GOVT STILL NEEDS TO BUILD OVER 2,000 TRADITIONAL MARKETS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 28 (Antara) -  The Indonesian government has planed to develop or renovate five thousand traditional markets across the country between 2015 and 2019.          The program to develop or renovate five thousand traditional markets was announced by President Joko Widodo when he laid the foundation stone for the construction of the Pasar Manis Market in Purwokerto, Central Java, in 2014.          This means that every year from 2015 until the end of the current term of office of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), the government has to renovate or build a thousand traditional markets.          However, so far, the government has built or renovated 2,910 units of traditional markets. Thus, in the remaining two years of Jokowi's current term of office, the government still has to develop some 2,090 units to meet its target by 2019.          Logistics and Retribution Facility director of the Trade Ministry Sihar Pohan said on Friday that until 2019, his ministry had a target to build 5,000 markets in Indonesia.          "Until 2017, the Trade Ministry has built 2,910 traditional markets throughout Indonesia and is targeted to reach 5,000 markets by 2019," said Sihar Pohan in Pontianak, West Kalimatan.

ADDITIONAL DIPHTHERIA VACCINES NEEDED FOR ORI PROGRAM

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 28 (Antara) - The Jakarta regional government will allocate additional funds for the procurement of diphtheria vaccines to immunize over 1.2 million residents, not only children under five years of age but also adults over 19 years old.          "The stock of diphtheria vaccines should be increased. I think an additional stock of over 30 percent is needed since we have to also take precautionary measures by immunizing those over 19 years of age. I hope this program would be implemented smoothly," Vice Governor Sandiaga Salahuddin Uno noted in Jakarta on Wednesday.          The 1.2-million stock of diphtheria vaccines was provided by the Ministry of Health, but it was solely for immunizing recipients in the age group of 0-19 years.         The Ministry of Health is launching a simultaneous immunization program, or "outbreak response immunization (ORI)," in the three provinces of West Java, Banten, and Jakarta to counter the emergence of diphtheria cases in some regions. The program was started on December 11, 2017.          In Jakarta, the number of patients having contracted the diphtheria virus has reached 57, and so far, two have died. According to the Indonesian Medical Association, over 600 patients were hospitalized, with 40 deaths reported across the country so far.

GOVERNMENT ACCELERATES ELECTRIFICATION PROGRAM IN N MALUKU

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 27 (Antara) - The government, through state-owned power utility company PLN, is accelerating its electrification program in North Maluku, particularly in the islands of Halmahera and Morotai, in its efforts to provide equal power supplies to one of the eastern regions of Indonesia.          Until the end of this year, PLN has completed its electricity supply projects for 11 villages as a Christmas and New Year's gift for the residents of Hamahera and Morotai Islands.          Besides the six service units of the Sofifi Area, PLN area has upgraded its operations from 12 hours to 24 hours. This means that from next year on, PLN will operate and supply electricity for 24 hours in the islands of Halmahera and Morotai.          Besides supplying 11 villages with electricity by the end of this year, PLN will also accelerate its program to cover 48 other villages in the islands of Halmahera and Morotai next year.         "By the end of 2017, PLN has provided gifts for Halmahera and Morotai, with the supply of electricity for 11 villages," General Manager of PLN for Maluku and North Maluku, Djoko Dwijatno, noted in a press statement in Jakarta on Monday.

JAKARTA CITIZENS HOLIDAYING WITH AIRPORT TRAIN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 26 (Antara) - Jakartans are luckier as they can take advantage of the current Christmas and New Year celebrations and their holidays to enjoy a newly operated airport train, which will be on trial until Jan 1, 2018.         The operation of the airport train, beginning on Tuesday (Dec 26), will complete the train transportation system, which included the launch of the operation of the skytrain at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport last September to transport passengers within the airport terminals.         The operations of the skytrain, also known as the automated people mover system (APMS) train, will be integrated with that of the airport train and other Jabodetabek electric trains, in order to increase the mobility of passengers to and from the airport.          Jakarta residents could also try it as the ticket is still cheap, namely Rp30 thousand per passenger. The normal ticket price will be imposed beginning Jan 2, 2018, valued at Rp70 thousand per passenger.         Therefore, during the Christmas and New Year Eve celebrations, Jakartans can enjoy their time by trying out the airport train.          On Tuesday, residents of Jakarta and surrounding areas enthusiastically spent the holidays together by trying out the Soekarno-Hatta Airport Train from Sudirman Baru Station (BNI City).

