INDONESIA READY TO SECURE SAUDI KING'S VISIT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 28 (Antara) - The Indonesian National Police (Polri) and the Jakarta as well as the Bali regional police have prepared a strong team to provide security for Saudi Arabia's King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud's visit to Indonesia.          King Salman will arrive at Halim Perdanakusuam Airport with an entourage of about 1.5 thousand people, including 10 ministers and 25 princes, for a state visit from March 1 to 3. He will travel to Jakarta and Bogor and will then head to Bali for a vacation until March 9.          "Police officers will offer three-tier security and protection to the king and his entourage during their visit to Indonesia," Polri Chief General Tito Karnavian said in Surabaya, East Java, on Monday.          The police will be assisted by the military in carrying out their duties to secure the king's visit. Saudi Arabia's Ambassador to Indonesia Osama bin Mohammed Abdullah Al Shuaibi met National Police (Polri) Deputy Chief Commissioner General Syafruddin on Monday to discuss security preparations for the visit.          "The ambassador visited the Police Headquarters for final checks with regard to the security measures in place for the visit," Syafruddin stated at the Police Headquarters in Jakarta on Monday.          According to Syafruddin, the National Police and the Military force have readied a total of 10 thousand personnel at three separate locations in Jakarta, Bogor in West Java, and Bali.          Approximately 2 thousand personnel will be deployed in Jakarta; 2,252 in Bogor, and 5 thousand in Bali.

RI, IRAN EXPAND ENERGY, ECONOMIC COOPERATION

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 27 (Antara) - Indonesia and Iran have been discussing efforts to concretize plans to expand cooperation in the energy and other economic sectors, notably in the field of oil exploitation.         Through state-owned oil and gas company PT Pertamina, Indonesia is planning to invest in two Iranian oil fields, import gas from the Persian nation, and offer Iranian investors a chance to run oil refinery plants in Indonesia.         Besides the energy sector, the two countries are also discussing various other economic issues of mutual concerns, including efforts to accomplish the preferential trade agreement (PTA) between the two countries.         The expansion of cooperation plan was discussed between the two countries when Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) visited Iran in Dec last year. In order to concretize the plan, Indonesia sent a delegation to Tehran on Feb 26 and 27, 2017 to follow up the results of Jokowi's visit.          The Indonesian delegation was led by Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution and included the deputy minister for energy and mineral resources, the Indonesian ambassador to Iran, a number of high Indonesian officials from relevant ministries/state institutions, and executives of state-owned companies (BUMN).

INDONESIA, AUSTRALIA INCREASE BUSINESS COOPERATION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 25 (Antara) - Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) is on a two-day state visit to Australia to increase business relations between the two countries.          Jokowi and his entourage landed at the Kingsford-Smith Airport in Sydney at 6:57 a.m. local time, or 2:57 a.m. Western Indonesia Standard Time (WIB) on Saturday, after a nearly six-hour flight from Denpasar, Bali.          According to the Press, Media and Information Bureau Chief of the Presidential Secretariat, Bey Machmudin, the main agenda of Jokowi's visit was to increase relations between both nations.         According to the agenda, the president on the first day of his visit was to receive the Premier of New South Wales, Gladys Berejiklian, who paid a courtesy call on him, and to hold a meeting with the Australian business circles.          "Indonesia's investment rating has shown progress," Jokowi remarked during the meeting with the chief executive officers of Australian companies at the Shangri-La Hotel.         The president pointed out that the confidence index in Indonesia had also shown a positive trend.          New South Wales (NSW) has an important meaning for Indonesia, because some 41,435 of the 68 thousand Indonesian citizens in Australia are staying in NSW.

