Month: January 2023

Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) inducted 15 Indonesian Police officers into the agency to increase its duty in eradicating corruption.

“According to the KPK workload analysis needs in 2020, we need extra personnel for the enforcement works from other law enforcement agencies,” KPK News Department Head Ali Fikri stated here, Tuesday.

The 15 investigators had undergone all recruitment and education mechanisms required by the anti-graft agency, he noted.

“The selection mechanism has been done according to the same procedure to induct new KPK personnel in other departments. They have also attended KPK’s special education programme for investigators in 2022,” Fikri remarked.

The KPK commended the police’s decision to allow their best officers to serve in the KPK to bolster the agency’s anti-corruption crusade, he emphasized.

The 15 police officers are assigned to the KPK for four years, with the possibility of extension, if needed, to eight years.

Meanwhile, Director of Corruption Crime of the Police’s Criminal Research Agency (Bareskrim), Brigadier General Cahyono Wibowo, remarked that the 15 officers have passed the KPK selection process as investigators and will start working for the agency from Wednesday (February 1).

“To all (assigned) personnel, I hope you can maintain the police institution’s dignity. Be prudent while performing your duties and be an investigator with integrity,” Wibowo affirmed.

The transfer of Police personnel to the KPK mutually benefits both agencies, as the KPK will receive additional support in performing daily tasks, while the police will have more officers specialized in corruption crime investigation.

The personnel transfer is conducted annually, and in 2022, the KPK received 12 police officers, who passed the agency’s selection process.

Wibowo, who was assigned to the KPK in the past, expressed hope that the officers would gain new knowledge while working with the agency.

“I am optimistic that they would be outstanding investigators and obtain new knowledge from the KPK, and while returning to the police later, they will be better in corruption eradication works and realize an anti-corruption culture,” the brigadier general stated.

Moreover, Bareskrim’s Deputy Director of Corruption Crime, Senior Commissioner Arief Adiharsa, noted that two officers assigned to the KPK belonged to his department, while the other 13 are from regional police units.

He stated that assigning police officers to the KPK is for the greater interest to support national development through anti-corruption works.

“This is a form of synergy between the Police and the KPK for the national interest in corruption eradication (works). It is expected that upon their return, they will enhance the anti-corruption culture in the Police,” Adiharsa remarked.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) elaborated on the readiness and challenges concerning the implementation of the B35 program from February 1, 2023.

“As for the production of biodiesel, our capacity is sufficient. Indeed, yesterday, when we initially planned B40, it was not enough. Hence, the policy of B35 is indeed the most appropriate policy in terms of biodiesel supply,” Director General of New, Renewable Energy, and Energy Conservation of the Ministry of ESDM Dadan Kusdiana stated.

He delivered the statement during a talk show on the Implementation of B35 for Energy Resilience and Independence Towards an Equitable Energy Transition in Jakarta, Tuesday.

The application of B35 is essentially a mixture of 35 percent palm oil-based biofuel blended with diesel fuel.

According to Kusdiana, implementation of the B35 program is expected to lower dependence on imported fuel.

“Our point of view from this data is to ensure there will be no imported diesel fuel later or almost no import later, and there will be no surplus of diesel from domestic production. Hence, this is break even from that side,” Kusdiana said.

Furthermore, from the distribution side, he expressed optimism regarding no B0 occurring in the field. “Because this has been going on for quite a long time from the implementation side, so we have experience with this, but our target is to ensure that B0 does not occur,” he explained.

“B0 means that the biodiesel is not mixed in the field because, for example, the biodiesel arrives late, we avoid this for that,” he further explained. Kusdiana also mentioned several challenges in implementing B35, such as the unfinished mixing process in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan.

“There are challenges, such as until now, we have not yet finished mixing it in the Balikpapan area. Now, we are still mixing it from ship to ship, which is probably ‘safe’ environmentally. It is better if we do this on land, but we are not yet ready, we are still not ready for that,” Kusdiana stated.

The next challenge is to encourage biodiesel producers in Papua.

“We want to continue to encourage biodiesel producers in Papua because there are palm oil plantations there. If there is a biodiesel factory there, from the logistic point of view, this will also help for more shipping to the eastern region,” he explained.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture stated that the dissemination of information regarding disaster mitigation should be continuously strengthened to improve the community’s awareness and understanding.

“The Coordinating Ministry for Human Development and Culture encourages the strengthening of dissemination of information on disaster mitigation through various platforms,” the ministry’s Assistant Deputy for Disaster Mitigation and Social Conflicts, Andre Notohamijoyo, stated when contacted on Tuesday.

According to Notohamijoyo, one of the forms of disseminating information on disaster mitigation that is currently being intensified is via radio networks.

“Dissemination through radio networks makes it very easy to reach people across the country. The development of social media has also encouraged a much more intensive interaction between radio and listeners,” he pointed out.

Notohamijoyo stated that information regarding disaster mitigation should be disseminated to strengthen education for the community.

“The community must continue to be reminded about the need for mitigation efforts, considering that the active role of the community is highly needed to optimize disaster risk reduction efforts,” he remarked.

He also highlighted the need to provide actual information on climate and weather as well as educate members of the community to understand warnings, so that they can take the necessary measures.

He stated that the dissemination of information on disaster mitigation also aims to boost people’s alertness, so that they will be more prepared to take necessary steps when a disaster strikes.

For instance, people can evacuate themselves to the nearest safe locations, secure documents and valuables, and immediately evacuate vulnerable people, such as the elderly, children, and persons with disabilities around them.

