Day: March 16, 2023

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesia will enter a new chapter in the continuation of business and legal protection for workers after Government Regulation in Lieu of Law (Perppu) Number 2 of 2022 on Job Creation is ratified.The Job Creation Perppu exists as a form of the government’s commitment in confronting uncertain global economic conditions and is a continuation of the Job Creation Law that was mandated to be improved until November 2023. The world, including Indonesia, is currently working to avoid the impact of a declining economy, geopolitical uncertainty, climate change and disasters, and crisis in the food, energy, and finance sectors. Indonesia requires a legal umbrella that can protect businessmen and workers to minimize the impact of global recession. With clear legal certainty, investors will be drawn to invest in Indonesia. This Perppu is not only beneficial for businessmen, as the government is also committed to providing adaptive protection to workers in confronting increasingly dynamic manpower challenges. Moreover, the Job Creation Perppu is deemed to be able to develop Indonesia’s economy since it has numerous advantages. These include convenience in business licensing for micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) through Online Single Submission (OSS) and acceleration of halal certification. They also involve stipulation on compensation and protection for workers that have just been fired as well as licensing, supply chain, and financing access facilitation. In 2023, Indonesia has set an investment target of Rp1,400 trillion, or US$9.1 billion, that will be achieved more quickly through special formulation, such as the Job Creation Perppu. More investors will also indirectly lead to manpower absorption. baca-jugaRelated news: Perppu on Job Creation for better MSMEs and employmentRelated news: Job Creation Perppu to help state weather economic crisis: Minister Manpower protection Within the context of manpower, the Job Creation Perppu is an improvement from the earlier regulation: Law No. 11 of 2020 on Job Creation. Several points that become the main focus in manpower is the stipulation on outsourcing, minimum wage calculation, wage structure and scale, disability terminology usage, and job loss insurance. The Job Creation Law does not stipulate what type of jobs can be outsourced while in this Perppu, there is a limitation in the jobs that can be outsourced. The government has improved and adjusted the minimum wage calculation within the Job Creation Perppu. Minimum wage is calculated by considering economic growth, inflation and certain index. The formula for minimum wage calculation, including certain index, will be stipulated within the governmental regulation. This Perppu also underlined that governors should set the provincial minimum wage and can set district or city minimum wage if the latter is higher than the former. Deputy Chairperson of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) Shina Widjaja Kamdani expects that the government can involve businessmen to provide inputs concerning the minimum wage, so that it suits its philosophy as a security net. The business world’s outsourcing seeks flexibility that is a global trend while also ensuring protection of the workers’ normative rights over wage, work hour, social protection, and others. The Job Creation Perppu also stipulates obligation to set the wage structure and scale from businessmen for workers that have a working period of one year or more. In relation to disability, the Job Creation Perppu stated that businessmen that employ disabled workers must provide protection based on their type and degree of disabilities. Workers’ wage will be paid full while using their break time right. Workers, who are terminated, will receive severance pay of 45 percent from the salary that they earn. Moreover, these workers will receive retraining or reskilling provided within six months. Changes within the Perppu is a result of the input concerning the Job Creation Law that the government has absorbed, and they had been reviewed by several independent institutions. ll of them exist with the intent of protecting workers, creating jobs, and ensuring business sustainability. Impact clear umbrella on manpower and convenience in business licensing has a considerable impact on the business world. Moreover, a conducive investment climate can encourage job creation. Data from the World Investment Report noted that Indonesia’s ranking dropped five places as compared to other countries in terms of foreign investment. This is because several foreign companies experience hurdles, such as taxation issue, economic policy certainty to manpower. As a result, push and pull tends to occur in the investment world. Economic observer at the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (INDEF) Dzulfian