News and Views
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY BI-WEEKLY BULLETIN · ISSUE I/01 · 5 January 2008 Indonesia News and Views IN THIS ISSUE: Politics Economy Society & Culture International Others Editorial USEFUL LINKS: Government (www.indonesia.go.id) Department of Foreign Affairs (www.deplu.go.id) Department of Cultural and Tourism (www.budpar.go.id) Raja Ampat Island National Agency for Export Development (www.nafed.go.id) Raja Ampat Island is the most western district of the Indonesian Province of Papua. Raja Ampat is the most bio diverse location in the world, more Investment than 3000 species of fishes and over 300 species of corals have been Coordinating Board identified here, in a single one and half hour dive you can identified more (www.bkpm.go.id) than 282 fish species and more than 400 species. Statistics Indonesia (www.bps.go.id) (Source: my-indonesia.info) The Jakarta Post (www. thejakarta- post.com) Issued by THE INDONESIAN EMBASSY, INFORMATION & SOCIO-CULTURAL AFFAIRS Kuusisaarentie 3, 00340 Helsinki, Finland, Phone. (358-9) 477 0370, Fax. (358-9) 458 2882, E-mail. [email protected] The Indonesian Embassy, Bi – Weekly Bulletin. Issue 5 January 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS POLITICS INDONESIA, JAPAN ENTERS 2008 WITH HEART-TO-HEART DIPLOMACY …… 1 MYANMAR PRIME MINISTER TO VISIT RI JANUARY 14-15 ……………………… 1 ECONOMY ECONOMIC GROWTH ………………………………………………………………….. 2 RI TEXTILE, TEXTILE PRODUCT EXPORTS IN 2008 MAY GROW 10 PCT ……. 2 GOVERNMENT HOPES TO INCREASE EMPLOYMENT RATES IN 2008 ………. 3 MINISTER MOCH. LUKMAN EDI DEDICATES INDONESIA'S FIRST COMBINED TECHNOLOGY POWER PLANT ……………………………….. 4 TWENTY-THREE RECEIVE "UPAKARTI" AWARD FOR DISTINGUISHED PERFORMANCE IN SMEs SECTOR ………………………………………………….. 4 GOVERMENT TO EXTEND REGULATION ALLOWING SECOND-HAND MACHINERY IMPORTS …………………………………………………………………. 5 INDONESIA'S OIL PRODUCTION IN 2007 REACHES 962,811 BPD …………….. 6 SOCIETY & CULTURE VISIT INDONESIA YEAR 2008 OFFICIALLY LAUNCHED …………………………. 6 PRESIDENT CALLS ON ALL INDONESIANS TO DEVELOP READING HABIT …………………………………………………………………………. 7 MOCHTAR KUSUMAATMADJA CITED AS SUNDANESE CULTURALIST ………. 7 BANGKA TEACHERS TO TEACH INDONESIAN IN CHINA ……………………….. 8 INTERNATIONAL WESTERN AUSTRALIA TO HAVE INDONESIAN LANGUAGE CENTER ………… 8 SINGAPOPE INVESTS RP. 79 BILLION IN CLEAN WATER PROJECT IN BANGKA ……………………………………………………………………………….. 9 OTHERS JAPANESE PRINCE, PRINCESS TO VISIT INDONESIA …………………………… 9 SBY BOOK SHOWS ‘ TRUE FACE’ OF INDONESIA ……………………………….. 9 BALI MARKS NEW YEAR BY DISTRIBUTING MANGROVES TO TOURISTS ….. 10 EDITORIAL GLOBAL ECONOMY SLOWS, INDONESIA’S UPBEAT …………………………….. 10 INDONESIA’S FISCAL CHALLENGES FOR 2008 …………………………………… 12 The Indonesian Embassy, Bi – Weekly Bulletin. Issue 5 January 2008 POLITICS to promote Japan's care for Indonesia," said Anwar who was a former Executive Director of the Asian Development Bank INDONESIA, JAPAN ENTERS 2008 (ADB). WITH HEART - TO - HEART MYANMAR PRIME MINISTER TO DIPLOMACY VISIT RI JANUARY 14 - 15 Tokyo - Indonesian Ambassaaor to Jakarta - Myanmar Prime Minister Japan Jusuf Anwar said the bilateral General Thein Sein is scheduled to relations between Indonesia and Japan make an official visit to Indonesia on in 2008 are entering a new stage January 14 and 15, 2008, to talk about marked with the introduction of the efforts to enhance bilateral relations. heart-to-heart diplomacy. "The Myanmar ambassador calls it a "The two countries are entering the goodwill visit but we will treat it as an 50th year of their relations and agreed to official visit," presidential spokesman start a new episode by intensifying Dino Patti Djalal said at the presidential. heart-to-heart relations," Anwar said. Thein would come to Indonesia The ambassador made the remark accompanied by Myanmar's ministers in during a celebration of 50 years of charge of agriculture and irrigation, Indonesi-Japan bilateral relations in national planning and economic 2008. The two countries established development, trade, energy, diplomatic relations in January 1958, transportation and border area growth which came into effect in April 1958. and national development, Dino said. The one-time Finance Minister said "The composition of the delegation that Indonesia and Japan deemed it reflects the Myanmar government's wish necessary to enhance their relations by to enhance bilateral relations with the people-to-people contact approach. Indonesia in a comprehensive way," he said. "Such direct relations which will touch the hearts and feelings of the two Dino said a planned meeting nations will materialize through the between the Myanmar prime minister culture. The feeling of equality could be and President Susilo Bambang revived through the culture," Anwar said. Yudhoyono would be their second one after their