GOVERNMENT'S INTERVENTION HELPS CONTROL DENGUE OUTBREAK by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 14, 2019 (Antara)- As Indonesia is experiencing the peak of rainy season in January and February this year, mosquito-borne viral disease dengue fever is also spreading in various regions, but it is now relatively under control thanks to the government intervention.

        In fact, in November 2018, the Health Ministry issued a circular letter to regional administrations across the country, calling for vigilance and anticipation for a possible outbreak of dengue, by eradicating the nests of Aedes aegypti mosquito, the main vector that transmits the viruses that cause dengue.

        In addition, people are also advised to use mosquito repellent, use mosquito nets while sleeping, maintain mosquito larvae predators, plant mosquito repellent plants, regulate light and ventilation in the house, and avoid the habit of hanging clothes inside the house.

        Despite the ministry's warning and the public anticipation, however, at least 15,132 cases of dengue fever were reported throughout Indonesia, with 145 deaths, as of Feb 1, 2019, according to the Health Ministry.

          East Java Province witnessed the highest number of dengue cases, at 3,074, with 52 deaths, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, the ministry's director for vector-borne and zoonotic diseases, stated in early February 2019.

         West Java ranked second, with 2,461 cases, causing 18 deaths; followed by East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), with 1,092 cases, resulting in 18 deaths; and North Sumatra, with 1,071 cases, leading to 13 deaths.

TEACHING DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AT INDONESIAN SCHOOLS by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 11, 2019 (Antara) - Indonesia is blessed with fertile soil and various natural resources, but concurrently, the country is prone to natural disasters, as it is located in the Pacific Ring of Fire, where numerous volcanoes and earthquakes occur.

        Always remaining vigilant is a necessity if you live in Indonesia, which is one of the most disaster-prone countries in the world. Some people in certain areas have even got accustomed to experiencing earthquakes, as they often occur.

        During the period from January to mid-December last year, a total of 2,572 natural disasters had hit the country, leaving at least 4,821 people dead or missing, according to the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB).

        Of the total, 2,572, or 96.9 percent of the natural disasters, were hydrometeorological in nature, such as floods, landslides, and whirlwind, while 76, or 3.1 percent, were geological disasters, such as earthquakes.

        In January 2019, Indonesia was hit by 366 natural disasters that claimed 94 lives or led to several going missing, injured 149, and affected and displaced 88,613 others.

        In a bid to deal with natural disasters that occur with such frequency, Indonesia has set up specific institutions at the local and national levels. The country has established the BNPB and Regional Disaster Management Agency (BPBD) at the local level as well as the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) and the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas), among others.

        Owing to its long-standing experience and professionalism, Indonesia's disaster risk reduction model has been named the best practice during the Humanitarian Networks and Partnerships Week (HNPW) 2019 organized in Geneva, Switzerland, on February 4-8, 2019.    

JOKOWI REMAINS MEDIA DARLING by Fardah

  Jakarta, Feb 9, 2019 (Antara) - Joko Widodo (Jokowi), a furniture businessman who turned into a politician, has become a media darling since he rose to the national politic arena in 2013.

        His rapid rise from being Solo's mayor (2005-2012) to Jakarta's governor (2012-2014), and later as Indonesia's seventh president (since October 2014), was also partly thanks to the media that was mostly fond of him.

        In April 2015, the then chairman of the Association of Indonesian Journalists (PWI) Margiono presented Jokowi a jacket with a text that read "Media Darling" on the left side.  
  During the 2019 National Press Day celebration held in Surabaya, East Java, on Feb 9, 2019, Jokowi received a Press Freedom medal from Chairman of the Press Council (Dewan Pers) Yosep Stanley Adi Prasetyo.

        "We convey our congratulations and laud the president, who has been playing a major role in the press world so far," Prasetyo noted in his remarks.

         The Press Freedom medal is the highest award bestowed by the press community on an individual or institution that has contributed significantly towards the interest of the press, he remarked.

        Jokowi responded by saying that he felt proud and grateful to the press in Indonesia for trusting him to receive the award.

        The government has, so far, guaranteed press freedom and accepted various forms of constructive criticism as a means of social control, he added.

         "I also invite the press to strengthen its identity as a source of information that is accurate and trustworthy and always strengthens its identity to continue to educate the public," Jokowi noted.

        Earlier, he remarked that he was glad to witness that the public has laid greater trust in the conventional media than social media.

