Indonesia Highlights: Covid-19 Vaccine Budget Reaches Rp 34T | Indonesia's AUD$1.5B Deal with Australia | Jakarta Falls Short of “City of Intellect" Award

KOMPAS.com – Following the recent return of Rizieq Shihab, the Islamist group PA 212 is eagerly waiting for a reunion at the National Monument in Jakarta.

However, the Jakarta Provincial Government was quick to remind members of PA 212 that the National Monument remains closed until further notice due to the capital city’s extended large-scale social restrictions.

In other news today, Indonesia’s Coordinating Minister for Human Development and Cultural Affairs, Muhadjir Effendy shared that the government is still assessing which regions will require Covid-19 vaccinations.

The Indonesian government is following through on the WHO’s recommendations of providing Covid-19 vaccinations to 70 percent of the Indonesian population to reach herd immunity level.

Muhadjir has reiterated that while the assessment is ongoing, medical workers in Indonesia remain the top priority for Covid-19 vaccine recipients.

A wrap-up of today’s Indonesia news is highlighted below:

SHUTTERSTOCK/PalSand

1. Indonesian Government to Allocate Rp 34T for Covid-19 Vaccine

The Indonesian government has set aside Rp 34.23 trillion or around $2,338,114 for obtaining Covid-19 vaccines this year and throughout next year.

The plan is to allocate Rp 5 trillion this year which the remaining Rp 29.23 trillion will be for next year.

The measure is part of the Indonesian government’s move to increase funding for the healthcare sector from the State Budget.

Under the Covid-19 Mitigation and National Economic Recovery program, Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani shared that the budget has increased to Rp 97.26 trillion from a previous Rp 87.55 trillion.

As of Nov. 9, the realization of the healthcare budget has reached 35 percent or Rp 34.07 trillion from a total of Rp 97.26 trillion.

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2020/11/12/150901826/pemerintah-cadangkan-anggaran-rp-34-triliun-untuk-vaksin-covid-19 

KOMPAS.COM/KRISTIANTO PURNOMO

2. Jakarta Falls Short of the “City of Intellect” Award

Jakarta State University Professor Hafid Abbas explained the reasons why Indonesia’s capital city fell short of winning the “City of Intellect” award.

According to Hafid, there are five indicators to improve the chances of obtaining the accolade:

Minimum 3 A-Accredited State or Private Universities
Safe
Affordable and Competitive Living Costs
Ease of Finding Employment
Cultural Appeal
Jakarta, however, fell short on the indicators of safety and affordable and competitive living costs.

Hafid explained Jakarta is the most expensive city compared to the other cities that made it on the Top-10 City of Intellect while crime is frequent.

The “City of Intellect” award is provided by Jakarta State University who gave this year’s top prize to the city of Semarang, Indonesia.

Source: https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2020/11/12/14073341/unj-jakarta-tak-raih-city-of-intellect-karena-kurang-aman-dan-biaya-hidup 

Istimewa Indonesia has secured an AUD $1.5 billion loan from the Australian government to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic.

3. Indonesia Receives AUD$1.5B Loan from Australian Government

Indonesia has secured an AUD $1.5 billion loan from the Australian government to mitigate the coronavirus epidemic in the country.

Australia’s Finance Minister Josh Frydenberg explained that the approval of the Rp 15.45 trillion loan was due to Indonesia’s record of sound fiscal management that has allowed it to swiftly respond to the Covid-19 crisis.

Indonesia’s Finance Minister Sri Mulyani stated that the Australian government’s loan gave the Southeast Asian nation room to maneuver several policies to mitigate the coronavirus pandemic.

The Australian government has given Indonesia 15 years to repay the AUD $1.5 billion.

Sri Mulyani explained that the loan supports the Asian Development Bank-led Covid-19 Active Response and Expenditure Support Program.

Source: https://go.kompas.com/read/2020/11/12/192910374/indonesia-receives-aud15b-loan-from-australian-government