INDONESIA SETS AMBITIOUS FOREIGN TOURIST ARRIVAL TARGET

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 31 (Antara) - Indonesia's tourism sector is shining again, encouraging the government to set ambitious goals for the coming years after meeting its international tourist arrival targets over the past several years.          International tourist arrivals over the past few years have recorded some seven to eight percent increase. So, the government is optimistic that it will achieve its ambitious targets. It has set a target of 10 million tourist arrivals in 2015 and 20 million by 2019.          Terrorism had once hampered Indonesia's tourism sector. Incidents such as the 2002 Bali 1 bombing that killed 202 people, the JW Marriott explosion that claimed 12 lives in Jakarta, the 2004 Australian embassy blast that killed 9, and the Bali 2 bombing that killed 23 all had marred Indonesia's image as a secure nation for several years.          However, the success of the Indonesian government's fight against terrorism in the country has restored confidence among foreign tourists to visit Indonesia.          Over the past few years, the country has managed to boost its tourism sector that has recorded some seven to eight percent growth.

GOVERNMENT TO CONTINUE MARKET REVITALIZATION PROGRAM IN 2015

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 26 (Antara) - The government, which has been revitalizing traditional markets over the past decade, will continue the program next year to boost their competitiveness in the face of expansion of modern retailer markets in Indonesia.          Last April, the government claimed to have renovated a total of 2,758 traditional markets in the period between 2005 and 2013 at a total cost of Rp4.01 trillion.          Between 2011 and 2013, the Ministry of Trade revitalized 461 traditional markets, 53 of these being pilot projects.          "The funds for the renovation of the traditional markets were taken from the Trade Ministry's Task Assistance Funds and amounted to Rp1.9 trillion," former trade minister Gita Wirjawan remarked while inaugurating the Leuwipanjang Market in Purwakarta District last January.          In 2014, funds worth Rp556 billion were allocated from the state budget to revitalize traditional markets across the country.          In 2015, the government, through the Trade Ministry, will revitalize 469 traditional markets across Indonesia with a funding of about Rp997.5 billion, noted a senior official on Tuesday (Dec. 23, 2014).          "For 2015, we have a total budget (of Rp997.5 billion) to revitalize 469 traditional markets," Director General of Internal Trade of the Trade Ministry Srie Agustina remarked during a 2014 year-end reflection discussion held on Tuesday.

RI TO STREAMLINE FOREIGN BUSINESSES ON OUTER ISLES IN 2015

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 26 (Antara) - Indonesia, which has so far encountered problems with its frontier areas both on land and the outer islands, will provide certifications to outlying islands to guarantee their status at home and in international affairs.          Besides this, it will also put in order foreign investors who run businesses on the outlying islands. "We will summon foreign investors and will inquire about their business activities on the outlying islands. If necessary, we will move them to other islands if their businesses do not accord with the conditions of the concerned isles," Agrarian and Spatial Planning Minister Ferry Mursyidan Baldan stated on Tuesday.          The minister made the remarks while elaborating on his plan regarding the presence of foreign investors who operate business ventures on several Indonesian outlying islands.           Ferry said he will review the presence of the investors. In line with the plan, the minister said all outer islands will be certified.           "It is all clear. Irrespective of whether or not the islands are inhabited, they will be given certificates on behalf of the state. If there are business ventures on them, we will summon the operators to inquire what they are doing there," Ferry remarked.

GOVT TO DEVELOP INTEGRATED SUGAR INDUSTRY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 21 (Antara) - The government will develop integrated sugar industry to boost production and eventually free the country from dependence on sugar imports which so far still account for over 50 percent of total national needs.         "The government is formulating a road map for the development of the integrated sugar industry with the aim to meet domestic demand and to stop sugar imports," Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel stated on the sidelines of his working visit to Bangkok on Saturday.          The Ministry of Trade is preparing mid- and long-term strategies as part of efforts to support the development of the integrated sugar industry and to stop the import of the commodity, Minister Rachmat Gobel said.          In keeping with this purpose, the minister affirmed that he would cooperate with Industry Minister Saleh Husin and Agriculture Minister A. Amran Sulaiman to create the road map on the development of the country's integrated sugar industry to achieve food sovereignty in Indonesia.          The integrated sugar industry is expected to increase production and stop sugar imports.