SEA TOLL PROGRAM WORKS IN REDUCING PRICE DISPARITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 8,  2019 (Antara) - The sea toll program is crucial for Indonesia, which is one of the world's largest maritime countries, with some 5.8 million square kilometers of sea territory, while its land territory covers only 1.9 million square kilometers.

               Moreover, the largest archipelagic nation in the world has some 17,480 islands, and its coastline is some 92 thousand kilometers long, making it the second longest after Canada.    
         The administration of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), which aims to develop the country into a global maritime axis, has come up with the sea toll road concept that will improve ports and shipping in order to facilitate the transport of goods across the archipelago.

             The sea toll road service, operational since 2015, is expected to help reduce the high price disparity between eastern and western Indonesian regions, which is so far caused by expensive shipping freight costs, as almost every ship returning from remote areas is empty or carries no freight.

              The Transportation Ministry organized a national seminar on marine toll aboard MV Dorolonda at the Tanjung Perak Seaport, Usrabaya, on February 4, 2019, to discuss the implementation of sea toll services.

   
        The seminar, themed, "To Improve Connectivity, to Open Logistics Supply Routes, and to Reduce Goods Price Disparity", was held in cooperation with the organizing committee of the National Press Day 2019. 
The seminar was attended by officials of the Transportation Ministry, Trade Ministry, Agriculture Ministry, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry, state-owned enterprises (BUMN), governments, academicians, and journalists.  
    The trade minister, agriculture minister, transportation minister, and maritime affairs and fisheries minister were among the speakers at the seminar.

INDONESIA SETS HIGHER TARGET OF INVESTMENT IN 2019 by Fardah

Jakarta, Feb 5, 2019 (Antara) - Indonesia is optimistic that it will be able to attract more investment this year despite the implementation of simultaneous legislative and presidential elections to be held on April 17, 2019.

        Based on observation over the past 15 years, the government has found out that investment usually slows down before elections.

       Thomas Trikasih Lembong, head of the Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM), has expressed optimism that investment would rebound after the April elections, owing to high market expectation on stability and continuity.

       "It will rebound. (The 2019) election will be held on April 17, and we still have 7.5 months after the voting day for the investment sector to recover from the pre-election slowdown," Lembong said during a discussion with foreign investors.

        The agency has set a target of investment at Rp792.3 trillion (US$56 billion) in 2019, higher than Rp721.3 trillion ($51 billion) in 2018.

         The target has covered 55 percent of foreign investment and 45 percent of domestic investment.

               In 2018, the realization of investment in Indonesia reached Rp712.3 trillion, accounting for 94.3 percent of the target of Rp765 trillion in the medium-term national development plan.

            "In the fiscal year 2018, we failed to achieve the target, because the investment only reached 94.3 percent of the target," Lembong stated on Jan 30, 2019.

           Compared to the previous year, the investment in 2018 rose 4.1 percent, with domestic investment amounting to Rp328.6 trillion and foreign investment amounting to Rp392.7 trillion.

        The investment mostly went to West Java, Jakarta, Central Java, Banten, and East Java.  

POLICE, MILITARY GEAR UP FOR 2019 ELECTION SECURITY by Fardah

 Jakarta, Feb 2, 2019 (Antara) - Indonesia will hold simultaneous legislative and presidential elections throughout the country's 34 provinces on April 17, 2019, believed to be one of the world's most complex elections.

         Of its total population of 260 million people, over 185.6 million are registered as illegible voters in Indonesia.

       The General Election Commission (KPU) will set up a total of 801,838 polling stations in the world's largest archipelago with over 17 thousand island.

       The next presidential and legislative elections will be the fourth organized directly, democratically, and simultaneously across the country, which is considered as the world's fourth largest democratic nation.

        With its independence declared on Aug 17, 1945, Indonesia held its first elections in 1955, but it was not direct elections. The first direct presidential election was organized in 2004.

        Most of the elections were relatively safe and peaceful. And this year, many parties believe that the Indonesian Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) personal will replicate their success in guarding the election process once again.

         The Indonesian Police will deploy 272 thousand officers, and the TNI 43 thousand officers to secure the implementation of the 2019 elections.

        In addition to the military and police personnel, some 1.73 million members of Linmas (community protection group) or civilian security personnel will also be involved in the security team.

         A joint meeting of the police and military leadership was organized in Jakarta on Jan 29, 2019, to discuss security measures for the 2019 general elections.