Indonesia Highlights: No Plans to Impose Sanctions against Indonesians Who Refuse Vaccination: Deputy Minister | Indonesia’s Muslim Preacher Sheikh Ali Jaber Passes Away | Tesla Teams’ Jakarta Visit P

KOMPAS.com – Indonesia began its first mass Covid-19 inoculation program on January 13. President Joko Widodo received the first shot of a Chinese-made Sinovax vaccine at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta.

However, some of the Indonesian citizens have refused to receive the Covid-19 jab drive, arguing that they are not obliged to receive the shot.

Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said on Thursday that the government has yet planned to impose sanctions against people who refuse mass Covid-19 vaccination.

In other news, an Indonesian Muslim preacher of Saudi Arabia origin, Sheikh Ali Jaber, passed away on Thursday, January 14. He is 44. The influential preacher was treated in a Jakarta hospital due to Covid-19.

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

1. No Plans Yet to Impose Sanctions against Indonesians Who Refuse Covid-19 Vaccination: Deputy Minister

Indonesia’s Deputy Health Minister Dante Saksono Harbuwono said on Thursday that the government has yet planned to impose sanctions against people who refuse mass Covid-19 vaccination.

Dante said the mass coronavirus jab drive was a collective effort to form herd immunity, not individual immunity.

“In our action to achieve 70 percent common immune of the total population, we will do it persuasively,” said Dante during the Covid-19 jab drive held at state-run Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital.

“As of now, there is no sanction or penalty against those who refuse vaccination,” Dante added.

Previously, Deputy Minister for Law and Human Rights Edward Hiariej said that under Law No. 6/2018 on health quarantine, those who refuse vaccination could face up to a year of imprisonment.

Edward said that the Indonesian citizens must take part in the Covid-19 jab drive as one of the efforts to realize public health.

Source: https://nasional.kompas.com/read/2021/01/14/12335551/wamenkes-belum-ada-sanksi-bagi-penolak-vaksinasi-covid-19?page=1.

2. Indonesia’s Muslim Preacher Sheikh Ali Jaber Passes Away

YOUTUBE SYEKH ALI JABER Muslim preacher Sheikh Ali Jaber

An Indonesian Muslim preacher of Saudi Arabia origin, Sheikh Ali Jaber, passed away on Thursday, January 14. He is 44.

The influential preacher was treated in a Jakarta hospital due to Covid-19. When he died, his health was reportedly improved as he was already recovered from the coronavirus, said his friend Yusuf Mansur, who is also an Indonesian Muslim preacher.

Yusuf announced Sheikh Ali Jaber’s death via his official Instagram account @yusufmansurnew. He also mentioned that Sheikh Ali Jaber had tested negative for the coronavirus.

Sheikh Ali was born in Medina on February 3, 1976. At the age of 10, Sheikh Ali Jaber was able to memorize 30 chapters of the Holy Quran. When he was 13, Sheikh Ali Jaber became an imam at one of the mosques in Medina.

Before coming to Indonesia, Sheikh Ali Jaber completed his formal education in Medina, while he also learned from many well-known scholars in Saudi Arabia.

Tribunnews.com reported that Sheikh Ali Jaber began to preach in Indonesia in 2008. Still, in the same year, he married Umi Nadia, an Indonesian from Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara and they have a son.

He was granted Indonesian citizenship in 2012 during the Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono presidency. Moreover, on January 23, 2020, Sheikh Ali Jaber showed a photo of his Indonesian passport.

Source: https://megapolitan.kompas.com/read/2021/01/14/10134431/syekh-ali-jaber-meninggal-dunia?page=2.

3. Tesla Teams’ Jakarta Visit Postponed to February

Getty Images via DW Indonesia Elon Musk, the founder of US Automaker Tesla, will send the companys delegations to Indonesia in February to discuss potential investment in electric vehicles.

Elon Musk, the founder of US automaker Tesla, will send his representatives to Indonesia in February, a month after its initial plan.

This was confirmed by Jodi Mahardi, a spokesperson for the Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan on Thursday, January 14.

“They will come to Indonesia early February,” Jodi told Kompas.com.

Jodi said the meeting was expected to discuss potential investment in electric vehicles, among others.

Initially, Tesla delegations are scheduled to visit Indonesia in January.

Source: https://money.kompas.com/read/2021/01/14/170254126/diundur-tim-tesla-datang-ke-indonesia-awal-februari.