RI'S SMALL BUSINESSES NOT YET READY TO FACE AEC

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 20 (Antara) - Indonesia's 58 million small and medium enterprises (SME) which provide employment for more than 90 percent of the total workforce are not yet ready to face next year's ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), a legislator has said.          Deputy Chairman of Commission VI on trade, industry and investment affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR) Heri Gunawan said Indonesian SME's products are not yet ready to compete in the free trade era in the ASEAN region which will begin at the end of 2015.          As a main pillar of the people's economic activities, small businesses must be prepared in the remaining time before the AEC is implemented at the end of 2015.          The Ministry of Cooperatives and Small-and-Medium Enterprises stated on its official website last March that there were about 58 million SMEs in Indonesia. They were being prepared to be able to participate in a global business environment.          Other data showed that in 2011, SMEs when their numbers were still 51 million, provided employment for some 90 million people, or about 97 percent of the total workforce. They contributed about 53 percent of the income recorded to the nation's Gross Domestic Product (GNP).

INDONESIA MUST PREPARE ITS WORKFORCE TO FACE AEC

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 17 (Antara) - Indonesia has to prepare its human resources in the face of the ASEAN Economic Community (AEC), which will take effect at the end of next year.          The Indonesian government has about a year's time to improve the skills of its workers to make them capable enough to compete with expatriates within the ASEAN region, where the free flow of trade and services, including that in the labor sector, will be implemented from December 31, 2015.          The government has, in fact, taken important preparatory measures to face the free trade region, as well as the free flow of expatriates in the 10 member states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has a potential market of 625 million people.           "The government has taken various anticipatory steps to prepare Indonesia in the face of the implementation of the AEC," Rizal Edwin, the acting deputy assistant to the chief economic minister, stated on Tuesday (December 16).

RICE STOCK IN INDONESIA ADEQUATE FOR X'MAS, NEW YEAR HOLIDAYS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 15 (Antara) -- Indonesia's rice stock of 1.7 million tons kept in warehouses of state logistics board Bulog is enough to meet the need for rice during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.          State logistics board Bulog also set aside 230 thousand tons of rice for market operation in December 2014 in an effort to maintain rice price stability during the holidays.          According to Trade Minister Rachmat Gobel, Indonesia has ample rice stock to ensure that price stability is maintained during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.          "We will do our best to provide adequate rice stock in the market so that price stability continues to be maintained at the consumers' level," the trade minister stated on the sidelines of his visit to a warehouse of national logistics board Bulog for Jakarta and Banten here on Monday.          Minister Gobel added that based on market price monitoring across the country, there was no significant fluctuation or increase in the price of rice. The average price of medium rice increased by only 0.75 percent from Rp9,274 per kilogram last week to Rp9,344 per kilogram. In Jakarta, the cost of rice is stable at Rp9,640 per kilogram.          Besides preparing 1.7 million tons of rice stock, Bulog also set aside 230 thousand tons of rice for a special market operation (OPK).

RI'S ECONOMY EXPECTED TO GROW AT 5.0-5.6 PCT IN 2015

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 14 (Antara) - Indonesia's economic growth has continued to drop over the past three years from relatively high 6.5 percent in 2011 to only about 5.3 percent this year.          The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) has predicted economic slowdown would continue to hit the country until 2015.          "The country's economy will not yet fully recover in 2015 on internal and external hurdles," Kadin general chairman Suryo Bambang Sulisto said on Wednesday.          According to various estimates, Indonesia's economic growth next year is estimated to be between 5.0 and 5.6 percent.          Researcher Moekti P Soejachmoem of the Mandiri Institute Research Center predicted that seeing the development of its growth over the past three years, the Indonesian economy would only grow at 5.3 percent next year, below the government's target set in the state budget at 5.8 percent.          In 2013-2014, the country's economic growth had been on the decline  - down from 6.5 percent in 2011, 6.2 percent in 2012  and 5.7 percent in 2013  and an estimated 5.3 percent in 2014.