Syafrian noted that economically speaking, the Job Creation Perppu will bring certainty to the economy. Throughout this time, uncertainty lingered as to when the Job Creation Law should be revised in accordance with the decision of the Constitutional Court (MK). For economic players, this uncertainty is undoubtedly harmful, as several of them adopt a more cautious approach during decision making. However, it cannot be denied that the main issue lies in the legal process. In terms of content, the Job Creation Perppu has several economic benefits than drawbacks. To realize economic growth above five percent and make Indonesia a developed country by 2045, workers and businessmen should cooperate to implement the Job Creation Perppu. While it cannot be denied that the Perppu had yet to meet the expectations of the two parties, Indonesia at least has a strong legal umbrella to face global economic instability.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The government is planning to relocate people living in the landslide-prone area along Cisadane River in Bogor City, West Java Province, Head of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) Lieutenant General Suharyanto stated.He said that the settlements located under the cliff along the riverbank should not be inhabited, as it was an unsafe area, so it was decided that relocation would be conducted to protect the residents, as quoted from a statement on Thursday. The landslide was caused by a downpour that occurred on Tuesday (March 14, 2023). 12-meter (m)-high cliff, with a width of six meters in the Sirna Sari area, Empang Village, South Bogor Sub-district, collapsed and buried six houses as well as a place of worship. The BNPB head noted that 18 families affected by the landslide on Tuesday would be relocated. The government will also move several other families affected by another landslide that occurred earlier. Suharyanto remarked that the government of Bogor City will move the affected community to Pamoyanan Village, South Bogor Sub-district. “Currently, it (the relocation attempt) is in the planning and preparation stages. Once the location has been readied, the central government, BNPB, and PUPR (Public Works and Public Housing) Ministry will establish the relocation houses, with one house for each family,” he noted. The Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD) recorded that 17 people were buried by the landslide. Some 11 of them survived, two of them passed away, while the remaining victims are still declared missing. In addition to damaging the settlement, the disaster also caused a rail line area, reaching as long as 15 m, to collapse. The incident disrupted the Bogor-Sukabumi train trip. Currently, the joint search and rescue (SAR) team, comprising personnel from the BPBD, National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), military, police, and firefighters as well as volunteers and local residents, is continuing the search. ccording to the statement, the work of the joint SAR team was hindered by difficult terrain that is hard to reach.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) on Thursday welcomed the interest of Singaporean investors in investing in the development of Indonesia’s new capital (IKN), Nusantara.He conveyed this during a joint press conference with Singaporean Prime Minister (PM) Lee Hsien Loong after the “2023 Indonesia-Singapore Leaders’ Retreat” in Singapore. “I appreciate the result of this leaders’ retreat, including the huge interest of Singaporean investors to invest in IKN Nusantara,” he said at a press conference that was broadcast live on the official YouTube channel of the Presidential Secretariat. During the leaders’ retreat, 20 Singaporean private companies submitted letters of intent (LoIs) for investing in IKN Nusantara, he informed. Meanwhile, PM Loong said that IKN Nusantara would serve as a pilot project for a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on urban and sustainable housing development inked by the two countries. “We signed an MoU for the development of urban and sustainable housing, which will accommodate cooperation in building, financing, and innovation of smart and sustainable infrastructure. The IKN Nusantara development will become a pilot project,” he added. He then lauded President Widodo’s vision of a green and smart IKN Nusantara. “Singapore is happy to support President Jokowi’s vision. We will contribute through knowledge-sharing activities, research activities, and joint development,” PM Loong said. One of the MoUs signed by Singapore and Indonesia during the leaders’ retreat covered collaboration in knowledge sharing, capacity building, research to support planning, and the development of IKN Nusantara as a smart and sustainable city. PM Loong confirmed that some Singaporean private companies have expressed an interest in development projects in IKN Nusantara. Therefore, he told President Widodo that his administration appreciates the organization of an investor forum on IKN Nusantara, which Indonesia plans to hold in May 2023. “We will encourage Singaporean entrepreneurs to participate in it,” he affirmed.