GOVERNMENT FAILS TO MEET ITS ONE MILLION HOUSE TARGET

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 23 (Antara) - The government seems to be failing again in meeting its target to develop one million houses for homeless families this year, as it could successfully build only 765,120 units up to the end of last month.          The government has since 2015 launched an annual one million house development program, yet it was unable to meet the target since then. In 2015, it only developed 699,770 units, while in 2016, it built 765,120 houses.          Public Works and Public Housing Ministry acknowledged that it had fallen short of its target to build one million units of houses a year.          "Yes, we have not reached the target. The realization has reached only 765,120 units this year, including 70 percent houses for low-income people (MBR) and 30 percent for non-MBR," Director General of Housing Khalawi Abdul Hamid told reporters in Jakarta on Tuesday (Dec 5).          Hamid stated that the program was launched to reduce the backlog of 7.6 million units, which grow by 800 thousand units per year. Based on the data of the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) and the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas), there were 13.5 million homeless families in 2014. The housing backlog has reached 7.6 million units.

BALI HOTELS GEAR UP FOR CHRISTMAS, NEW YEAR FESTIVITIES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 23 (Antara) - Hotels in the tourist resort island of Bali are gearing up to welcome visitors with special offers in the run-up to the Christmas and year-end festivities following the eruption of Mount Agung late last month.         Bali is Indonesia's largest popular foreign tourist destination, contributing over 40 percent to the country's foreign tourist arrivals. Last year, Bali had attracted 4.92 million foreign tourists to the country's total foreign tourist arrivals of 12.02 million.         Over four million tourists have visited Bali in the first eight months of 2017, an almost 120 percent year-on-year increase. Hence, Bali is the main asset for the government's efforts to increase the number of foreign tourist visits.         The country is projected to further invest in infrastructure, including the construction of the Benoa Cruise Ship Terminal in Bali, to surpass the target of 20 million foreign tourists by the start of 2020. It promises steady market growth, which is why the government is serious in its efforts to provide security and comfort to the tourists.         However, Mount Agung's eruption in late November will undeniably have an impact on Bali's tourism.

GOVT TO RAISE CEILING BUT CUT RATE OF ITS KUR CREDIT IN 2018

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 22 (Antara) - The government will raise the ceiling of its subsidized KUR micro business credit scheme from Rp106.6 trillion this year to Rp120 trillion in 2018 but will cut its interest rate from 9 percent to 7 percent.          Besides raising the ceiling and lowering its interest rate, the government will also allocate about 50 percent of the KUR credits next year to the small business production sector to further boost the production activities of small businesses.          Of the Rp106.7 trillion KUR credit allocation in 2017, some Rp91.3 trillion or 85.6 percent has been disbursed until the end of November.          "The performance reflected the government policy of favoring small businesses by providing them with access to financing," Darmin Nasution, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, said after a coordinating meeting on KUR 2017 evaluation and 2018 KUR plan in Jakarta, Friday (Dec 8).          The government made the decision to lower the KUR business credit interest rate from 9 percent to 7 percent, which will come into effect on January 1, 2018, in the hope that people's economy would be generated.

INDONESIAN ECONOMY TO PERFORM BETTER IN 2018

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 21 (Antara) - The Indonesian economy, which is said to have had good momentum to grow higher at 5.17 percent this year, will continue to recover and perform better in 2018.         The Indonesian economy grew by an average of five percent during the past three years, while the World Bank has predicted that Indonesia's economy would reach 5.3 percent next year. Even, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has forecast that the country's economic growth could reach 5.4 percent next year.          "The Indonesian economy is showing a positive momentum, and it is quite strong. We will try to maintain the growth momentum, so that all components contributing to the growth can be maintained," Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati stated on Monday (Dec 4).         The government has earlier set a growth target of 5.1 percent in the 2017 State Budget but later increased to 5.2 percent in the 2017 Revised State Budget.         Bank Indonesia (BI/the central bank), however, estimated that the 5.2 percent target is unlikely to be achieved. According to Indrawati, the year-end growth projection is set at 5.17 percent, or 0.03 percent lower than that of the revised state budget for 2017. Yet, this figure is better than last year's growth a 5.02 percent.