meeting at the ASEAN summit He also said that such relations which in Singapore in December, 2007. rely only on economic and political activities would not be eternal. The visit would be Prime Minister Thein Sein's first sojourn to Indonesia. If one and the other felt cheated or lost, it may affect the relations which Official data showed that trade have been built for many years. between Indonesia and Myanmar was "Therefore, the Indonesian embassy still low in value as in 2006 it was and consulate general in Japan will have recorded at only US$157 million with to activate efforts to pick the ball and Indonesia enjoying a surplus of US$118 promote total diplomacy," he said. million. "All the aspects of cooperation in the Until June, 2007, trade between the economy, trade, immigration and two countries reached a value of education should be reactivated in a bid 1 US$145 million with Indonesia booking a reason for the government to maintain surplus of US$100 million. the inflation in 2008 at 6 percent. "Maintaining the inflation rate in 2008 In regard to the political situation in does not mean that it is irrational. We Myanmar, the Indonesian government are trying to create an expectation that wished that Myanmar would make the government would not give up so progress and promise to continue the easily," he said. road map to democracy. Under such circumstances, the "We want the process of democracy govern-ment has stepped up in Myanmar to continue inclusively and coordination between Bank Indonesia comprehensively, meaning that they and the technical depart-ments within need to reach out to figures who are the government. currently still outside the process to implement the road map to democracy," He cited the distribution of goods he said. which is actually the transportation minister's job, will effect the ECONOMY expectations, although the production HIGH INFLATION RATE WILL BOOST sector has no problem. ECONOMIC GROWTH "According to experience of the BPS, inflation expectations are playing an Jakarta - Head of the Central Bureau important role," he said. of Statistics (BPS) Rusman Heriawan When asked to comment on the world said the high inflation rate of 6.59 crude oil price hike and the high inflation percent in 2007 may boost Indonesia's rates in several industrialized countries, economic growth by 6.3 percent as Rusman said all these factors had projected in the Revised State Budget. already been considered by the "There is a reverse relation between government. "A bad influence is an inflation and demand-driven economic inflation caused by imported goods, deve-lopment because this means since increasing prices of imported increased demand, the inflation also goods may likely raise the inflation" he increased, but production also goes up," said. he said after attending a coordination He also said that the world oil price meeting on inflation, in Jakarta. hike which had reach 100 US dollars per When asked whether the economic barrel, would not have a too serious develop in the country may exceed 6.3 impact provided the government percent, he said the potential is always managed to keep domestic oil prices at there. "The government's spendings in reasonable levels. the fourth quarter have been huge. Not "If the government can do this, no to mention the post-fasting celebation of matter how much the price of world oil Idul Fitri, Idul Adha (moslem feast of is, it has an insignificant effect, there sacrifice), and Christmas, which had would be no need to raise domestic oil significantly raised household prices," he said. (ANTARA) spendings, which also caused an increase in the inflation rate," Rusman RI TEXTILE, TEXTILE PRODUCT said. EXPORTS IN 2008 MAY GROW 10 2008 INFLATION PCT Rusman also said that expectations Jakarta - Indonesia's textile and on the inflation became an important textile product exports in 2008 may increase by 10 percent to reach a total 2 value of US$11.06 billion compared to represented an almost 1 million US$10.06 billion in 2007, the Indonesian reduction from the previous year. The Textile Association (API) said. agency said this was due to fairly healthy economic growth, which had "With additional investments totaling created more job opportunities. US$500 million in 2008, textile and textile product exports will hopefully "There has been a significant increase increase by 10 percent," API Chairman in the number of workers in almost all Benny Soetrisno said on Wednesday. sectors during the period of August 2006 to August 2007," Arizal Ahnaf, the BPS He added API had set itself the target deputy chairman for Social Statistics, of increasing production by five percent said Wednesday 3# january 2008, while and production capacity utilization to announcing the results of a BPS survey more than 80 percent. But he on labor.