January 9, 2023 – Page 2 – Indonesia News Gazette

January 9, 2023

Malaysia-Indonesia’s 2022 trade likely to exceed 30 per cent y-o-y growth

Malaysia-Indonesia’s total trade for 2022 is likely to exceed 30 per cent year-on-year (y-o-y) growth compared with 2021 as both countries fully reopened their borders in 2022, facilitating better bilateral flow of goods and services, according to the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI).

Minister Tengku Zafrul Abdul Aziz said within ASEAN, Indonesia is Malaysia’s second-largest partner in trade and third-largest source of Foreign Direct Investment (FDI).

He said the total trade between Malaysia and Indonesia was roughly US$23 billion (USD1=RM4.40) in 2021, a 45.5 per cent y-o-y increase compared with 2020.

“For the period of January to November 2022, bilateral trade between both countries had already exceeded US$27 billion, approximately 33 per cent more than the corresponding period in 2021,” he said in a statement Sunday.

Tengku Zafrul said in conjunction with the Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim’s official visit to Indonesia on Jan 8-9, 2023, the ministry and its related agencies have expressed their commitment to continue facilitating the expansion of trade and cross-border investments with Indonesia.

The visit by Anwar to Indonesia is the first official visit since taking office on Nov 24.

In terms of investments, he said the ministry is looking forward to facilitate more mutual crossborder investments between Malaysia and Indonesia, where collaboration lies in areas such as pharmaceuticals, aerospace, palm-oil processing, consumer goods as well as defence and security.

He said these were reflected in the exchanging of nine memoranda of understanding (MOUs) between Malaysian and Indonesian companies with a total potential investment value of more than RM1.6 billion (US$366 million).

Tengku Zafrul said MITI has also spearheaded bilateral talks on Malaysia’s possible investments and co-investments in Indonesia’s planned new capital in East Kalimantan.

“On this, the Prime Minister also witnessed the handing over of 11 Letters of Intent by 10 Malaysian companies, who have expressed interest to contribute to the development of Indonesia’s planned new capital.

“These companies have built their expertise and credentials in areas such as E&E, automotive, manufacturing of industrial goods, waste management, smart city technology, housing, healthcare, M&E engineering, utilities and renewable energy,” he said.

He said these areas of possible mutual collaboration and benefit were discussed when MITI met with Indonesia’s Minister of State-Owned Enterprises and the Minister of Maritime and Investment Affairs.

“In the coming days, MITI also looks forward to meeting Indonesia’s Minister of Industry, Minister of Public Works and Housing and Minister of Trade,” he added.

Source: NAM NEWS NETWORK

January 9, 2023

ASDP starts preparing for 2023 Eid transportation

State-run ferry operator PT ASDP Indonesia Ferry has started preparing its 2023 Eid transportation services, which will be implemented in the next few months.

“To prepare for the 2023 Eid Transport service, which is only several months away, ASDP will soon carry out intensive coordination with stakeholders,” ASDP corporate secretary Shelvy Arifin informed here on Monday.

ASDP will coordinate with the relevant stakeholders, such as the Ministry of Transportation, the National Police Traffic Corps, the Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture, the Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment, and regional governments, among others, she said.

In addition, the management will accelerate port capacity expansion to increase vehicle capacity at ports and expand port entry areas.

ASDP served 2.67 million passengers and 654 thousand vehicles during the recent Christmas and New Year’s holiday transport period, Arifin informed.

According to her, even though the figure has not been as high as the one recorded during the 2022 Eid period, the characteristics have been the same: the increase in traffic during the Christmas-New Year period occurred in line with the declining transmission of COVID-19.

She further said that with online ticket sales through Ferizy and the implementation of quotas on the load served, ASDP will ensure that passenger and vehicle traffic is distributed properly to minimize queues at ports during the Eid homecoming period.

She added that several lessons were gained from experiences during the Christmas and New Year transport service, namely related to the extreme weather at several crossing routes managed by ASDP.

Apart from extreme weather, what has become the priority of ASDP is the safety and security of ferry services.

“These, of course, become the concern and joint commitment of ferry stakeholders. All parties must be able to coordinate actively, and what is important is also the ship operators’ understanding of SOPs (standard operating procedures) to minimize the potential for or prevent incidents from occurring during the service,” she remarked.

Source: Antara News

January 9, 2023

Ministry to prepare single data dashboard on adolescents’ welfare

The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture will prepare a single data dashboard related to welfare issues of school-age children and adolescents.

“The ministry, along with UNFPA, will prepare a single data dashboard regarding the welfare issues of school-age children and adolescents, with data sources from ministries or agencies,” the ministry’s Deputy for Coordination of Health Quality Improvement and Population Development, Agus Suprapto, stated when contacted on Monday.

According to Suprapto, the ministry hoped the dashboard would make it easier to control achievement of ministry/agency indicator targets in the implementation of the National Action Plan for Improving the Welfare of School-Age Children and Adolescents (RAN Pijar).