LANDSLIDE IN BANJARNEGARA BURIES OVER 100 VILLAGERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 13 (Antara) - A major landslide buried more than 100 villagers in Jumbleng hamlet, Sampang village, Banjarnegara district, Central Java, at 5.30 p. m. on Friday.          Until Sunday evening, 17 victims were found dead, while 91 others are still missing.          According to Sutopo Purwo Nugroho, a spokesman for the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), rescue workers also found 11 victims who were seriously injured and four more inflicted with less severe injuries.         He added that efforts to find and evacuate victims of the disaster were halted on Saturday afternoon due to heavy rain.         The ground was unstable, the current of the river that passed through the village was very strong and carried mud, and the heavy rainfall was causing fear of another possible landslide, Nugroho stated.         "Several roads were blocked by the landslide, and several sections cracked, which were too dangerous to pass through. These posed difficulties as heavy duty equipment could not be deployed there to help in the rescue and evacuation efforts," he remarked.

WILL HOUSE ACCEPT PERPPU ON DIRECT LOCAL ELECTIONS?

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 13 (Antara) - Political 'battles' marked all of 2014 in Indonesian politics, which began with campaigns for a legislative election on April 9, as well as a presidential race on July 9.          The elections divided the Indonesian people into two opposing camps. After the legislative elections, two political alliances were formed, one supported the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla presidential pair nominated by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) while the other backed the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential ticket nominated by the Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra).          While the Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla camp won the presidential race, the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa alliance controlled at least 292 of the 560 Parliamentary seats.          Then, the political 'battles' waged to win popular support shifted to the Parliament.          Legislators of political parties, joining a coalition with PDIP, formed the Great Indonesia Coalition (KIH) in the House of Representatives (DPR), while lawmakers of political parties in alliance with Gerindra set up the White-Red Coalition (KMP).

FOURTEEN MILLION PEOPLE FORECAST TO MAKE YEAR-END TRIPS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, 12 (Antara) - About 14 million people are expected to travel during this year's Christmas and New Year holidays similar to the trend observed in the previous years.         An estimated 14 million travelers will use both public transportation and private vehicles.          Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan reminded all public transportation operators and travelers to maintain safety while conducting year-end trips during the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays.          The minister also stressed on safety and quality service for passengers during a coordination meeting held on Wednesday to discuss transportation preparations in the face of the upcoming 2014 Christmas and 2015 New Year holidays.          "Operators must offer good transportation facilities, vehicles, and crew members to ensure the safety aspect and quality of service in all areas beginning from ticket sales during the Christmas and New Year holidays," the minister remarked.

GOVT PARTIALLY STOPS IMPLEMENTATION OF SCHOOL CURRICULUM 2013

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 11 (Antara) - The government has partially stopped the implementation of school Curriculum 2013 across the country and re-imposed Curriculum 2006 in some schools because not all are ready to implement it.         However, schools that implemented Curriculum 2013 over the last three semesters are allowed to continue following it.         Education and Culture Minister Anies Rasyid Baswedan said that a total of 6,221 schools in 295 districts/municipalities in the country implemented Curriculum 2013 for three semesters since 2013.         Only these schools are obligated to continue implementing Curriculum 2013. Also, the program here will be improved and developed.         "Curriculum 2013 will not be changed but will continue to be improved, developed and implemented in schools that followed it for three semesters so far," Baswedan stated last Friday.          He added that besides the 6,221 schools, others that implemented Curriculum 2013 for only one semester are obligated to return to using Curriculum 2006 till Curriculum 2013 is improved and they are prepared to implement it.          The minister explained that he took the decision based on facts that most schools are not ready to implement Curriculum 2013 due to several problems, including those related to the readiness of textbooks, assessment system, teachers' training and mentoring, and training of school principals.

