong, (it will be) for two weeks,” he stated.

Ulum then said that the governor told him to use the acting governorship to practice his skills.

“He said ‘(see this as a) practice, Mr Uu,’ and that’s it. That was on the forum. If we want to interpret what practice, it is a practice to become a leader (of the province),” he remarked.

Earlier, Kamil confirmed that he would serve as the Amir al-Hajj — as required by the Saudi authority — for Indonesian pilgrims from West Java.

“As the governor, I will also utilise this opportunity to visit pilgrims, as I am West Java’s Amir al-Hajj,” he stated.

The governor said that his Hajj will be performed at the Saudi government’s invitation instead of using the provincial budget allocated for his Hajj this year.

The provincial budget was redirected instead to a Hajj guide that never went to perform Hajj in Saudi Arabia, he added.

“I initially (planned to serve as) Amir al-Hajj by the provincial fund, but I surrender the fund and redirect it instead for a Hajj guide that never went for Hajj,” Kamil stated.

Kamil will depart for Saudi Arabia along with his spouse Atalia Praratya and daughter Camillia Laetitia Azzahra (Zara), also invited by the Saudi authority.

“Earlier, it was me only, but the Saudi authority kindly invited my wife and Zara. Hence, my family travel for the Hajj with the (Saudi) Kingdom’s budget,” the governor remarked.

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

Government encourages public participation through Law No. 13 of 2022

The government encourages and prioritizes public participation, including through Law No. 13 of 2022, Finance Deputy Minister Suahasil Nazara stated during an event to disseminate information on the law here, Monday.

Law No. 13 of 2022 is the second revision of Law No. 12 of 2011 on Law Regulation Formulation (PPP).

“Participation, which we believe if conducted in a more accurate manner and under good management, will be able to fix the system that we have. We believe that,” he remarked.

In the past, law regulation formulation tends to be conducted in a top-down pattern wherein it was based on the government’s will.

However, such system cannot continue to be implemented since a regulation must truly reflect the aspects that became the people’s concern, demand, and need.

To this end, the formulation of Law No. 13 of 2022 prioritizes public participation which, if done well, is deemed to be able to fix the law system.

“We have to believe that the essence of good governance involves public participation,” the deputy minister remarked.

Public participation within the law regulation formulation encompasses three elements: rights to be heard, rights to have an opinion to be considered, and rights to receive explanation over suggested opinion.

The three public participation-related elements had been included within Law 13 of 2022 that mandates policy makers to open a space for the public to participate, he stated.

In addition to public participation, Nazara said that relevant data, concept, and knowledge also played an important role in the law regulation formation process.

“This is a form of breakthrough that we must conduct, and this is underlined within Law 13 of 2022,” he stated.

Law 13 of 2022, which dictates law regulation formulation by utilizing the omnibus method, originated from the Constitutional Court’s (MK’s) finding in which the Job Creation Law was declared conditionally unconstitutional.

Source: Antara News

July 4, 2022

Govt must prepare strategies to contain rising inflation: observer

The government needs to start preparing strategies to check the increase in inflation until the end of the year, given the high inflation recorded in June 2022, an economic observer has said.

One of the exit strategies is to be aware of the movement of global commodity prices, such as wheat and oil, which are affected by geopolitical conditions in Europe.

“The effect is accidental. Therefore, we need a short-term accidental solution only to reduce the temporal price volatility. For example, in the midst of the current increase in global commodity prices,” Agus Herta Sumarto from the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) said when contacted here on Monday.

Second, the government also needs to consider and make a food security road map, especially for foodstuffs that have often been the main cause of inflation in Indonesia.

“Problems with foodstuffs such as soybeans, corn, cayenne pepper, shallots, garlic, chicken eggs, meat, and chicken often occur and repeat, starting from the upstream to downstream sectors,” he noted.

Third, the government must carry out comprehensive cross-sectoral improvements from the upstream sector in the Agriculture Ministry to the downstream sector in the Trade Ministry and the Industry Ministry.

“This can’t be done instantly, but it will take more time. However, this can be done. It only requires political will from the government,” Sumarto said.

High inflation could create uncertainty and disrupt growth potential, so the government must increase vigilance against a possible increase in inflation until the end of 2022, he added.

“I think the biggest challenge facing the Indonesian economy today is the potential for stagflation, an increase in inflation in the midst of stagnant or even contracting economic growth,” he said.

The Central Statistics Agency (BPS) had earlier pegged annual inflation at 4.35 percent in June 2022, or slightly higher than the projected 4 percent plus minus one percent. The inflation level was the highest on record since June 2017.

Source: Antara News