He noted that the ministry and all stakeholders will also evaluate the implementation and achievement of indicator targets of ministries and agencies in 2022 and plans that will be implemented in 2023.

“Apart from that, providing assistance and implementing the RAN Pijar pilot project in Bali and Yogyakarta Provinces by involving ministries and agencies that are members of the national team to improve the welfare of school-age children and adolescents,” he remarked.

In addition, the ministry is providing assistance to regional governments in creating teams for improving the welfare of school-age children and adolescents in their respective regions, along with the policies and regulations.

“Those various programs are expected to strengthen the implementation of RAN Pijar in 2023,” he stated.

He noted that the welfare encompassed physical welfare, religious welfare, and social welfare.

Suprapto explained that the government continues to make efforts, so that school-age children and adolescents have holistic health, in terms of not only being physically healthy but also mentally and socially.

“Socially healthy can also be interpreted as children having good empathy, good ways of socializing and communicating, not being bullies, and having good manners,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

January 9, 2023

Satisfied with Karawang rice output: Minister

Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo has expressed satisfaction over the rice production recorded in Ciptamarga village, Jayakerta sub-district, Karawang, West Java, during this year’s harvest period.

“Rice production at the beginning of this year ensures that production in Karawang is really good,” Minister Limpo noted after the rice harvest in Karawang on Monday.

He informed that the harvest at the beginning of this year was one of the measures taken by the Agriculture Ministry and Karawang government to ensure that national rice production was met.

On a plantation area of around 2 thousand hectares, the village managed to produce 8 tons of rice per hectare, he noted.

“Of course, this ensures that if production in Karawang is good, then production in other areas will also be good. Because Karawang is a gauge to the success of Indonesia’s rice production,” the minister said.

According to him, the production target could reach 4 million tons and cover an area of 1.4 million hectares in the period from March to April 2023. This bodes well for national food resilience, he said.

He further said he expected farmers to plant rice and secondary crops three times a year. Moreover, efforts are on to improve the food logistics system.

Deputy head of Karawang, Aep Syaepuloh, said that the farmers have expressed their gratitude for the generous amount of agricultural aid provided to Karawang in 2022.

“Today (Monday), there is aid of 500 hectares of rice seeds, a power thresher machine,” Syaepuloh added.

In January, the rice harvest area in Karawang spanned 18,103 hectares, with productivity reaching 8 tons per hectare. The price of grains was quite profitable for farmers at Rp6,000–Rp6,100 per kilogram.

Source: Antara News

January 9, 2023

Minister lauds Supreme Court verdict against Herry Wirawan’s appeal

The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry has commended the Supreme Court’s decision to reject the appeal of death row convict Herry Wirawan, saying such sanctions would ensure justice for the victims.

“On behalf of the Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry, we express our sincere gratitude to everyone who has followed up on the HW (Herry Wirawan) case,” Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Minister Bintang Puspayoga said in Bandung city on Monday.

Minister Puspayoga informed that a coordination meeting on the Supreme Court decision was hosted on Monday, and it was facilitated by West Java chief prosecutor Asep N. Mulyana.

“The Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Ministry refers to the Child Protection Act and Law Number 12 of 2022 about Sexual Violence Crime, receiving a mandate from the state to conduct periodic cross-sectoral coordination for prevention,” she said.

She further said she expects Wirawan’s case to serve as an example of good collaboration while handling other cases, beginning from the process of investigation, assistance, and detention, to court decision.

She also expressed her utmost gratitude to the chief prosecutor for taking the time to pursue the justice that the victims longed for.

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil said that the rejection of the appeal could provide a sense of justice and set an example so that the state does not hesitate to give the maximum punishment to perpetrators of crimes against women and children.

“It is expected that this case will set a precedent so that the state will not hesitate to give maximum punishment to perpetrators of crimes against children who should (lead) this nation’s future with good and (best) psyche,” he added.

The West Java provincial government has demonstrated its readiness to follow up on the case by confiscating and auctioning the perpetrator’s assets to cover the living expenses of the victims and the babies born to the victims, he said.

“We (the provincial government) are ready to report the transfer of assets which will be auctioned and the results will go into the state treasury at the West Java government. The state money will be fully used for the benefit of the victims whom we must handle on physical, psychological, and everyday aspects,” he highlighted.

Kamil emphasized that the West Java government and other relevant institutions will prepare child protection-children born to the defendant and this will be a top priority.

Source: Antara News

January 9, 2023

Family archives provide better insights into historical dynamics

The Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry has said that the family archives of heroes and figures of the national independence movement provide a better insight to people about the dynamics of history and issues.

“The archives from this family will be a great contribution. Not only about history itself, but some issues that are now important,” director general of culture at the ministry Hilmar Farid said at an exhibition on “Reading Soedjatmoko from Home and Memories,” which was accessed from here on Monday.