SAUDI KING'S VISIT TO BOOST BALI'S TOURISM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 25 (Antara) - Tourism operators and observers hailed the planned visit of Saudi King Salman bin Abdulaziz al-Saud to Indonesia, especially his one-week vacation plan in the Indonesian tourist resort island of Bali.          King Salman and his entourage of about 1.5 thousand people, including 10 ministers and 25 princes, will arrive in Jakarta on Mach 1 for a state visit until March 3, and will then head to Bali for a vacation until March 9, 2017.          With about 1.5 thousand royal family members, ministers, and princes; and four Boeing B747s of 400 and 200 series, two Boeing B777, and two C-130 Hercules, the Saudi King's visit is a big boost to Indonesia's tourism, particularly Bali.          "Certainly, this visit will promote Bali's tourism in the Middle East. The king's holiday in Bali would inspire not only others from Saudi but also businessmen from other Middle East countries to visit Bali," Indonesian Hotel and Restaurant Association (PHRI) Chairman for Bali Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardana Sukawati remarked in Denpasar, Bali, on Saturday.          Sukawati remarked that the king and his entourage from the oil-rich country will stay at numerous luxury hotels in Nusa Dua, Badung District. "This will serve as an opportunity for Bali to promote its tourism given the fact that so far the arrival of tourists from the Middle East countries is still insignificant.

INDONESIA LAUNCHES SEA WASTE CLEANING PROGRAM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 24 (Antara) - As a sprawling country with over 17 thousand islands and about 70 percent of its territory comprising water areas, Indonesia is reportedly ranked second as the world's plastic trash contributor to the sea.          In a bid to clean its sea of the plastic waste, the government has conducted studies to determine best solutions to deal with sea garbage and formulated and launched an action plan. It will organize a workshop to deal with the problem of ocean trash.          Efforts are being made to deal with the issue of sea pollution caused by waste. Plastic garbage has a direct impact on the sustainability of the fisheries sector besides affecting the marine health and environment. Waste poses a threat to the existence of fish, mammals, sea birds, and coral reefs in the world.          The Indonesian government is committed to reducing plastic waste by at least 70 percent by the end of 2025. As of now, about nine million tons of waste is generated every year.          Indonesia produces almost 65 million tons of waste a year, of which about 14 percent or nine million tons is in the form of plastic trash.

FREEPORT INDONESIA WORKERS FACE LAYOFFS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 23 (Antara) - Over 19 thousand workers of PT Freeport Indonesia and its affiliated contractor and privatized companies face the threat of losing their jobs if the US-based copper and gold mining firm halts its production and exports.          It was reported at least 20 expatriate workers have returned to their countries, and over 300 workers have been laid off as a result of the contract crisis between the government and PT Freeport Indonesia, which operates in Mimika District, Papua Province.          Mimika District head Eltinus Omaleng admitted that PT Preeport and a number of affiliated privatized/contractor companies had started to send their workers home, including expatriate workers from various countries.          "In a report of the Mimika Manpower Service, the number of employees who are already laid off has reached over 300 persons. Workers of PT Freeport were sent home. Those who are on leave are ordered not to return to Timika (district capital of Mimika), until the company's operations return to normal. Every day about 30 to 500 workers are sent home; possibly now they would have reached over one thousand," Omaleng told Antara after receiving thousands of workers who held a rally in front of his office on Feb 17.          The Immigration Office of Tembagapura in Mimika said more than 20 expatriate employees who work with PT Freeport Indonesia's contractor companies had left Timika, Papua, for their countries.

INDONESIA ALLOWS FREEPORT TO CARRY OUT EXPORTS FOR ONE YEAR

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 22 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has given PT Freeport a chance to carry out concentrate exports for one year, although it is still negotiating the continuation of the US-based company's license to operate in Indonesia.          The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has issued a recommendation for PT Freeport to export raw minerals for a period of one year. However, according to the Ministry of Trade, PT Freeport has yet to submit application for the export agreement letter (SPE).           Based on the recommendation, Freeport is allowed to export 1,113,105 wet metric tons of copper concentrates. The permit allows it to carry out exports from Feb 17, 2017 to Feb 16, 2018.          According to Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, the reluctance of Freeport to carry out the export of copper concentrates when it is offered an option could have negative impact on its performance in the long run.         "Freeport is a public company; if it stops (exports), its stocks will fall. So, in this case, no party will lose or win," Mulyani stated in Jakarta on Wednesday.         The Indonesian government is still continuing its negotiation process with Freeport to seek the best solution for the national economy and for the continuation of Freeport's investment in Indonesia.

