August 28, 2022 – Page 2 – Indonesia News Gazette

August 28, 2022

Construction of nine dams to be completed in late 2022: President

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated the construction of nine new dams will be completed at the end of 2022 that will bring the total number of dams constructed during his administration to 38.

“As of today, we have constructed 29 dams, these are large dams, plus nine (dams) later at the end of this year,” he said at the West Java People’s Conference (Musra) I at Arcamanik Sports Building, here on Sunday.

According to him, the presence of the dams had offered positive impacts on the agriculture sector, especially in rice production. The flow of water from the dams is said to have doubled rice production.

“People may not feel it, but the presence of the dams has resulted in the fact that we have been self-sufficient in rice since 2019,” the President remarked.

In addition, the Rp468 trillion fund that the government has disbursed for village development has also improved access roads in villages.

“Thus, 227 thousand kilometers of production roads have been constructed in villages,” he said.

On this occasion, he reminded that the world had been hit by food and energy crises. He noted that, according to international institutions, the economy of 66 countries is predicted to collapse due to those crises.

“Therefore, I am happy that farmers are also present here, who have made us three weeks ago received a certificate from International Rice Research which stated that Indonesia’s food security system is very good,” he said.

Musra is organized by Joko Widodo’s National Volunteers. In addition to Bandung, West Java, the conference will be held in all provinces across Indonesia until 2023.

In the forum, all participants of Musra are allowed to express their aspirations related to their hopes for Indonesia or their criteria of leaders.

Source: Antara News

August 28, 2022

Pelita Harapan University establishes G20 studies center

The Pelita Harapan University (UPH) supports Indonesia’s G20 Presidency by founding a G20 studies center, Executive Director of Pelita Harapan Education Foundation Stephanie Riady said here Sunday.

“UPH is a selected partner for backing Indonesia’s G20 Presidency. The support is revealed by the forming of the G20 Indonesia studies center by collaborating with the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs,” she said.

The support is also shown through seminars and webinars that UPH co-organised with various partners, students’ activities, and research projects to back up research-based policies, she said.

In this regard, Stephanie Riady said she welcomes a joint program of the Business 20 (B20) Goes to Campus by considering the importance of B20 as an official G20 dialogue forum with the global business community.

The UPH had held the B20 Goes to Campus Program as part of the UPH Festival 2022. It was participated in by several related stakeholders and students.

According to Chief Organizer of B20 Indonesia Shinta Kamdani, Indonesians should be proud of their country’s G20 Presidency because this cooperation forum represents 80 percent of the world’s GDP, 75 percent of global exports, and 60 percent of the world’s total population.

“Business 20 Indonesia is working to translate President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi’s) economic vision through such things as global health, digital transformation, and energy transition,” she said.

The B20 forum does not merely focus its works on proposing policies for G20 but also on increasing investments in Indonesia, she said, adding that these could be carried out by both government and society.

For the first time, Indonesia holds the G20 Presidency which is made effective from December 1, 2021, to November 30, 2022.

The G20 consists of 19 countries and one region — Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, India, Indonesia, Italy, Japan, Republic of Korea, Mexico, Russia, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, Turkey, United Kingdom, United States, and the European Union.

Formed in 1999, the G20 was aimed to ensure that the world could revive from the 1997-1998 global economic crisis, and to create strong and sustainable global economic growth.

The G20 members are currently challenged by the impacts of global pandemic of novel coronavirus that firstly battered the Chinese city of Wuhan in December 1999, and then spread to all parts of the world.

Not only that, the G20 members are also facing another serious challenge, namely the Russia-Ukraine war that has tremendously affected global supplies of food and energy.

Source: Antara News

August 28, 2022

Education bill ensures teachers get professional allowances: Ministry

The National Education System Bill (RUU Sisdiknas) ensures that teachers, both state civil apparatus (ASN) and non-state civil apparatus, will receive professional allowances, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research, and Technology said.

“RUU Sisdiknas ensures that teachers who have received professional allowance, both state civil apparatus and non-state civil apparatus, will continue to receive professional allowances until retirement,” the Head of the Educational Standards, Curriculum and Assessment Agency (BSKAP) of the ministry, Anindito Aditomo, said here on Sunday.

