Indonesia News Gazette

The 2021 National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Day must serve as a reminder to strengthen cooperation in the sector, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) Minister Teten Masduki has said.

“We have to consolidate to support our nation’s economic heroes — the MSMEs,” he said at the virtual commemoration of the national day here on Thursday.

The attempt is crucial as 99 percent of MSMEs are still informal micro businesses, he explained. Moreover, just 22.7 percent — or around 14.6 million — of MSMEs have joined the digital ecosystem, he added.

In addition, as of June 30, 2021, just 2.6 million MSMEs were recorded in the Online Single Submission, an integrated online licensing system to facilitate business activities in Indonesia, he informed.

Furthermore, the enforcement of community activity restrictions in the second and third quarters of 2021 has presented challenges for the sector, he said.

“Hence, the future MSME transformation strategies are very crucial for the sector at the moment” he noted.

He also outlined the government’s efforts to assist the sector amid the pandemic. The 2021 National Economic Recovery Program has allocated 21 percent of its budget — or Rp161.2 trillion — for MSME improvement, he pointed out.

Productive Presidential Assistances has been offered to 12.8 million micro enterprises, and the government has also allocated Rp3.45 trillion for the additional 3 percent people’s business credit interest subsidy, he informed.

“Along with our joint work in mitigating the impact of COVID-19 on MSMEs, I hope we can also use this momentum to prepare the MSMEs to rise while continuing to adapt amid the pandemic,” he added.

Source: Antara News

The Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Ministry has said it supports the cooperation between Sabang port authorities and PT Empat Mitra Indika Surya Power and PT Enertec Mitra Solusi to turn Sabang into a green port.

The partnership has been registered through a memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the Sabang Free Trade Area and Port Management Office (BPKS) with PT Empat Mitra Indika Surya Power (EMITS) and PT Enertec Mitra Solusi (ENERTEC).

Solar panels will be installed at the port under the MoU, officials informed.

“This collaboration aims to improve the potential of Sabang as a commercial city through the utilization of renewable energy,” deputy for coordinating maritime sovereignty and energy at the ministry, Basilio Dias Araujo, said while witnessing the MoU signing here on Thursday.

He added that use of solar panels would reduce energy costs and pollution, support local businesses, as well as contribute to energy independence. The collaboration to turn Sabang Port into a smart and green port is in accordance with the state-owned electricity enterprises PT PLN (Persero)’s green booster program, he said.

Currently, PT PLN (Persero) is increasing the renewable energy proportion in its electricity provision plan to a minimum of 48 percent, the deputy informed.

Furthermore, he said that solar energy utilization in Indonesia needs to be improved.

“Indonesia has abundant potential of solar energy, which is around 207.8 gigawatt. However, the current utilization has only reached 153.8 megawatt,” he pointed out.

The cooperation is a breakthrough program in the Aceh and Sabang regions to meet the electricity supply for the Sabang area and free port, he said. The cooperation model will also be applied to other strategic ports across Indonesia, he added.

Source: Antara News

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs Mahfud MD has appealed to citizens and the government to help build confidence in the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM).

The presence of Komnas HAM proves that the state protects human rights to the best of its ability, he said during the launch of the rights body’s annual report 2020 in Jakarta on Thursday.

Komnas HAM is the only institution that has special privilege and authority, in accordance with Law No. 26 of 2000, to conduct investigations in the field of human rights, Mahfud said.

Komnas HAM is an independent institution and is not under the government’s authority, he pointed out.

Komnas HAM has been designed as an autonomous institution since its establishment, he said. The government has never intervened and will never intervene in Komnas HAM, he remarked.

Hence, he expressed the hope that as an independent institution, Komnas HAM would cooperate with other institutions.

“Komnas HAM must work well to make it trustable. The people must also trust this institution. Constitutionally, if (any of us) has a problem which is part of Komnas HAM’s authority, please convey it to Komnas HAM. Thereafter, Komnas HAM will ask the government to follow up on it,” he said.

Law No. 26 of 2000 on human rights tribunal also adopts the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court dated July 17, 1998, which categorizes two kinds of gross human rights crimes –genocide and humanity crime, he noted.

“The two (types of crimes) are categorized as gross human rights crimes. For instance, if (a crime) is categorized as a gross human rights crime, then its structure must be looked at to see who has committed it and who has planned it,” he said.

Source: Antara News

The Trade Ministry explained the mandatory requirements of vaccination certificates and the application of health protocols for visitors, employees and merchants during the mall and shopping center reopening trial period from August 10 to 16, 2021.

“Visitors, employees, and merchants have to show their vaccination certificates in the PeduliLindungi app, which will also assist in monitoring their movement in shopping centers,” said Oke Nurwan, Director-General of Domestic Trade at the Ministry, here on Thursday.

