GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES 

Public can’t expect explanations from Health Minister Terawan: Expert
Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/y62bgzjx)

Public policy expert Agus Pambagio has said the public should not expect Health Minister Terawan Agus Putranto to explain the country’s COVID-19 handling, considering that the task had been delegated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan.

“We cannot expect the health minister [to explain the country’s COVID-19 handling]. We should just ask the President directly,” Agus said as quoted by Kompas earlier today.

Furthermore, since the beginning of the pandemic, Terawan has made controversial statements, causing the public to question his seriousness in handling the health crisis, Agus added.

 

125 Army personnel to be dispatched to US
Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/yy9zj45g)

As many as 125 Indonesian Army (TNI) personnel will undergo joint training under the Rotation Joint Readiness Training Center (JRTC) Rotation 21-01 program with the United States Army at Fork Polk, Louisiana, from Sept. 19 to Nov. 3.

The JRTC 21-01 training is a form of international cooperation to improve military relations between the armies of both countries.

Army chief of staff Gen. Andika Perkasa asked the 125 TNI personnel to take the joint-training seriously and make the best of the opportunity. Andika also asked them to establish a good relationship with US army personnel.

 

West Java speeds up deliberation of COVID-19 regulation
CNN Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/y4e5zles)

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil has said a regional regulation (Perda) on COVID-19 health protocols is currently being deliberated by the West Java Legislative Council (DPRD). Ridwan expressed hope the deliberation could be finalized as soon as possible considering the urgency of the situation.

Ridwan added that his administration had instructed the West Java Province Legal Bureau to include all regulations related to the province’s COVID-19 handling, especially the enforcement of health protocols, in the new regulation.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES  

World Bank predicts 2 percent contraction in Indonesia’s GDP this year
Bisnis Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/yydrbz8q); CNBC Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/yyfbgzfs); Kontan (https://tinyurl.com/yy5kvgkb); Kompas (https://tinyurl.com/y5vdh4oa) 

The World Bank has revised down its economic growth projection for Indonesia this year to a contraction within the range of 1.6 to 2 percent, from previously zero percent growth. World Bank East Asia Pacific chief economist Aaditya Mattoo highlights the Indonesian government’s unsuccessful attempt to curb the spread of COVID-19. “Indonesia has not implemented a strict lockdown and relied on a less restrictive policy,” Mattoo told journalists. Indonesia’s economic recovery will be slower than other countries in the Asia-Pacific region, he concluded.

 

Jakarta tightens vehicle emissions test regulations
Kontan (https://tinyurl.com/yyfxcppq) 

The Jakarta administration has tightened vehicle emissions test regulations through the issuance of Gubernatorial Decree (Pergub) No. 66/2020. According to the new Pergub, cars and motorcycles that have been in use for three years or longer must take an emissions test. Jakarta Environmental Agency spokesperson Tiyana Brotoadi said the new Pergub targeted private vehicles because they were the largest contributors to air pollution in the capital city.

 

Court annuls KPPU’s Rp 49 b fine on Grab
CNBC Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/y56dfnll) 

The South Jakarta District Court has granted ride-hailing service provider Grab’s appeal against the Business Competition Supervisory Commission’s (KPPU) decision to fine the company Rp 49 billion (US$3.3 million) for violating articles 14 and 19 of Law No. 5/1999 on monopolies and unfair business competition. The court ruling was issued on September 25, according to a Grab spokesperson. “According to the South Jakarta District Court, Grab did not monopolize the market nor discriminate against partners; and the Rp 49 billion fine has been canceled,” Grab’s lawyer Hotman Paris Hutapea claimed.

 

PJB to test biomass mixing in 15 coal power plants in 2020
The Jakarta Post (https://tinyurl.com/y3b4oxxu) 

State electricity company PLN’s subsidiary PT Pembangkit Jawa Bali (PJB) aims to complete biomass mixing test in its 15 coal-fired power plants by the end of this year as the company vows to reduce its greenhouse gas emissions footprint, PJB’s electricity technology development division head Ardi Nugroho has said. Cofiring wooden pellets and sawdust with coal in power plants, also known as biomass mixing, has been proven to lower the amount of greenhouse gas emissions such as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrogen oxide (NOx) and sulfur dioxide (SO2) according to a PJB study. “We have been implementing the cofiring technique at Paiton I and II power plants since June and have been able to produce 4,000 megawatts (MW) of clean energy and consume 3,800 tons of sawdust,” Ardi said. He further said that biomass-mixing could significantly reduce Indonesia’s coal power plant emissions for a low cost, as no modification was needed for the power plant to fire the mixed fuel.

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