FIRMS MUST BE PUSHED TO RESTORE BURNED LANDS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 20 (Antara) - The Indonesian government has the commitment to restore the country's land areas damaged by the land and forest fires in 2015, which burned over 2 million hectares and inflicted financial losses worth Rp220 trillion.          In a bid to accelerate the restoration of burned land, notably peatlands, the government has set up the Peatland Restoration Agency (BRG) to manage efforts for restoring damaged land areas.          Restoration of damaged land within a concession area must be carried out by companies holding the concession permits. The burned lands become the full responsibility of the concessionaires.          Hence, corporations which have so far tapped and enjoyed the benefit of the concession forests must carry out restoration of the damaged areas, and the government must take firm actions against those that are negligent.          "Weak and less serious law enforcement on violations in the environment sector will result in excessive damage," lawmaker and member of Commission VII on environmental affairs of the House of Representatives (DPR), Rofi Munawar, said in a statement in Jakarta on Friday (Feb 17).          Moreover, the damages caused to land and forest areas due to fires in 2015 are vast. Forest and plantation fires had affected 2.089 million hectares of area and inflicted financial losses worth Rp220 trillion in 2015.

RIF, "BLEISURE" EXPECTED TO BOOST TOURISM

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 18 (Antara) - Indonesia needs to formulate an integrated strategy to offer business and leisure (bleisure) services in order to increase investment and boost the development of its tourism sector.          According to Christina L. Raudatin, a meeting, incentive, conference, and exhibition (MICE) researcher, Indonesia has the potential to develop its tourism using the bleisure concept, as the country has prospective supporting resources.          Developing tourism by applying this concept can help the country attract investment in the tourism sector. Essentially, investment in the tourism sector is still low, with last year's total recorded value reaching only Rp15 trillion.          Chief of the Capital Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) Thomas Lembong revealed on Friday (Feb 17) that in the last five years, the tourism sector's contribution to the total investment reached solely about 2.2 percent, or Rp51.2 trillion of the total investment in the country.          Hence, the BKPM will focus on highlighting the country's investment potential through the Regional Investment Forum (RIF). It will promote the country's tourism potential and its supporting infrastructure.          In a press statement on Friday, the BKPM head announced that his office will hold the RIF in Nusa Dua, Bali, on February 23, 2017, to promote investment in the tourism sector and its supporting infrastructure.

GOVERNMENT TO BOOST MAIZE PRODUCTION, STOP IMPORTS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 17 (Antara) - Indonesia is working to boost its maize production and has expanded the area under corn cultivation. As a result, it expects to stop importing the commodity this year.         With this objective, the government has come up with a number of programs, including a plan to open three million hectares of new maize plantations, raising the total acreage of corn plantations to about 6.2 million hectares this year.          Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman and the Fodder Companies Association (GPMT) have agreed to stop the import of maize and increase production.         The minister revealed the plans to stop the import of corn while viewing the grand harvest of maize on a 160-hectare plot of land in the village of Tanjung Agung, South Lampung District, on Thursday (Feb 16). PT Vasham Kosa Sejahtra and PT Japfa Comfed have partnered with the local farmers for cultivating maize at the plantation.         In order to achieve the goal of stopping corn import, the government has committed to increase the production of maize nationally. The dry corn grain production was 23.2 million tons in 2016.          "We have included the South Lampung District in the list of regions where we hope to boost maize production. Moreover, South Lampung has become a maize production center for the Lampung Province," Sulaiman added.