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Communication and Informatics Ministry and Siberkreasi National Initiative on Digital Literacy (GNLD) hosted a class on simple podcast production to edify members of the general public on creating their own content.The Digital Literacy Podcast Video Class, which is part of the Indonesia Towards Digital Literacy Program, is one of the efforts by the ministry to hone people’s digital literacy skills, the ministry said in its statement obtained here on Thursday. The ministry has collaborated with Paberik Soeara Rakjat, an audio production service provider, in hosting the class. The event took place at the Cilandak Town Square, Jakarta, on Saturday, March 11. Some 30 people participated in-person, while the other 350 participated online, it said. Professional podcaster Rizky Adi Nugroho, who gave out material at the event, drew attention to the fact that people currently harbored a misconception about podcasting that a podcast is supposed to be like the ones hosted by Deddy Corbuzier or Denny Sumargo. However, everyone can make their own podcast contents based on the concepts they want, he remarked. “Now, we all can also produce with the gadgets we own, one of which is by using the music streaming application, so it is easy to use,” Nugroho remarked. He also reminded the participants to not overly fret about their setups and rather focus on their creativity. “Now, we can be creative, such as by adding audiogram coupled with static image or using stock video from YouTube, obviously ones with no copyright, or we can even take it from stock video we own,” he elaborated. Nugroho noted that they can use Adobe Podcast AI to edit their content, so the voice and sounds become more audible or intelligible. He also encouraged participants to start podcasting early, as the current generation, the Gen Z, is rather selective in terms of the content they consume. “Podcast video is also an opportunity to garner interest from Gen Zs,” he noted. In the class, the participants were also taught by a podcaster, Wishnu Kumoro, about simple podcast production techniques and practices which they can do with their devices and gadgets. The lessons include recording techniques, device placement for best audio result, and introduction to applications for podcasts.

Source: Antara News Agency

Yogyakarta (ANTARA) – Mount Merapi, on the border of Central Java and Yogyakarta, emitted 11 incandescent lava avalanches, with a sliding distance of 1,200 meters on Thursday, the Research and Development Center for Geological Disaster Technology (BPPTKG) stated.Head of BPPTKG Agus Budi Santoso noted that based on observations from 00:00 to 06:00 local time, the incandescent lava avalanches were sliding toward the southwest. “We observed 11 incandescent lava avalanches, with a sliding distance of 1,200 meters to the southwest,” he noted in a statement received here, Thursday. During the observation period, Mount Merapi also experienced 16 earthquakes, with an amplitude of 4-35 mm for 24.4-166.8 seconds; seven multi-phase earthquakes having an amplitude of 3-6 mm for 5-7.6 seconds; one shallow volcanic earthquake, with an amplitude of 62 mm for 8.3 seconds; and one deep volcanic earthquake, with an amplitude of 6 mm for 11.7 seconds, Santoso noted. Thick crater smoke above the peak of Mount Merapi was also visible during the observation, he stated. Meanwhile, during the observation period on Wednesday at 18:00-24:00 local time, Mount Merapi was recorded to have been spewing hot clouds thrice, with a maximum sliding distance of 1,300 meters to the southwest, Santoso noted. In addition, lava avalanches were observed 49 times, with a sliding distance of 1,500 meters to the southwest. The BPPTKG still maintains the status of Mount Merapi on Alert since November 2020, he remarked. Susanto noted that the potential danger at this time is in the form of lava avalanches and hot clouds in Woro River, three kilometres from the summit; Gendol River, five kilometres from the summit; Boyon River, five kilometres from the summit; as well as Bedog, Krasak, and Bebeng rivers, some seven kilometres from the summit. Meanwhile, the ejection of volcanic material during an explosive eruption can reach a radius of three kilometres from the summit, he pointed out. The BPPTKG also appealed to the public to be vigilant of the danger of lava in the river flow from Mount Merapi, especially during rains at the top of the mountain.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Indonesian Health Ministry has reminded the public to beware of medicine products obtained from good delivery services or personal shoppers (jastip) from abroad, as their quality and safety cannot be guaranteed.”Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin has reminded us to be careful of using medicine from foreign market because no one can guarantee the safety,” the ministry’s head of the communication and public service bureau, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, noted in Jakarta, Thursday. Tarmizi remarked that medicine products obtained from the jastip method were categorized as illegal goods circulating in Indonesia, as their safety was not guaranteed. Tarmizi explained that provisions on the use of imported medicinal products are only exempted if it aims to meet the needs of the buyer or personal interests, under the supervision of a doctor. Earlier, health personnel at the Adam Malik Hospital, Medan, had reported to Minister Sadikin about the jastip trend for drug products. The practice of medicine jastip in Indonesia has started to grow following a price difference of up to four folds cheaper in Singapore and Malaysia. In addition, there is a shortage of certain drugs in the domestic market. “The practice appears because we are lacking generic drugs in Medan, and the medicine in Indonesia is much more expensive,” Tarmizi pointed out. She said that jastip transactions for certain drugs in Medan were able to reduce prices to 5-15 percent cheaper. The types of drugs obtained through jastip services are usually used for cancer recovery that had still been very limited in Indonesia, she stated. The scarcity of cancer drugs in Indonesia is due to factors related to registration provisions and trade rights that can only be obtained by official distributors registered with the government. “For example, a cancer foundation for children in Indonesia cannot register the medicine to enter the country because it is not registered as an official distributor,” she explained. Until now, the Ministry of Health continues to coordinate this matter with the Food and Drug Supervisory Agency (BPOM), as the drug control authority in Indonesia, to provide access to parties outside of distributors in the efforts to supply medicines, she stated. Other types of drugs that are also popular in the jastip method are heart disease drugs, blood sugar drugs, and vitamins, Tarmizi noted.

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – State-owned electricity company PLN has made assurance that electric vehicle users would have no trouble in finding a charger during their homecoming holidays.eneral Manager of PLN’s Greater Jakarta Main Distribution Unit (UID)Doddy B. Pangaribuan remarked that until now, PLN had continued to increase the number of Public Electric Vehicle Charging Stations (SPKLU). “Electric vehicle users do not need to worry if they want to go back to their hometown. It has been proven several times that PLN has test drives. It has been able to go to Lampung and even Jambi, Pekanbaru. There are many SPKLUs available,” Pangaribuan stated in Jakarta, Thursday. Pangaribuan remarked that SPKLUs in Jakarta are spread across 30 locations to charge electric vehicles with connectors, or nozzles, totaling 42. In Indonesia alone, the figure has reached almost 600 points. SPKLUs are not only available in offices but also rest areas, such as at KM 10.6 of the Jagorawi Toll Road, East Jakarta, which provides one charger location. PLN UID Jakarta Raya is also working in collaboration with public transportation providers in Jakarta, such as PT TransJakarta and Perum Damri, for the installation of 11 electric vehicle charging stations, specifically for electric bus fleets, as a means of public transportation. PLN also opens opportunities for partnership cooperation in the provision of SPKLU with the Investor Owned Investor Operate (IO2) scheme. Pangaribuan noted that the cooperation system is profit sharing. This opportunity is open to anyone interested in establishing an SPKLU in Jakarta. “And this is already implemented, so anyone who is interested can contact us (PLN),” Pangaribuan remarked. To check where the SPKLU is located and to use it for charging electric vehicles, a charger location application is available on the Playstore. In addition, in Jakarta, PLN is testing five SPKLU Mobile motorcycle units. Hence, if an electric vehicle runs out of power in the middle of the road, then the user can call a motorbike that has been facilitated by a charging device during an emergency. “We are still testing this. Hence, the mechanism is for officers to plug the device into the nearest electricity grid, so that electric vehicles can be charged, and electric vehicle users can return home safely,” Pangaribuan stated. This effort is a form of PLN’s support in accelerating the use of battery-based EVs in accordance with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) Number 55 of 2019.

Source: Antara News Agency