GENERAL NEWS AND HEADLINES

Govt to finalize regulations on provincial quarantine
CNN Indonesia (https://tinyurl.com/tlh9m9j)

Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Muhadjir Effendy said the government was in the process of drafting a government regulation and a presidential regulation on provincial quarantines in areas affected by the coronavirus pandemic.

Muhadjir said that, according to Law No. 6/2018 on health quarantine, there four quarantine categories could be implemented during the pandemic, namely home quarantine, regional quarantine, hospital quarantine and large-scale regional and social restrictions (PSBB). Muhadjir further explained that provincial quarantine would fall under the PSBB category, whereas regional quarantine referred to restrictions implemented in smaller areas within the province.

 

Indonesia develops surveillance app to bolster contact tracing, tracking
The Jakarta Post (https://tinyurl.com/ssott5f)

The Communications and Information Ministry, in collaboration with the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry, has developed a mobile app that enables users to compile data related to the spread of COVID-19 in their communities and bolster government efforts to trace and track confirmed cases as well as suspected patients across the country.

The homegrown app, dubbed PeduliLindungi for the time being, cross-references the data stored on users’ mobile devices through bluetooth connections. When a user is in the vicinity of another user whose data has been uploaded to PeduliLindungi, the app enables an anonymous exchange of identities, according to its website.

If a user is found to have been in close proximity of a person under surveillance for confirmed or suspected coronavirus infection, the app will identify them. Such a feature is expected to help fill in the blanks regarding travel history and close contacts, which is deemed vital for contact tracing and case tracking.

 

ICW demands transparency from KPK in selecting law enforcement deputy
Detik (https://tinyurl.com/wurnd9o)

Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) has called for more transparency at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in filling structural positions, including its search for a new law enforcement deputy, after the current KPK chairman Firli Bahuri left the position last year.

ICW researcher Wana Alamsyah said the selection process for the KPK’s law enforcement deputy was not as transparent as it should be, with little to no information given to the public regarding the process itself as well as the identities of candidates vying for the position.

Wana added that the lack of transparency could exacerbate public distrust toward the antigraft body.

 

BUSINESS AND ECONOMICS NEWS AND HEADLINES

Profit taking triggers circuit breaker
Bisnis Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/vautarl); Kontan, (https://tinyurl.com/vyr8oob); Investor Daily, (https://tinyurl.com/ullgopl); The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/rnq5ll3) 

Indonesian stocks hit another circuit breaker on Monday morning, the sixth time this month, as the main gauge, the Jakarta Composite Index (JCI), plunged by 5 percent to the level of 4,318.29 after last week’s rally. The Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX) halted trading for 30 minutes at 10:20 am, trading director Laksono Widodo told the press via text message. After trading had resumed, the JCI’s decline was trimmed to 4.12 percent. The plunge in the JCI was driven by a selling spree among domestic investors. Foreign investors, meanwhile, purchased more Indonesian shares than they sold, registering a net buy of Rp 14.19 billion (US$866,724).

                                                                                                                        

House gives green light to BI to buy recovery bond
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/rfpewfu) 

House of Representatives Commission XI chairman Dito Ganinduto has communicated with the government regarding the plan to allow Bank Indonesia (BI) to buy the so-called “recovery bond” on the primary market. “BI can buy the recovery bond on the primary market, so the funds can be channeled to help businesses. It will be regulated by a government regulation in lieu of law [Perppu],” Dito explained. The funds raised from the bond sale will be given to businesses that do not lay off their employees, he added.

 

Major banks start to implement OJK’s credit-relaxation policy
CNBC Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/rbt23j3); Kompas, (https://tinyurl.com/v6gfy5k); CNN Indonesia, (https://tinyurl.com/tsdyvrt) 

Nine banks have begun to restructure the debts of debtors affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, the Financial Services Authority (OJK) announced today. The nine banks include state-owned lenders under the State-Owned Banks Association (Himbara) – Bank Mandiri, Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI), Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) – and private lenders such as Panin Bank, Bank Permata, Bank Tabungan Pensiunan Nasional (BTPN), Bank Index Selindo, Bank Ganesha, as well as Singapore-based lender Bank DBS Indonesia. OJK spokesman Sekar Putih Djarot urged debtors to contact bank call centers to obtain precise information on the restructuring.

 

Kuala Tanjung Port makes global container business debut
The Jakarta Post, (https://tinyurl.com/rmd9j6u) 

Kuala Tanjung Port in North Sumatra has made its debut in the global container market, with its first shipment on Saturday, as Indonesia bids to tap into the lucrative Strait of Malacca shipping trade dominated by Singapore and Malaysia. The containers shipped to Port Klang in Malaysia on Saturday were the first of a weekly shipment, according to PT Prima Multi Terminal, which manages the Kuala Tanjung Multipurpose Terminal (KTMT). The regular shipment will send containers from companies operating near Kuala Tanjung, including organic chemical producer PT Unilever Oleochemical Indonesia – a subsidiary of PT Unilever Indonesia – and consumer goods company PT Multimas Nabati Asahan – part of Wilmar Group.

Kuala Tanjung will replace Belawan as the main trading port in North Sumatra, capitalizing on the ever-growing manufacturing sector in Sumatra. The COVID-19 pandemic did not stop Kuala Tanjung from moving ahead with the start of container shipment.

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