Those who are not vaccinated due to health reasons can bring their doctor’s recommendation letter and a negative antigen test result taken within 24 hours before shopping, or a negative real-time PCR test taken within 48 hours, he added.

“They also have to bring their ID card. Furthermore, test results have to be shown on a QR code to facilitate the checking process,” he further added.

“Therefore, the mandatory requirement for vaccination certificates cannot be replaced by a negative COVID-19 test result. All these conditions are being adopted to curb the transmission of the pandemic,” he stressed. The trial is being carried out by the government, in collaboration with the Indonesian Shopping Center Management Association (APPBI), and will implemented in 85 malls in Jakarta, 23 malls in Bandung, six malls in Semarang, and 24 malls in Surabaya, Nurwan explained.

“This process also aims to create a new normal amidst the COVID-19 pandemic. We have to continue promoting it to the public since we do not know when the pandemic will end,” he further added.

Alphonzus Widaja, Head of APPBI, also urged the visitors, employees and merchants of malls to follow strict health protocols, such as having a body temperature below 37 degrees, wearing masks, washing or sanitizing hands, as well as carrying out social distancing. “We will continue to coordinate with the Trade Ministry and Health Ministry to improve the PeduliLindungi app system to facilitate the real implementation,” he said.

He also hoped that the trial opening can help the recovery of micro and informal businesses around shopping centers and malls.

“During the trial period, shopping centers and malls are allowed to operate from 10:00 to 20:00 Indonesian Western Standard Time, with a maximum capacity of 25 per cent. Children under the age of 12 and elderly people over 70 are not allowed to enter. Meanwhile, cinemas, children’s playgrounds and other entertainment venues are still closed,” he added.

Source: Antara News

Leading global multi-asset broker HotForex has announced a renewal of the company’s Official Partnership agreement with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of the 2021/22 season.

With this partnership extension, HotForex plans to expand its global presence in key markets around the world while also strengthening its presence in the markets where it already operates. Acting as the French football club’s Official Online Trading Partner for a second consecutive season, the company will continue engaging its clients and football fans with new activities and educating them about the shared values of online trading and football.

Paris Saint-Germain has been at the forefront of this summer’s transfer window, building an incredible squad for the upcoming season, with Sergio Ramos, Gianluigi Donnarumma, Georginio Wijinaldum and Achraf Hakimi joining a star-studded squad already boasting the likes of Neymar Jr, Kylian Mbappe and Ángel Di María.

Commenting on the extension of the agreement, a HotForex spokesperson said: “We are very proud to renew our partnership with Paris Saint-Germain ahead of another exciting season. Our partnership has proved to charge both parties with even more energy to strive for excellence. We would like to wish the team the best of luck on the pitch for the 2021/22 season and look forward to creating new fan activations which will bring our clients and football fans closer to the action, as well as continuing to help educate people on investing.”

Marc Armstrong, Paris Saint-Germain Chief Partnerships Officer added “We are delighted to be renewing our partnership with HotForex, a leading broker in the financial industry. It is great for us to be able to collaborate with such a prestigious brand that will provide Paris Saint-Germain’s fans across the world with a reliable and effective trading platform.”

About HotForex

HotForex is an award winning forex and commodities broker, providing trading services and facilities to both retail and institutional clients. Through its policy of providing the best possible trading conditions to its clients and allowing both scalpers and traders using expert advisors unrestricted access to its liquidity, HotForex has positioned itself as the forex broker of choice for traders worldwide. HotForex offers various accounts types, trading software and tools to facilitate individuals and institutional customers to trade Forex and CFDs online.

About Paris Saint-Germain

Paris Saint-Germain football club was created in 1970. Since QSI’s purchase of the club in 2011, it has transformed to become one of the top football clubs and global sports brands in the world. Paris Saint-Germain is connected with Paris, which is at the heart of the organization, under the philosophy of one unique city, one unique club. The club has since won 26 trophies in ten years, 44 in its history, becoming the most successful club in France. Paris Saint-Germain has attracted many great players including Ronaldinho, Beckham, Ibrahimovic, and currently Neymar and Mbappé, both ranked amongst the best players in the world. The international popularity of the club never stops growing. It is now the one of the most followed club in the world, expanding from zero to a community over 95 million social media followers in just ten years. It has opened international offices in Doha, Shanghai and Singapore. The pioneering sports club which now includes men’s football, women’s football, handball and judo added esports in 2016. Giving back to the community is fundamental to the club who has drastically increased the capacity of its Foundation to develop innovative programs for children in tough situations. Among others, the Red&Blue School project allows the Paris Saint-Germain Foundation to serve underprivileged youths.

