GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES

Istiqlal Mosque will not be holding Idul Adha prayers
Kumparan (https://tinyurl.com/y8sscawa); CNN Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/ya75ss6c)

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy has confirmed that the Istiqlal Mosque in Central Jakarta will not be holding Idul Adha prayers this year, in efforts to mitigate any more COVID-19 clusters. This was agreed upon in a meeting between the government and a number of ministers and institutions, including the Istiqlal Mosque Council.

“This year, the Istiqlal Mosque will not be holding Eid prayers. Efforts should be made to avoid the emergence of more [COVID-19] clusters,” Muhadjir said in a virtual press conference on Thursday.

Istiqlal Mosque Grand Imam Nasarudin Umar explained that in addition to avoiding more COVID-19 clusters, the mosque was also unable to hold prayers due to incomplete renovations.

 

KPU sets maximum age limit for polling officials
Detik (https://tinyurl.com/ya3rx63f); Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/yaygh9xb)

The General Elections Commission (KPU) has set a maximum age limit for polling station committee (KPPS) members ahead of the simultaneous regional elections slated for Dec. 9. This requirement, which caps the age of KPU members at 50, has been regulated in KPU Regulation (PKPU) No. 6/2020, which details the guidelines of strict health protocols to be implemented throughout all phases of the elections.

“There was previously no maximum age limit,” KPU commissioner I Dewa Kade Wiarsa Raka Sandi said on Thursday.

The age limit is stipulated in Article 19 (2) of PKPU No. 6/2020, stating that the minimum age requirement is 20 and the maximum is 50. Raka explained that the regulation was specified after coordinating with the Health Ministry.

 

Govt to give social aid to preemployment card beneficiaries while evaluating training courses
The Jakarta Post (https://tinyurl.com/y6wzqz6m)

The government will temporarily turn its preemployment card program — which includes a mix of social assistance and up-skilling for laid off workers affected by the epidemic — into a full-fledged financial aid program following the suspension of course sales offered by partnered learning platforms.

Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah said on Wednesday that of the 680,000 registered preemployment card program participants, only 140,000 had completed their digital training. The remaining 500,000, she said, would be enrolled in the social assistance program under the Social Affairs Ministry instead.

"As the preemployment card program has been temporarily stopped and among the participants are those who had lost their income, we’ve submitted their data to the Social Affairs Ministry so they can obtain social assistance while we evaluate the preemployment card program," she said in a hearing with House of Representatives Commission IX overseeing labor affairs.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES

Govt to issue aviation holding company regulation in October
CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/y74agxgb); Katadata, (https://tinyurl.com/y9e7cpn6) 

National flag carrier PT Garuda Indonesia president director Irfan Setiaputra said the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry is currently finalizing a plan to establish an aviation holding company. A government regulation (PP) will be issued in October as a legal basis for merging five SOEs, namely Garuda, two airport operators PT Angkasa Pura I and PT Angkasa Pura II, air navigation firm AirNav Indonesia and PT Pelita Air Service, a subsidiary of state-owned oil and gas holding company PT Pertamina. There is a possibility the holding company will include the Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation (ITDC) and state-owned hotel enterprise PT Hotel Indonesia Natour to boost tourism, Irfan added.

 

Pertamina’s clean fuel goals remain distant
The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/y8ulhp5m) 

State-owned oil and gas giant Pertamina has reaffirmed plans to phase out pollutive fuels but a top executive has made clear that the company will not do so until certain multibillion-dollar projects are completed. Pertamina, which operates over 90 percent of Indonesia’s gas stations, is legally bound to stop producing its best-selling but pollutive diesel fuel, Solar, by April 2021. It stopped the production of gasoline brand Premium in October 2018, as required by Environment and Forestry Minister (KLHK) regulation No. 20/2017 on motor vehicle limits.

Pertamina president director Nicke Widyawati acknowledged on June 29 that the company had “actually been obligated to use Euro 5 since 2017” but said, “We would have to import 100 percent if we were forced to sell Euro 5.” Pertamina plans to produce Euro 4 and Euro 5 fuel domestically through six refinery megaprojects that will double Indonesia’s fuel output to 2 million barrels per day. However, the six refineries are facing hurdle such as land permits issues and financing problems. Despite the challenges, Environment Ministry air pollution control director Dasrul Chaniago maintained that Indonesia was “still on target to enter Euro 5”.

 

Startup BukuWarung raises pre-series A funding from Quona, East Ventures
The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/ycaa7aql) 

Accounting application for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) BukuWarung announced Tuesday that it has raised an undisclosed amount from pre-series A funding, bringing its total valuation to an “eight-digit figure”. The new round of funding was led by fintech-focused venture firm Quona Capital, along with East Ventures, AC Ventures, Golden Gate Ventures, Tanglin Ventures Partners and Michael Sampoerna. BukuWarung claimed it has more than 600,000 SME clients across more than 750 cities, mostly in tier two and three cities in Indonesia and aims to build digital infrastructure for 60 million MSMEs in the country. BukuWarung cofounder Abhinay Peddisetty went on to say that by using BukuWarung, merchants could receive credit repayments three times faster, improve their cash flow through automated payment reminders and be able to save on average Rp 110,000 (US$7.63) in bookkeeping expenses.

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