GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES

Jokowi plans to sell home-developed COVID-19 vaccine to other countries
Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/y6zxeojv); iNews (https://tinyurl.com/y38jce6z)

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo plans to sell the home-developed COVID-19 vaccine to other countries. The President is optimistic that Indonesia will have a more than sufficient supply as China-based biopharmaceutical company Sinovac Biotech, through a partnership with state pharmaceutical holding company Bio Farma, plans to provide as much as 290 million doses of the vaccine.

Moreover, Jokowi deemed other countries, particularly in the Southeast Asian region, to be not as ready as Indonesia in developing a COVID-19 vaccine.

“If we manage to develop the Merah Putih (Red and White) vaccine, we can produce more and sell it to other countries,” Jokowi said.

Bio Farma has reportedly secured 50 million doses of ready to fill (RTF) vaccine from Sinovac for between November 2020 and March 2021 through the signing of the Preliminary Agreement of Purchase and Supply of Bulk Production of COVID-19 Vaccine in China on Aug. 20.

 

House, govt discuss Constitutional Court bill
Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/y2lf3spz)

House of Representatives Commission III held a meeting earlier today with Law and Human Rights Minister Yasonna Laoly, Administrative and Bureaucratic Reform Ministry institutional and management deputy head Rini Widyawati and Finance Ministry budget regulations harmonizing director Didik Kusnaini to discuss the third revision of Law No. 24/2003 on the Constitutional Court.

House Commission III deputy chairman Adies Kadier who led the meeting explained that the meeting would begin with the House’s explanation of the Constitutional Court bill, as the latter initiated the revision. The meeting would then proceed with the government’s view of the bill.

 

Evi Novida regains position as KPU commissioner
CNN Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/y4af5o7f); Detik (https://tinyurl.com/y6phnt75)

General Elections Commission (KPU) chairman Arief Budiman has said that the dismissed Evi Novida Ginting has regained her position as a commissioner at the poll body.

The decision was stipulated in Presidential Decree (Keppres) No. 83/2020, which was issued on Aug. 13 to revoke Presidential Decree No. 34/2020 regarding Evi’s dismissal in late March.

Evi was previously discharged from her position as she was found to have violated the commission's code of ethics by falsifying the 2019 regional election results in West Kalimantan.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES

Wage subsidy for workers to be disbursed on Tuesday
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/y42wsyjq); Kompas, (https://tinyurl.com/y3m88la8); Kumparan, (https://tinyurl.com/y2q6bu8t) 

The COVID-19 wage subsidy program, which targets workers registered under the Workers Social Security Agency (BPJS Ketenagakerjaan) with salaries below Rp 5 million (US$339), will be disbursed starting Aug. 25. The government has prepared Rp 37.7 trillion to cover all targeted recipients. The targeted workers will receive a wage subsidy in two phases amounting to Rp 1.2 million for each phase. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati said her ministry had finished the paperwork so the subsidy was ready to be distributed. Manpower Minister Ida Fauziah said the wage subsidy would be launched tomorrow by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

 

Energy Ministry issues regulation on electric vehicle charging station
Bisnis Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/yxnfk9ev) 

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Arifin Tasrif has issued Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Regulation (Permen ESDM) No. 13/2020 on the development and operation of charging stations for electric vehicles. Through this regulation, the ministry also assigns state-owned electricity company PLN to develop the country’s first charging station for electric vehicles. Although this regulation allows private businesses to build and operate charging stations, they are obliged to follow PLN’s retail electricity rates.

 

Pertamina reports Rp 11 trillion loss in first half
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/y6ztgoor); CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/y65oc8qv) 

State-owned oil and gas holding company Pertamina recorded Rp 11 trillion (US$745 million) in net losses in the first half of the year, a reversal from last year’s performance of Rp 9.65 trillion net profit. Pertamina finance director Emma Sri Martini said the COVID-19 pandemic had negatively affected sales of gasoline and aviation fuel (avtur). As a result, Pertamina’s revenue had dropped by almost 20 percent year-on-year to $20.5 billion. At the same time, the company’s total liability increased by 13.1 percent yoy to Rp 40.6 billion.

 

SKK Migas approves development plan for Paus Biru gas field
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/yyektsxk) 

The Upstream Oil and Gas Regulatory Task Force (SKK Migas) has approved the development plan for offshore Paus Biru gas field at Sampang Block in East Java. The project development is managed by Medco Energy Sampang Pte. Ltd, a subsidiary of Medco Energy Internasional. SKK Migas stated that the Paus Biru gas field was expected to start operations in 2022 with a production capacity of 31 million standard cubic feet per day (mmscfd). The investment was estimated at US$80 million.

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