“The community also needs to be reminded regarding the importance of preparing first aid, logistics such as blankets, medicine, vitamins, and flashlights for lighting,” he remarked.

He noted that disaster mitigation is one of the ministry’s priorities in 2023 to minimize the impacts of disasters.

“Disaster mitigation, especially wet and dry hydrometeorological disasters, is a priority in 2023,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – The mandatory Biodiesel 35 (B35) program is expected to distribute 13.15 million kiloliters of biodiesel this year, Deputy for Food and Agribusiness at the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs Musdhalifah Machmud stated.

“(The preparation for) the implementation of the mandatory B35 (program) had been supported by good cooperation from all stakeholders, as reflected in the success of the trial (of the program) in 2022,” Machmud remarked at the discussion on “B35 Implementation” here on Tuesday.

The deputy remarked that implementation of the program will begin on February 1, 2023.

The use of B35, which contains 35 percent palm oil-based biofuel and 65 percent diesel, is also expected to create several new jobs, the deputy stated.

In addition, she explained that implementation of the mandatory program aims to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and save Indonesia’s foreign exchange, as some of which were used to buy imported fuel.

“Anywhere the diesel is distributed, B35 biodiesel should also be distributed in the area,” she emphasized.

The Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, as Chair of the Steering Committee for the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Management Agency (BPDPKS), will continue to stabilize the prices of palm oil by developing and absorbing the production of smallholder palm oil plantations.

“Apart from collecting the export levies of palm oil products, we also manage the funds and channel them back to improve the (domestic) palm oil plantation industry,” Machmud stated.

Currently, Indonesia has 16.3 million hectares of palm oil plantations, with 16 million workers in the industry.

The government targets that implementation of the B35 program can save up to US$10.75 billion, or equivalent to Rp161 trillion, in foreign exchange.

Implementation of the program is also expected to absorb 1.65 million new workers and reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 34.9 million tons of carbon dioxide equivalent.

According a statement published on the BPDPKS site, Indonesia has started to utilize B2.5, which contains 2.5 percent biofuel made from palm oil and 97.5 percent diesel, in 2008.

Thereafter, the blending percentage was increased to 10 percent, 15 percent, and 20 percent in 2014, 2015, and 2016, respectively.

Furthermore, the government implemented the B30 program in 2020. The blending of biodiesel is expected to continue to increase to 40 percent, 50 percent, and 100 percent.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – The government is carrying out a massive transformation in education with the help of digital technology, Secretary General of the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry, Suharti, has informed.

“The ministry has been transforming education since 2019,” she said here on Tuesday.

Many policies have been carried out by the ministry to transform the quality of education in Indonesia, for instance, it has organized 22 editions of the Merdeka Belajar (Freedom in Learning) program, which utilizes digital technology immensely, she pointed out.

Added to this are programs such as the “Teachers and Schools as Mobilizers” program and the “Merdeka Curriculum,” which has been widely implemented by schools.

“Although it is not mandatory, many schools have voluntarily implemented the ‘Merdeka Curriculum’ because the impact has been felt,” she explained.

The ministry is also assisting in schools’ administrative processes through the SIPLah app and the School Activity Plan and Budget Application (ARKAS) so that schools can focus more on providing education to students.

Suharti said she is optimistic that the apps will help schools in managing government assistance, such as school operational assistance (BOS) and educational operational assistance.

According to her, there are more than 230 thousand schools that are using SIPLah and 217 thousand schools that are implementing ARKAS.

Not only that, the ministry has distributed around 1.25 million units of information and communication technology equipment to more than 72 thousand schools in the past three years.

Suharti also urged the business and industry world to participate in developing digital technology to help the government transform education.

“This is to help us ensure that the various platforms we prepare can be more useful,” she said.

Digital transformation provides opportunities for the community, especially the younger generation, to actively take part in devising solutions and innovations through technology, according to the ministry.

Acting Director General for Higher Education, Research, and Technology at the ministry, Nizam, said that everyone must collaborate to increase the introduction and mastery of new technologies.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta – The Jakarta Health Office has tasked officers from community health centers (puskesmas) with making direct visits to residential areas in the province to provide COVID-19 vaccination services.

“Puskesmas (officers) directly visit residents to encourage them (to get) the COVID-19 vaccine,” Head of Surveillance, Epidemiology, and Immunization at the Jakarta Health Office Ngabila Salama said here on Tuesday.

She appealed to residents to take information regarding the locations of the vaccination services from the office’s Instagram account @dinkesdki. The services will be available from Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Apart from residential areas, vaccination services are also being provided at village head offices, sub-district head offices, government offices, private offices, markets, and other public places.

In addition, puskesmas in sub-districts are also providing afternoon and evening vaccination services every day from 4 p.m. to 8 a.m.

The vaccination services also include the first and second booster doses of the Pfizer and Zifivax vaccines.

Vaccination services will also remain open at Jakarta City Hall for state civil apparatus (ASN) and the general public until February 2023 to support the coverage of the second booster vaccination. The services will be open from Monday to Friday from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m.

According to data provided by the COVID-19 Handling Committee, as of Monday (January 30, 2023), the number of people who have received the fourth dose or second booster in Jakarta has reached 203 thousand.

Salama expressed the hope that the community would get the second booster because it can increase the level of antibodies against COVID-19.

So far, the World Health Organization (WHO) has not revoked the COVID-19 pandemic status. Nevertheless, the Indonesian government has lifted the public activity restrictions (PPKM) policy as part of the transition toward the endemic.

“It is declared as endemic if the (number of) cases is high but no increase in deaths and treatment in hospitals (bed occupancy rate),” she said.

Source: Antara News