GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES

Health Ministry to allow high-temperature residents to vote in polling stations
CNN Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/y2gvv7n2)

Disease prevention and control director general of the Health Ministry, Achmad “Yuri” Yurianto, has said that people who have high temperatures will still be allowed to vote at polling stations during the 2020 simultaneous regional elections.

Yuri said if a polling station officer found a voter to have a high temperature, they must be prioritized. “Do not combine the waiting areas [of high-temperature voters] with healthy voters. Check their temperatures, identify them, let them vote immediately, then send them home,” Yuri said.

The former government spokesperson for COVID-19 matters said that each polling station should allocate special booths for voters who showed symptoms of illness. According to him, these steps were enough to prevent the potential transmission of the coronavirus at the voting sites.

 

Prabowo is not focusing on electability, Gerindra says
Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/y5jq8yrq)

In response to pollster Indikator Politik Indonesia’s survey that recorded Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto’s electability dropping to 13.5 percent, Gerindra deputy chairman Sufmi Dasco Ahmad reminded that Prabowo was focused on carrying out his duties as defense minister, rather than his self-image to increase his electability.

“The 2024 presidential election is still far away. Right now, Pak Prabowo is concentrating on doing his work for the people as the defense minister,” Dasco said.

Currently, Dasco added, Gerindra wanted to focus on increasing the party’s electability. According to Dasco, Gerindra’s electability has thus far increased with the work of its members from the regional- to the central government-level.

 

House deputy speaker reported for not allowing supervisory hearing for Djoko Tjandra's case
The Jakarta Post (https://tinyurl.com/y4y2gw6j)

The Indonesian Anticorruption Community (MAKI) reported House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Azis Syamsudin to the House's ethics council on Tuesday for prohibiting lawmakers from holding a hearing during recess to discuss the case of fugitive Djoko Soegiarto Tjandra.

House Commission III, which oversees legal affairs, initially planned to hold a hearing with the National Police, the Attorney General's Office (AGO) and the Law and Human Rights Ministry over the issuance of a travel letter for Djoko by police officers, which had also been reported by MAKI to the commission.

“The hearing is an urgent matter as it will help the government solve the case. It will also provide a recommendation to further trace those involved in helping Djoko,” MAKI coordinator Boyamin Saiman said in a statement on Tuesday.

Azis said on Tuesday that he decided not to grant permission for the hearing because the House was in recess until Aug. 13.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES

Jiwasraya to restructure insurance policies in August
Kontan, (https://tinyurl.com/y5tmjnc2); CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/y6hzcglm)

State-owned insurance firm Jiwasraya is drafting a plan to improve the company's performance and fulfill its obligation to its customers. The plan was drafted with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Ministry and the Finance Ministry as shareholders. Jiwasraya president director Hexana Tri Sasongko said restructuring insurance policies was the main priority in improving the company’s financial health and would begin soon. The restructuring is expected to start in August following the House of Representatives’ approval. The return on investment has been lowered to a minimum of 7 percent from the previous 10 to 14 percent. Deputy SOE Minister Kartika Wirjaatmadja said that as a part of the restructuring, Jiwasraya's policies would be transferred to a new company and Jiwasraya would be permanently closed.

 

BKPM: Investment realization in second quarter misses target
Tempo, (https://tinyurl.com/y2a429lw, https://tinyurl.com/y25m9nkv)

The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) recorded Rp 191.9 trillion (US$13.13 billion) in investment realization in the second quarter, absorbing as many as 263,109 workers. The investment realization declined by 3.4 percent year-on-year, falling by 8.9 percent from the first quarter of this year. Foreign investment accounts for Rp 97.6 trillion of the total amount. BKPM head Bahlil Haladalia said that the investment realized was below the Rp 200 trillion target previously set by the board. However, the accumulated investment realization in the first half of the year increased by 1.8 percent to Rp 402.6 trillion, resulting in the employment of 566,194 people. This means 43.9 percent of the BKPM's Rp 817.2 trillion investment target this year has been met. Bahlil added that the majority of the investment had gone to Java, which saw Rp 100.6 trillion, or 52.4 percent, of the total investment.

 

Gojek appoints former Amazon executive as CTO
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/yxdulx3d); Tempo, (https://tinyurl.com/y59d3quq)

Indonesian ride-hailing firm Gojek has appointed Severan Rault as Chief Technology Officer (CTO) for Southeast Asia after he joined the company earlier this year as head of engineering for its marketplace platform. Rault has more than 20 years of experience in software development, including serving as the director of software development at Amazon, where he led the team that founded drone delivery service Amazon Prime Air. “It is a time like no other at Gojek. The company is entering a critical phase as it moves from startup to maturation, and it’s special to be a part of that,” Severan said. Meanwhile, Gojek co-CEO Kevin Aluwi is optimistic that Severan can lead Gojek to better product and service development. “Severan is a technology leader who cares deeply about delivering value to users across our ecosystem, and we are very excited for him to continue on his long track record of excellence here at Gojek,” said Kevin.

 

Taiwanese audio firm leaves China to build factory in West Java
The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/y5t7dlu7)

Taiwan-based audio system manufacturer PT Meiloon Technology Indonesia has officially begun the relocation of its factory from China to Subang, West Java. The firm is one of seven companies that committed in June to move their factories from China to Indonesia, representing a total investment of US$850 million. The Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) recorded that the company had pledged to invest $90 million and employ more than 8,000 workers in Indonesia. Meiloon investment is the first recorded company in Indonesia to begin the construction of its facilities before its business license has been issued, as a result of special assistance from BKPM. In addition, the government is preparing thousands of hectares of land in Majalengka regency, West Java, to develop an industrial park to attract more investment. There are 199 companies considering developing their businesses in Indonesia with a total potential investment of $41.4 billion and the potential addition of 162,000 jobs, according to BKPM.

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