Day: July 27, 2022

The revised presidential regulation on oil fuel price, which regulates subsidized fuel distribution, will be completed and implemented by August this year, Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Arifin Tasrif has informed.

The revision to Presidential Regulation No. 191 of 2014 on the provision, distribution, and retail selling price of oil fuel will also affect the sale of the subsidized Pertalite RON 92 and Solar diesel fuels, he said.

“(This August), God Willing. We must work fast because the items are already available,” Tasrif said here on Wednesday.

Though he did not provide further details about the items, he informed that the ministry has used the right to initiate revisions on regulations so they can be adjusted to specific conditions.

“The initiative right has been issued, and now we will follow up to improve earlier (regulations) by adjusting it with the current conditions,” the minister said.

The government will continue intensive discussions to respond to and anticipate the potential for the energy and food crises caused by the ongoing geopolitical conflicts, Tasrif affirmed.

With the effects of the energy crisis starting to be felt in Indonesia, the government is ensuring the stability of fuel supply, he said, adding that it has intensified efforts to ensure accurate distribution of fuel due to depleting supply.

“So far, we have always ensured that the oil fuel remains available, but the fuel (distribution) must be accurate and right on target. The subsidy is intended to provide fuel for residents with low purchasing power,” the minister informed.

He also confirmed that the government will retain the current retail price of the Pertamax RON 92 fuel amid the planned restriction of subsidized fuels.

“Pertamax is not among the regulated oil fuel yet as we understand the current purchasing power stage, we will retain the price for now, but we will continue monitoring the current development,” Tasrif said.

Earlier, state-owned oil company Pertamina made the use of the MyPertamina application a requirement for buying subsidized Pertalite and Solar diesel fuel oil in order to ensure accurate subsidy distribution. As of July 23, 2022, some 220 thousand vehicles have registered on the MyPertamina platform.

Source: Antara News

The Jakarta provincial government has decided to appeal the Jakarta State Administrative Court’s (PTUN’s) verdict overturning the Jakarta Governor’s Decision No. 1517 of 2021 on the 2022 Provincial Minimum Wage.

The verdict was issued in a lawsuit filed by several entrepreneurs against the gubernatorial decision.

“We hope that through the appeal, the provincial minimum wage will remain at Rp4,641,852 (US$311), in accordance with the Governor’s Decision No. 1517 of 2021, and will not be canceled,” the Jakarta provincial authority’s legal bureau head, Yayan Yuhanah, said here on Wednesday.

The decision to appeal the verdict was made following a comprehensive study of the judges’ decisions while respecting their verdict, she added.

The bureau head said that the provincial authority has decided to file an appeal considering the need for a proper minimum wage increase to balance the workers’ living standard and well-being with the inflation level.

“The minimum wage set by the governor’s decision has considered the inflation level, as well as the workers’ living standard and well-being,” Yuhanah stated.

Earlier, the Jakarta PTUN granted all claims from the plaintiff—the Jakarta Regional Leadership Council of the Indonesian Employers Association (Apindo)—and overturned the governor’s minimum wage regulation.

In addition to revoking the regulation, the Jakarta PTUN, in its ruling, also asked Governor Anies Baswedan to issue a new decree regarding the 2022 provincial minimum wage of Rp4,573,845 (US$306) that is based on the recommendation of the Jakarta Wage Council.

The court also fined the governor, as the defendant, and the intervening defendants II to jointly pay the case fee amounting to Rp642 thousand.

Expressing his opposition to the verdict, the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation’s (KSPI’s) Jakarta regional branch head, Winarso, said that it is not possible to modify the minimum wage in the seventh month of the implementation of the regulation, as doing so might cause conflicts between workers and employers.

Source: Antara News

Indonesia and Japan agreed to boost various forms of cooperation in the maritime, investment, environment, and energy sectors during a state visit conducted by Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to the East Asian country.

“To strengthen peace and security in the maritime area surrounding Indonesia, I have conveyed to President Joko Widodo that Japan will further support the improvement of (Indonesia’s) maritime capabilities,” Japanese Prime Minister Fumio Kishida remarked while welcoming the Indonesian president at his office in Tokyo, Japan, as quoted from a statement received here on Wednesday.

The prime minister said his side’s support was also apparent from the implementation of a review on the cooperation for the granting of patrol boats being conducted currently.

“We also welcome the memorandum of cooperation on the maritime security sector that has been signed,” he affirmed.

In addition, the Japan Ground Self-Defense Force will participate in the Garuda Shield multilateral joint military exercise held in Indonesia in August 2022, he stated.

“Hence, we expect that the two countries’ security cooperation, including (knowledge) exchanges in the defense sector, can be increased,” he remarked.

Furthermore, Indonesia and Japan agreed to collaborate in the infrastructure sector.

“I have conveyed to President Joko Widodo that we are processing (to provide) a loan worth approximately ¥43.6 billion (US$318.3 million) for the (development of) disaster mitigation facilities and the completion of the Peusangan Hydropower Plant,” Kishida revealed.

Kishida and Jokowi are also encouraging more intensive cooperation on decarbonization efforts and the energy sector to create a zero-emission Asian community.

“We (the Japanese government) also laud many Japanese companies that are starting to invest a lot in Indonesia for the development of energy, automotive industry, food, as well as start-up sectors,” the prime minister stated.

Kishida said the courtesy call he had paid to the president in Jakarta in April 2022 and the visit conducted by Jokowi to Japan on Wednesday (July 27, 2022) reflected the close relations between the two countries.

Kishida and Jokowi also discussed the latest developments in the Indo-Pacific region, concrete collaboration in realizing the ASEAN outlook on the Indo-Pacific, as well as cooperation ahead of the 2022 G20 Summit.

During the visit, the president was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Minister Erick Thohir, Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia, as well as Indonesian Ambassador to Japan Heri Akhmadi.

Source: Antara News