WORKERS THREATEN TO HOLD NATIONWIDE STRIKE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 10 (Antara) -- Thousands of workers from 41 trade unions took to streets in Jakarta and in other parts of Indonesia on Wednesday to ask for a hike in their wages.          The movement was also held to demonstrate their rejection of the increase in the prices of fuel.          The workers threatened to go on a nationwide strike if the government failed to meet their demands raised jointly in the capital city of Jakarta.          "We will see how the government reacts to the demands we raised in today's rally," a spokesman for the Federation of Indonesian Metal Workers Union (FSPMI), Rusli, said.          Groups that claimed to hold demonstrations across the country on Wednesday include the Indonesian Workers Union Confederation (KSPI), KSPSI, KSBSI, SPN, and FSPMI, among other workers' organizations. They want the government to raise their minimum wages and to revoke its recent decision to raise subsidized fuel prices. They added that the government should not raise fuel prices when the crude price of the world was declining.

GOVT HOPES TO INCREASE POWER SUPPLIES FROM DAMS

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 9 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has set a target to produce some 35 thousand megawatts (MW) of power supplies in the next five years, in addition to the country's present electricity capacity of over 50 thousand megawatts.          In order to achieve the target, the government will build power plants, including empowering existing dams or building new ones. "If new power plants are not built, Java will continue to experience power outage," Vice President Jusuf Kalla said when receiving a report on the plan to develop a hydro power plant (PLTA) in Karangkates Dam in Malang, East Java, on Saturday.          In 2013, the design capacity of Indonesia power generators was recorded at 47,128 MW. The previous government has targeted to increase the country's power supplies by 3,605 MW or an increase of 7.6 percent to 50,733 MW this year.          In the coming five years, the new government has set a target to produce additional electricity supplies amounting to 35 thousand MW.

GOVT GAINS MOMENTUM TO PROMOTE USE OF GAS

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 7 (Antara) - The recent government's decision to raise subsidized fuel oil prices virtually earns it a momentum to promote its oil-to-gas conversion program for transportation as it creates a big margin between gas and fuel oil prices.          "The price per liter of premium (gasoline) equivalent gas is only Rp3,100, far lower than the price per liter of premium gasoline sold at Rp8,500 and that of diesel oil at Rp7,500. With a far price difference, consumers will be attracted to use gas for their vehicles and that gas will become an alternative energy for the people," Irwan Andri, the spokesman of state-owned gas distributor firm PGN, said on Sunday.          Therefore, the PGN is ready to help the government develop and promote the use of gas in the transportation sector and is ready to increase the number of its gas refueling stations (SPBG) to support the government's fuel oil-to-gas conversion program.          Irwan Andri said his company was optimistic that fuel oil-to-gas conversion would develop following the government's decision to raise subsidized fuel prices on November 18, 2014.          "The increase in the fuel oil prices will encourage consumers to switch to using gas," he said.

INDONESIA'S RATTAN PRODUCTS EXPECTED TO UNDERGO ROBUST GROWTH

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 6 (Antara) -- Indonesia's rattan-based products will get another boost with the inauguration of the National Rattan Innovation Center in Palu, Central Sulawesi province, which claims to be the largest rattan producer in Indonesia.          "Our rattan industry has yet to be developed to its maximum potential. The Central Sulawesi National Rattan Innovation Center is, however, expected to boost the development of national rattan industries through the availability of new rattan furniture designs and services," Industry Minister Saleh Husin said after inaugurating the rattan innovation center on Saturday.          The building of the first Indonesian rattan innovation center is located in an industrial area within Palu's Special Economic Zone (KEK).          Central Sulawesi province is the biggest rattan producer in Indonesia, contributing 60 percent of the world's rattan supplies. This makes Indonesia the world's largest rattan producer.          Considered the world's largest rattan exporter, Indonesia's rattan resources are available in tropical forests across ten provinces. Central Sulawesi claims being the biggest producer among them all.