Source: Antara News

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin has said he believes that micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will play a crucial role in national economic development by contributing to the gross domestic product (GDP) and absorbing the workforce.

“MSMEs are able to absorb 97 percent of the total workforce and raise 60.4 percent of the total investment value,” he said at the online commemoration of the 2021 National MSMEs Day on Thursday.

According to data from the Cooperatives and MSMEs Ministry, the contribution of small businesses to the GDP stands at 61.07 percent, he noted.

Therefore, the Vice President said he hoped that MSMEs would help drive economic recovery and succeed in boosting national economic growth to support the achievement of fair and equitable social welfare.

He also lauded the sustainability of the sector in the current difficult situation. “Amid the pandemic that has lasted almost 1.5 years, MSMEs have been increasingly integrated with other national economy sectors. Hence, we will keep empowering them,” he said.

Meanwhile, Cooperatives and MSMEs Minister Teten Masduki noted that the pandemic is still posing challenges to business activities, although the economic growth rate has improved in the second quarter of 2021.

“We have experienced a positive economic growth in the second quarter of 2021, which reached 7.07 percent year on year. However, the enforcement of community activities restrictions has still hampered our business activities,” he said.

Masduki also said he hoped that the commemoration could serve as an opportunity to push MSME transformation attempts for the future.

“We have to encourage the rise of Indonesian MSMEs to dominate and elevate our national economy while keep adapting amid the pandemic disruption,” he remarked.

Source: Antara News

Increased adoption of digital technology applications in Indonesia has boosted the national economic growth by one percent, Centre of Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia’s head of economy Yose Rizal Damuri has said.

“So, for the next 10-20 years, we really need a bigger digital technology application,” Damuri remarked at an online discussion here on Thursday.

In addition, a CSIS study has indicated that districts and cities with the highest Internet penetration in Indonesia, 50 percent for instance, have recorded a higher economic growth of 0.4 percent compared to regions without Internet penetration, he pointed out.

“So, there is a significant correlation between the Internet and economic growth,” Damuri said.

To this end, an increase in digital technology application access is required in the future to boost the economy, he added.

Internet usage has skyrocketed in Indonesia ever since COVID-19 struck, he said. This has been confirmed by a report by Statistics Indonesia (BPS) that has indicated a 9-percent increase in Internet usage in Indonesia within a year of the pandemic, he pointed out.

However, an increase in digital technology application cannot happen without strong and adequate digital infrastructure, Damuri emphasized.

Without quality infrastructure, Indonesia will experience numerous problems in developing digital technology and its applications, whether in economy, governance, or other social sectors, he explained.

According to the Communication and Informatics Ministry, Indonesia’s post sector’s revenue climbed 30 percent year-on-year in the first semester of 2019 due to the utilization of digital technology.

“I think we all agree that digital transformation has accelerated the global postal supply chain and boosted customer satisfaction, experience, and trust towards global postal services,” post and informatics director general at the Communication and Informatics Ministry, Ismail, noted in a press statement released here on Thursday.

Source: Antara News

Waste management in Indonesia has reached 55.96 percent and encouraged effective work to achieve the target of 100 percent waste management by 2025, Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar said. “Based on data of Environment and Forestry Ministry, our waste management reached 55.96 percent of the target of 100 percent of waste being managed till 2025,” Nurbaya said when opening the National Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) of the Waste Bank monitored from Jakarta, Thursday.

The details of the achievements so far are the reduction of waste in all districts/cities reaching 13.49 percent of the 30 percent target and the handling efforts of 42.47 percent of the 70 percent target till 2025.

The target has been set in the Presidential Regulation of the Republic of Indonesia Number 97 of 2017 concerning National Policies and Strategies for the Management of Household Waste and Types of Household Waste.

“We have to really work effectively in a short time until 2025,” Siti said.

Currently, there is a built paradigm related to waste management, which is to become a source of economic raw materials, Siti explained. It is part of green growth where achieving economic growth is done by using resources and energy efficiently and reducing the impact on the environment.

The principle as a new renewable resource, part of a circular economy and green growth, has already begun to be applied in Indonesia, according to Siti. One of which is through waste banks.

Waste banks encourage efforts to reduce waste at the source and change the perspective of waste into something of economic value.

Green growth was then continuously encouraged by the issuance of a regulation by the Minister of Environment and Forestry Number 14 of 2021 concerning Waste Management at Waste Banks on July 1, 2021.

“It is hoped that the movement and steps of the waste bank are supported at all levels of government, local government and the community, especially in the world of education and business in waste management to be more optimal,” she said in conclusion.

Source: Antara News