Indonesia Highlights: Jokowi Signs Controversial Jobs Law | Indonesia to Disburse Second Phase of Cash Transfers for Workers | Jokowi Reprimands Senior Minister, Investment Chief over Low Investment

KOMPAS.com – The news broke out late Monday that Indonesia’s President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo signed the Omnibus Law on Job Creation amid nationwide protest.

Jokowi argued that one of the key reasons for passing the law is to create new jobs in the country, especially in labor-intensive sectors. The new controversial law has faced rejection as workers and students continue to protest against it. Some labor unions have decided to challenge the law in the Constitutional Court as they see that the law will harm the workers’ rights.

Earlier on Monday, the President reprimanded his senior minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Investment Coordinating Board head Bahlil Lahadalia for missing the country’s investment target. This happened before the cabinet minister meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta.

Meanwhile, the government will continue to disburse the second phase of cash transfers (BLT) to million workers whose monthly salary is below five million rupiahs ($342) and are registered with the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan). 

Below are excerpts from the news in Indonesia, curated by Kompas.com editors:

1. Jokowi Signs Controversial Jobs Law

(Dok. Bank Indonesia) Indonesian President Joko Widodo has signed the controversial Job Creation Law nearly a month after its approval.

Indonesia’s President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has signed the controversial Job Creation Law amid nationwide protest.

The signing means that the law enters into force after the House of Representatives approved it on October 5.

Filed under Law No. 11/2020 on Job Creation, the document has been divided into 15 chapters, comprising 186 articles. Indonesia’s State Secretariat has uploaded the Law on its official website late Monday.

Download the file here: https://jdih.setneg.go.id/Produk

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2020/11/03/002225074/president-joko-widodo-signs-indonesias-controversial-job-creation-law

2. Indonesia to Disburse Second Phase of Cash Transfers for Workers

ANTARA FOTO/PUSPA PERWITASARI Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah delivers her speech during a meeting with the House of Representatives.

The Indonesian government through the Ministry of Manpower will soon give the second phase of cash transfers (BLT) to workers whose monthly salary is below five million rupiahs ($342) in the first week of November, a top official said on Tuesday, November 3.

“We plan to disburse the second phase of cash transfers in the first week of November,” said Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah in a message broadcast via the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) YouTube Channel.

It means that the aid will begin to be disbursed in stages no later than Saturday, November 7, she added.

This year, the government has scheduled the disbursement of 600,000 rupiahs ($41) to some 15.7 million workers whose monthly salary is below five million rupiahs ($342) and are registered with the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan).

Each eligible worker receives the monthly assistance over four months or 2.4 million rupiahs ($164) in total. However, the aid will be disbursed in two phases so that each recipient will receive 1.2 million rupiahs ($82) in each phase.

The government has allocated 37.7 trillion rupiahs ($2.5 billion) from the state budget for the program during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2020/11/03/070300426/segera-cair-ini-jadwal-pencairan-blt-subsidi-gaji-ke-rekening-tahap-2.

3. President Jokowi Reprimands Senior Minister, Investment Chief over Low Investment

Aris FH An automobile manufacturer in Karawang, West Java.

Indonesia’s President Joko ‘Jokowi’ Widodo has reprimanded his Senior Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan and Investment Chief Bahlil Lahadalia over a six percent contraction in investment in the third quarter of 2020.

“Our investment in the third quarter contracted by six percent. It is still below the target of negative five percent. But, we will wait for the BPS [Central Statistics Agency] data. It will likely be a six percent contraction approximately,” said President Jokowi before the cabinet minister at the State Palace in Jakarta on Monday, November 2.

Jokowi said that previously the government targeted to post negative five percent in investment in the third quarter.

Going forward, Jokowi asked Luhut and Bahlil to improve the investment in the fourth quarter.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2020/11/03/200337874/president-jokowi-reprimands-senior-minister-investment-chief-over-low-investment.