GOVERNMENT REMAINS COMMITTED TO MASS-PRODUCING ELECTRIC CARS

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 20 (Antara) - To cut the use of fuels, the government has, since 2012, envisioned to mass-produce electric cars, yet until now, the idea has not been realized, due to an issue in the battery system.         A state-owned oil and gas firm has also expressed its support to the government's plan to produce electric cars. Most importantly, the automotive industry has currently developed and is marketing electric cars in countries in the United States and Europe.         However, Indonesia has to further evaluate the battery system, as its electric car still has flaws. The earlier model of electric car also had an engine that easily overheated while going uphill.         "In general, it is good enough, but if it is to be mass-produced, an issue with its battery system needs to be fixed," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) noted while conducting a test drive of an electric car created by a student of the Surabaya-based Institute of Technology Sepuluh Nopember (ITS) on the Surabaya-Mojokerto (Sumo) Toll Road on Tuesday.         The president had conducted a test drive of the electric car on the sidelines of the inauguration of the Sumo Toll Road section 1B, II and III at the Waru Toll Gate, Surabaya, East Java, on Tuesday.

NATURAL GAS REMAINS VITAL SOURCE OF ENERGY

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 18 (Antara) - Currently, gas is an increasingly vital source of energy for the nation, as petroleum production has steadily declined, while energy demand has continued to increase.         "By converting and maximizing the utilization of gas, our demand for energy from sources of natural gas is also increasing," Chairman of House Commission VII Gus Irawan Pasaribu stated on Monday.          According to the politician of Gerindra, natural gas is a vital energy source for catering to a variety of interests, such as for operating power plants and industries and to fuel motor vehicles.           To this end, Commission VII had encouraged the optimal utilization of domestic gas by converting fuel oil to gas fuel by maximizing the utilization of gas to meet the transportation, household, and industrial needs.          The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources, in its statement, has affirmed that the stocks of liquefied petroleum gas (LPG), especially those of the three-kilogram cylinders, are still within the safe limits.

UNDERPRIVILEGED FAMILIES TO GET NON-CASH FOOD ASSISTANCE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 16 (Antara) - The government is planning to provide Non-Cash Food Assistance (BPNT) and rice social assistance (Rastra) program for about 15.49 million underprivileged families across Indonesia in 2018.          The assistance will be distributed to the beneficiaries who are scattered in 514 districts/municipalities in various parts of the country. The assistance in the BPNT and Rastra programs will be distributed in four stages in February, March, July, and August next year.          Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Culture Puan Maharani stated that the government is ready to distribute the BPNT and the Rastra rice program for 2018.          The minister, after a ministerial coordination meeting on the preparedness of BPNT distribution at her office in Jakarta on Friday, noted that her ministry has prepared technical matters for the distribution of BPNT for the first phase of the program in 2018.          "Data of beneficiaries, by name and by address, have been submitted by the Ministry of Social Affairs to the distributor bank accompanied by the Official Delivery Report," Maharani remarked.

OCA DECIDES TO INCLUDE DOUBLE-TRAP EVENTS IN ASIAN GAMES

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 13 (Antara) - The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) has decided to include two double-trap events in the shooting branch to be competed in the 2018 Asian Games.          OCA made the decision following its negotiations with the Indonesia Asian Games Organizing Committee (INASGOC) 2018 on the sports events to be competed in Asia¿s biggest sporting competition.          Indonesia will host the Asian Games 2018 in two cities of Jakarta and Palembang (South Sumatra) from Aug 18 to Sept 2, 2018.          "The double-trap events are included in the Asian Games even though it is not included in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics Games. Asia is still number one in double-trap shooting event," OCA Asian Games Department Director, Haider Farman, said on the sidelines of a meeting of the Asian Games' contingent commanders in Jakarta on Wednesday.          Haider stated that there were no more negotiations with INASGOC on the number of sports to be contested at the meeting, because the double-trap event was a proposed event of OCA, which was sourced from proposals by other contingents of other Asian Games participating countries.          OCA Honorary Vice President Wei Jizhong noted that INASGOC will immediately continue with the preparations for the Asian Games without any more planning and discussion. "We have completed all the planning and will work together," Jizhong remarked.