He explained that teachers who had not yet received professional allowances and are currently not certified yet would receive income, including allowances, in accordance with the law on civil apparatus.

Meanwhile, for teachers in private schools who have not received professional allowances, the government will increase the school operational assistance (BOS) fund to allow school’s management to give higher salaries to teachers and improve its human resource management.

With the arrangement proposed in the bill, teachers who have not received professional allowances will soon be able to get higher incomes without having to wait too long for the Teacher Certification Program (PPG).

The ministry is striving to help all teachers have a decent income.

Currently, he said, teachers must queue to join the PPG program to be certified and get higher salary.

“This is what we must correct. All teachers who do their duties as teachers should automatically get a decent income, without having to queue for PPG and wait for certification first,” he stressed.

The government has proposed the designation of RUU Sisdiknas as a priority bill for this year’s National Legislative Program to the House of Representatives.

The bill would integrate three existing laws regulating national education, Aditomo previously informed in a written statement received here on Friday.

The three laws that would be replaced by the National Education System Bill are Law Number 20 of 2003 on the National Education System, Law Number 14 of 2005 on Teachers and University Lecturers, and Law Number 12 of 2012 on Higher Education, he said.

Source: Antara News

August 28, 2022

Tens of thousands of people join Red and White Parade in Jakarta

Tens of thousands of people coming from diverse backgrounds joined the “Kirab Merah Putih” or Red and White Parade in Central Jakarta on Sunday morning.

The parade, joined by members of interfaith communities and civil society organizations, students, soldiers, police officers, and government officials, got started from the National Monument (Monas) area.

They then marched to the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout, which is about 1,700 meters away from the Monas square. During the event, enthusiasts were entertained by a marching band and a cultural parade.

The parade, organized as part of the commemorative events of this year’s Indonesian Independence Day, was flagged off by President Jokowi Widodo at around 07:00 a.m., and ended at around 09:00 a.m. local time.

When the parade participants arrived at the HI Roundabout at around 08:15 a.m., they sang Indonesia’s national anthem. Crowds of Jakarta’s Car Free Day also gathered with the parade participants.

At the event, Habib Luthfi bin Yahya, a member of the Presidential Advisory Board, and National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo delivered speeches.

According to Habib Luthfi, the Red and White Parade was performed to thank the almighty God for bestowing a country with the wealth of fertile land on Indonesians.

“We had passed through 350 years with fights that had finally enabled us to hoist our national flag. This is not a gift. Instead, the Red and White can be hoisted thanks to the founders of our nation’s services,” he said.

Therefore, to thank their services, Habib Luthfi called for members of young generation’s active contribution to the nation’s development.

“Through the parade this morning, we show our readiness for using the Red and White in our lifetime. We are always committed to protecting the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI),” he said.

A collective commitment to serving and protecting the NKRI was the main objective of this Red and White Parade in an endeavor to restore a sense of ownership for the Motherland, Habib Luthfi added.

On August 17 this year, Indonesia celebrated the 77th anniversary of its independence.

A day before the commemoration, President Jokowi delivered his state address at the 2022 annual session of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) and the Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD).

In his state address, President Jokowi highlighted four strengths that Indonesia has. One of them is its ability to emerge as a strong nation in facing the COVID-19 pandemic.

“If we are able to manage the pandemic well, then it means that we will also be able to manage other big agendas. This is our first strength to build our country,” Jokowi said.

Indonesia’s second strength is its abundant natural resources followed by the demographic bonus or a large number of young people of the productive age.

President Jokowi believes that the demographic bonus as well as the increasing purchasing power of the people would become the driving force of the national economy in facing the global competition.

The fourth strength is the sharp increase in international trust. Indonesia is accepted by Russia and Ukraine to serve as a communication bridge to broker peace despite the geopolitical situation heating up.

“Indonesia is also trusted by the United Nations as Champions from the Global Crisis Response Group for handling global crises,” he added.

Source: Antara News