CREDITS TO REACH SMALLEST SEGMENT OF BUSINESSPERSONS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 16 (Antara) - The government is currently giving greater attention to small businesses, notably micro-, small-, and medium-scale businesses (UMKM), by increasing the volume of its subsidized credits through the micro business loan (KUR) scheme.         Last year, it had set a target to provide KUR worth Rp120 trillion for UMKM. Although only Rp94.4 trillion of the 2016 target was realized, yet it significantly increased from the KUR extension worth Rp22.7 trillion of the targeted Rp30 trillion in 2015.         This indicates the government's highest commitment to developing small businesses, which play the biggest role in the nation's gross domestic product (GDP) growth.         The Ministry of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises, on its official website, revealed that the number of UMKM in Indonesia had reached 58 million in 2014. Other data showed that UMKM had contributed about 53 percent to the nation's GDP in 2011.         Hence, UMKM are now drawing greater government attention. This year, it is also planning to provide a special credit scheme for the smallest segment of businesspersons. This was disclosed recently by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati who termed the credit scheme as 'super micro' credit.

INDONESIAN TELKOM 3S SATELLITE TO HELP OVERCOME DIGITAL DIVIDE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 10 (Antara) - Indonesia expects to overcome the country's digital divide by providing internet access to all its villages, and consequently promoting tourism, through its new generation satellite, Telkom 3S.         Scheduled to be launched at the Guiana Space Center, Kourou, French Guiana, on February 14 local time or February 15 in Indonesia, the Telkom 3S satellite, when in orbit, will smoothen  telecommunication and facilitate internet connections in villages and remote regions across the country.         As of now, about 30 percent of the country's 74 thousand villages have no access to internet. By the end of this year, all the villages are expected to have internet service.         According to M Ridwan Effendi, secretary of the Policy Research and Telecommunications Center of the Bandung-based Institute of Technology (ITB), the Telkom 3S of PT Telekomunikasi Indonesia will help resolve the issue of the digital divide in the country.         Indonesians have been eagerly awaiting the launch of the Telkom 3S satellite because it can facilitate telecommunication services to even isolated areas of the country.         Thus, the Telkom 3S satellite will help connect all the regions in the Unitary State of Indonesia (NKRI) that has thousands of islands.

MOMENTUM TO REBUILD PUBLIC TRUST ON CONSTITUTIONAL COURT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 9 (Antara) - The Constitutional Court (MK) is a holder of the country's judicial power along with the Supreme Court, which aims at supervising the law so that it will be enforced based on the Constitution.         As an institution handling the judicial review of a law which is under a dispute, the MK must be manned with clean, trusted and professional judges. They must not be shaken by any promises that aim to influence the MK verdict.         Its image was seriously tarnished when one of its chairmen, Akil Mochtar, was arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in 2013 for a bribery case and was sentenced to life imprisonment in 2014.          After about two years, the MK has been struggling to improve its image and to regain public trust. While it has been gradually regaining the public trust, another case, involving one of its justices Patrialis Akbar who was once again arrested by the KPK for an alleged bribery case, has tarnished it.         "I am advised (by President Joko Widodo or (Jokowi) that the MK should be careful, as the public trust on it has been high, but this case has tarnished it all. We have built a good image, but again, there is (another) case," MK Chairman Arief Hidayat said after delivering a recommendation letter to the president for the temporary dismissal of Akbar as a MK justice.

GOVERNMENT CONVINCED INVESTMENT CAN CONTRIBUTE TO ECONOMIC GROWTH

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 8 (Antara) - The government believes that investment will gradually contribute to economic growth in the country in line with its efforts to improve the investment climate.          According to Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Darmin Nasution, it is always difficult to increase investment, but the government has something that it could offer.          In terms of regulations, Indonesia is now in a better position to open up opportunities for investors to invest in Indonesia.          The government has issued economic policy packages and optimized its services through the One-Stop Integrated Service.          "We continue to make improvements, so that our efficiency increases and helps to attract investors. This is a serious struggle (to increase investment), and we are still moving slowly (towards that target). We cannot make a successful jump all of a sudden. You cannot expect that investment would increase by six to seven percent; it is impossible," Nasution stated.          Earlier, the Central Bureau of Statistics had recorded that household consumption, standing at 5.02 percent in 2016, still constituted the biggest contributor to the economic growth.