IMMUNIZATION LAUNCHED TO PREVENT SPREAD OF DIPHTHERIA

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 12 (Antara) - The Ministry of Health is launching a simultaneous immunization program or "outbreak response immunization (ORI)" in three provinces in response to the emergence of diphtheria cases in some regions.         The immunization program was carried out in three provinces of Jakarta, West Java, and Banten. The program was started on Monday (Dec 11)     Director of Surveillance and Quarantine of the Ministry of Health, Jane Soepardi, said that the effort was taken to prevent the spread of diphtheria. The selection of the three provinces is based on the consideration that the cases of diphtheria and population density in these three provinces are quite high.         Besides immunization in schools, residents can get free vaccinations through puskesmas public healthcare centers. There are a number of cases of diphtheria reported in several other regions, such as in Aceh, Central Java, and East Java.          The Health Service of Aceh has recorded a total of 93 cases of diphtheria in the province since early this year.          "Up to Dec 2017, we have recorded 93 cases of diphtheria in Aceh, of which four of them died. The four who died were from the districts of East Aceh, North Aceh, Pidie Jaya, and Bireuen," Head of Disease Prevention and Control Affairs of Aceh¿s Health Service, Abdul Fatah, stated in Aceh on Tuesday.         Two other patients were found in Batang district, Central Java, and three in Situbondo District in East Java.

GOVERNMENT'S ENERGY MIX PROGRAM NEEDS SUPPORT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 12 (Antara) - Many countries, including Indonesia, are now increasingly developing new and renewable energy (EBT), which is safe for the environment and is a promising source of energy for the future.         Indonesia expects that energy diversification utilizing renewable natural resources will help in its endeavor to accelerate its energy mix program and help reduce its greenhouse gas emission.         It wants renewable sources to contribute to 23 percent of the country's energy mix by 2025. Indonesia has also pledged to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions by 29 percent by 2030.          After all, Indonesia is rich in renewable sources, which could be developed to increase its energy mix and gas emission reduction programs.          Indonesia is rich in biopower, geothermal, hydropower, ocean energy, solar, and wind energies. The Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry (ESDM) has recorded the total renewable energy potential in Indonesia to reach 441.7 gigawatts (GW).          Based on data from the Directorate General of Renewable Energy and Energy Conservation of the ESDM, of the 441.7 GW, only two percent, or 8.8 GW, has been used so far.          The government has devised various strategies to attain the EBT target of 23 percent by 2025. In the geothermal field, for example, the ESDM has issued Regulation No. 36 on Preliminary Survey Assignment Procedure (PSP) and Preliminary Survey Assignment and Exploration (PSPE).

ACEH EXPECTED TO EXCEED RICE PRODUCTION TARGET

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 8 (Antara) - Agriculture is the main pillar of Aceh Province's economy, which contributes over 25 percent to the regional gross domestic product, absorbing some 35 percent of the local workforce.         Targeting to become one of the national food barn regions, Aceh has set a rice production target of 2.4 million tons for this year. The Aceh provincial government is also paying serious attention to the local community's accessibility to food.         Several important factors readied to realize food accessibility include the availability of food reserves and aid to the vulnerable and transient groups.         Hence, the regional government has continued to develop the agriculture sector of Indonesia's westernmost province, which is located in the western tip of Sumatra Island. This year's rice production target has been set at 2.4 million tons, yet it is likely to be exceeded.         Head of Aceh's Plantation and Agriculture Office Hasanuddin Darjo stated that the province's unhusked rice production in 2017 is estimated to reach 2.6 million tons, or exceed the target set at 2.4 million tons. The unhusked rice was harvested from Aceh's agricultural area of some 307,410 hectares.