This is because the figures’ thoughts and ideas contained in family archives could initiate conversations about the past among the public and also make them draw comparisons with current circumstances.

Family archives also differ from formal archives or government reports, he added. Although they do not touch upon topics such as economic growth, profit, and loss, they can invite people to take a closer look at the characters of important figures, or even provide a glimpse into the era they lived in.

Like the archives of Soedjatmoko Mangoendiningrat, a politician and diplomat, for example. Documents from his lifetime, which were collected by his family, were introduced to the public recently. Through some of the documents in the archive, people can learn about his perspective and life journey, particularly during the period from the 1940s to the 1980s.

Farid said that the archive manages to illustrate history through the politician’s writings, which paint Indonesia as a big country with a desire for nation-building.

The archive, which has been neatly preserved, reflects his thoughts on the importance of investing in education for future development and his perspective on giving importance to culture in efforts to advance Indonesia, he added.

He said that the community must follow the journey of national development through his life story as he made many contributions, both domestically and overseas, by taking part in many well-known organizations of the time.

“Archives must ultimately be informed to others, must be used, must be utilized by as many (people) as possible,” he stressed.

He said he expects the exhibition of Soedjatmoko’s archives from January 10 to 14, 2023, at Gondangdia, Central Jakarta, to encourage people to reflect on current problems based on history and create good solutions that will prove useful in the future.

Soedjatmoko was a well-known Indonesian diplomat and politician in the 1940s, the era of struggle for national independence. He was sent as one of Indonesia’s representatives to the United Nations, being the Indonesian Ambassador to the United States. He was also an advisor to the Foreign Affairs Minister, Adam Malik.

Source: Antara News

January 9, 2023

Monitoring effectiveness of weather modification: Banten BPBD

The Banten Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) has said that it is continuing to monitor the development and effectiveness of the weather modification carried out in Banten region.

“The implementation has been carried out since early January 2023,” acting chief of Banten BPBD, Nana Suryana, informed here on Monday.

He said that currently, the local BPBD is still focused on monitoring the weather modification development as the extreme weather emergency alert status has been set until February 28, 2023.

“The decree regarding the emergency alert status is (valid) until February 28, 2023,” Suryana stated.

According to him, the weather throughout Banten region has been modified based on the emergency alert status.

Banten BPBD earlier conducted weather modification operations in Banten, following other regions that are also facing extreme weather potential.

“Several other provinces, such as Jakarta, West Java, and Central Java have already conducted it (weather modification),” Suryana said.

The weather modification in Banten was in response to the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency’s (BMKG’s) warning regarding the potential for extreme rainfall in several parts of Indonesia, he explained.

“According to the BMKG’s prediction, Banten will experience heavy rainfall from December 2022 to February 2023,” he said.

The purpose of the weather modification operation has been to reduce or divert any rainfall that could potentially fall in the region to another place, like the ocean, to prevent flooding.

“The (weather modification) technology will be carried out by the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) in collaboration with the Air Force (TNI AU),” he informed.

The weather modification is being fully funded by the BNPB.

BMKG has also advised people living in coastal areas to remain alert for high waves.

Earlier, BMKG had warned of 2.5–4-meter-high waves in Enggano-western Lampung waters, western Indian Ocean near Bengkulu to Lampung, the western and southern parts of the Sunda Strait, the southern waters of Banten to Sumbawa Island, the southern Indian Ocean near Java to West Nusa Tenggara, and also the Bali Strait-Lombok Strait-southern part of Alas Strait.

Source: Antara News

January 9, 2023

South Sulawesi starts weather modification: BNPB

South Sulawesi province is using weather modification technology to reduce rain intensity and cut the risk of natural disasters, the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has informed.

“South Sulawesi province will also make weather modifications which, God willing, will kick off today,” BNPB head Suharyanto announced in Makassar on Monday.

He delivered the statement during a coordination meeting held to discuss the impact of hydrometeorological disasters. The meeting took place at the South Sulawesi Governor’s Office.

The province, led by Governor Andi Sudirman Sulaiman, has replicated the measures of some other regions that have already adopted the technology, such as Jakarta, West Java, Central Java, East Java, and Banten, Suharyanto informed.

The technology had been proven to reduce rainfall in some of these areas, particularly before the new year, he pointed out.

He then reminded regional governments to pursue evaluations of disaster mitigation efforts without delay to prevent unwanted consequences in the future.

“So, in addition to land operations, which has been commenced, South Sulawesi province is also implementing weather modification technology,” he said.

Governor Sulaiman had proposed using weather modification technology to reduce the risk of extreme weather in the area.

Acting head of the South Sulawesi Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, Amson Padolo, said that the agency, in accordance with the governor’s directives, has submitted a letter to BNPB and the Meteorology, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) asking for permission to use weather modification technology.

Source: Antara News