PEOPLE ASKED TO SECURE REGIONAL HEAD ELECTIONS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 6 (Antara) - The National Police (Polri) has asked candidates, supporters and people of all walks of life to help secure the simultaneous regional head elections in 101 regions to be held across the country next week.         Polri hopes that all the supporters of candidate pairs and the people, in general, will maintain favorable conditions where voters can conveniently cast their votes without intimidation and pressures, so that the festival of democracy would run well and smoothly with good democratic values.         "We ask all contestants of the regional head elections, supporters and people to help create secure and peaceful conditions so that the people's democratic festivities would run well," Polri's Public Relations Division Head Inspector General Boy Rafli Amar said in Jakarta on Friday (Feb 3).           The national police also called on the people to not do anything that could trigger conflicts among the people, particularly among supporters of the contesting pairs, both before and after the polling day.           Favorable conditions are badly required before and after the voters cast their ballot papers, so that the ballot counting from the polling stations to the upper levels would be smooth without disruptions.        "We hope the regional head elections will proceed normally without any disturbance or conflict," Amar stated.

GOVERNMENT PLANNING TO CERTIFY ISLAMIC RELIGIOUS PREACHERS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 4 (Antara) - The government, through the Religious Affairs Ministry, is contemplating certifying religious clerics and preachers of Friday prayers in a bid to offer standardization guidelines and to reinforce religious propagation in the country.          Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin stated that certification is necessary to maintain unity among Muslims and to foster plurality among Indonesians. However, the minister claimed that the discourse on the certification of religious preachers did not come from him but from the people.          "The government, through the Ministry of Religious Affairs, will only facilitate the people's aspirations. The idea to certify religious clerics and preachers of Friday prayers came from Islamic organizations," Minister Saifuddin noted in Jakarta on Jan 30.          The government, as the facilitator, will give authority to Ulmas (Islamic scholars) or Islamic organizations to decide the standardization guidelines. The government will not act alone in deciding the certification of preachers, as the request came from the people who are represented by the Islamic organizations.

INDONESIA NEEDS TO REJUVENATE PALM OIL PLANTATIONS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 4 (Antara) - With some 11.6 million hectares of plantations, Indonesia needs to rejuvenate its palm oil trees to maintain its position as the world's largest crude palm oil (CPO) producer.         The country needs to rejuvenate its palm oil plantations to increase its CPO production, as in the midterm, the Industry Ministry has accorded priority to increasing investment in the palm oil processing industry that needs raw material.         Hence, anticipatory efforts must be undertaken to meet the need for raw material for the production of about 40 million tons of CPO by 2020.         However, as the plantations are old, there has been a downward trend in CPO production. Bayu Krisnamurthi, president director of the Palm Oil Plantation Fund Managing Board (BPDP), had stated last month that CPO exports fell two percent by volume in 2015, while production dropped by about seven percent.         "At the end of 2015, palm oil fruit production fell due to the El Nino-induced drought in 2015. Exports fell two percent by volume, as production dropped by seven percent," Krisnamurthi, who has recently stepped down from the post of BPDP president director, noted.         In 2015, Indonesia's CPO production had reached 32.5 million tons, with exports reaching 26.4 million tons. The export value went down from US$21.1 billion in 2014 to $18.6 billion in 2015.

GOVERNMENT SEEKS TO IMPOSE PROGRESSIVE TAX ON IDLE LANDS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Feb 2 (Antara) - A lot of people practice speculative buying of lands to resell them for a big margin years later, but this practice has led to many plots of land staying idle.          Intensive infrastructure development such as roads, turnpikes and ports by the government encourages speculators to purchase lands near these projects with hopes that the land prices would certainly skyrocket in future.      Hence, the government is considering imposing a progressive tax on idle lands, in an effort to discourage speculative buying and to boost the utilization of lands for economic activities and other productive purposes.          Minister for Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning Sofyan Djalil believes that the imposition of progressive tax on idle lands will be useful to reduce speculative buying of lands.           "The idea behind imposing progressive tax is to eradicate speculative buying of idle lands, Djalil said on Monday (Jan 30). He added that the rising land prices lure speculators to purchase them. He added that the lands were in fact idle because they were neglected by their owners and thus become unproductive.