PAPUA TO ENTER E-COMMERCE ERA AMID ECONOMIC PROGRESS

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 8 (Antara) - E-commerce is developing in Indonesia's big cities, but some isolated areas in its eastern regions, such as Papua, have yet to enjoy the benefits of the online trade facility due to an inadequate telecommunication system.          However, the country's eastern regions, which are still isolated and yet to be fully connected through fiber optic cables, will be able to enjoy online trade when support facilities for the Palapa Ring are installed at the designated locations.          Palapa Ring is a national fiber optic network construction project that will cover as many as 34 provinces and 440 cities and districts across Indonesia, with a total sea cable length of 35,280 kilometers, and a mainland cable length reaching as much as 21,807 kilometers.          To this end, the Young Entrepreneurs Association of Papua (HIPMI Papua) has reminded that Papua will soon enter the e-commerce era after supporting facilities for the Palapa Ring project become operational.          The Palapa Ring project is being developed and is expected to be completed by 2018.          "With the completion of the Palapa Ring project, I think, Papua will change. Development in the e-commerce sector will be boosted. Our entrepreneur friends should thus be alert and prepared to garner benefits from this condition," Chairman of the Executive Board of HIPMI Papua Dasril Sahari stated in Jayapura, the provincial capital of Papua, on Wednesday (Dec 6).

GOVERNMENT PLANS TO IMPOSE PROGRESSIVE ROYALTY ON MINING

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 7 (Antara) - The government is planning to impose a progressive increase rate on royalties of gold, copper, and silver mining commodities, in its efforts to increase state revenues from the mining sector.          The royalty progressive increase rate, which is set at 0.25 percent, is regulated in the draft revision of Government Regulation No. 9 Year of 2012 (PP 9/2012) on the Type and Tariff of Non-Tax State Revenues.          The plan for progressive increase in the royalty rate is in the hands of the Ministry of Finance and the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs to decide. The Ministry of Energy and Mineral Resources (ESDM) has submitted the draft revision of the government regulation to the two ministries, namely the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs and Finance Ministry.          "Now, the draft revision of the law is in the hands of the Finance Ministry and the Coordinating Ministry of Economic Affairs," Bambang Susigit, the director for mineral exploitation affairs of the SDM, was quoted as saying by kontan.co.id news portal on Monday (Dec 4.).          Actually, the government has not yet made public its plan to increase progressively the royalties in the production of gold, silver, and copper, but, it has been revealed to all stakeholders. Therefore, the ESDM leaves the decision on whether the government will go ahead and impose the policy to the Coordinating Ministry and the Finance Ministry.

ACEH TO DEVELOP MICRO FINANCE INSTITUTION

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, Dec 1 (Antara) - The Banda Aceh municipal government will establish a Sharia micro finance institution to boost local economic activities, provide small businesses with access to sources of finance and prevent people from falling victims to loan sharks.         The institution will be established in the form of a limited liability company following deliberations by the local government and the Regional Legislative Assembly (DPRD) of a 'qanun'  (bylaw) on micro financing, based on the Islamic Sharia (Islamic law).         The limited liability firm that will be formed will be called PT Syariah Mahirah Muamalah micro finance company, initiated by Banda Aceh Mayor Aminullah Usman and his deputy Zainal Arifin, and will belong to the local government.        "Two laws are expected to be put in place to serve as a legal basis for the establishment of PT Syariah Mahirah Muamalah, and two draft laws have already been discussed by the legislative and the executive," Iskandar Mahmud, a member of the DPRD, said in Banda Aceh, Monday (Nov 27).          In addition to the draft law on the formation of a limited liability company, he stated, the executive also proposed the draft law on Banda Aceh City's capital investment in PT Syariah Mahirah Muamalah.         According to Mahmud, who is a politician of the Golkar Party, the draft law for the establishment of PT Syariah Mahirah Muamalah and the draft law for capital participation in the company have been discussed with the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Government of Aceh Province.