INDONESIA BEGINS SINKING ILLEGAL FISHING BOATS

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 6 (Antara) - Indonesia has detained 155 foreign fishing vessels and, on Friday, sunk three of them, a stern measure lauded by all sides at home to clear the country's water of foreign fish poachers.         "We have detained five large foreign ships and 150 other small ones across the country last week. We sunk three of them on Friday to teach them a lesson, so that they will give up poaching in Indonesian waters," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said in a discussion with local fishermen in Gorontalo on Saturday.          Jokowi, who was inaugurated as Indonesia's seventh President last October, has repeatedly said the country has lost some Rp300 trillion annually from illegal fishing and that there are currently 5,400 illegal ships operating in Indonesian waters, due to a lack of decisive action by the government.          Three Vietnamese boats, which have been proven to have illegally fished fish in Indonesian waters, were made to explode by the Indonesian Navy off the Anambas Island waters,  Riau Islands, on Friday.         "We have been planning the sinking operation since Friday morning. Three fishing ships were going to be sunk. They were all from Vietnam," the Head of Information Office of the Indonesian Navy, First Admiral Manahan Simorangkir, was quoted as saying by local online media on Friday.

GOVT DETERMINED TO ACHIEVE SUGAR SELF-SUFFICIENCY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 5 (Antara) - Indonesia, which imports about 50 percent of the sugar the nation requires, is once again determined to increase its sugar production and achieve self-sufficiency in sugar supplies.          The previous government, under former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, created a road map for sugar development to increase the country's sugar production to about 5.7 million tons by 2014, thus achieving self-sufficiency.          However, over the past several years, the country has repeatedly failed to increase production, meeting about 50 percent or less of its annual need of over 5 million tons, although there are some 60 sugar mills in the country.          In 2011, for example, the government was forced to lower its sugar production target from 2.7 million tons to 2.57 million tons. However, by the end of 2011 farmers produced 2.26 million tons, though this was still less than the annual need of some 5 million tons.          And in 2012, too, Indonesia sharply cut its production target from 4.4 million tons to 2.6 million tons, while in 2013, production dropped to 2.5 million tons from the target set at 2.8 tons.          The target for 2014 was set at 3.1 million tons. Now, this target has been scaled down from the previous target, as set in the road map at 5.7 million tons by the Yudhoyono government.

MAHAKAM BLOCK STILL HAS LARGE OIL, GAS RESERVES

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 4 (Antara) - The Mahakam oil and gas block in East Kalimantan still has large reserves of oil and gas, even after being exploited by French firm Total E&P Indonesie and Japan's Inpex Corporation for some 50 years.          Total E&P Indonesie, in the remaining two years of its contract, is focusing on the field in an effort to increase its oil and gas production.      Total's oil production is currently some 66,053 barrels per day, a five percent increase from its earlier average daily production of 62,910 barrels per day. It aims to produce 1.7 billion cubic feet of gas in 2014, which will equal its gas production from a year earlier.          As it was known, Total now operates on the basis of a contract with Inpex in the Mahakam oil block. It has invested US$27 billion in exploration activities and contributed US$83 billion (Rp750 trillion) to the state.          The French multinational company was awarded the work contract for the Mahakam block in 1967 for a period of 30 years. In 1997, Total won a 20-year extension for the contract, which is now valid till March 31, 2017.

PERTAMINA TO REFORM OIL BUSINESS, INCREASE PRODUCTIVITY

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, Dec 2 (Antara) - State-owned oil and gas company Pertamina is expected to carry out reforms in the oil sector and increase productivity under its new President Director Dwi Soetjipto.          "We hope the new Pertamina chief will be committed to reforming the oil sector, increasing productivity and fighting the oil and gas mafia in the country," Sofyan Zakaria, the director of Puskepi, a non-governmental organization advocating pro-public policies, said.      He stated that a president director of PT Pertamina must have strong leadership qualities, reliable managerial capabilities, high integrity, honesty and commitment to help the government fight oil and gas mafia.          Observing that Dwi Soetjipto seems to have met all the requirements, Sofyan said Dwi may possibly not command oil and gas technicalities but other directors and the senior vice-president of Pertamina, whose expertise has already been proven, can help him there.         "I hope Dwi will carry out Pertamina's transformation," he remarked.          State Enterprises Minister Rini M Soemarno installed Dwi Soetjipto as president director of Pertamina for the 2014-2019 period last Friday.