Category: News

Jakarta – President Joko Widodo has firmly stated that the stunting reduction program should be carried out with a focus, not just a mere ceremonial year-end distribution of Supplementary Food. The Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Moeldoko, stated this strong message after attending a limited cabinet meeting on the acceleration of stunting reduction, Tuesday (11/1).

“According to the President’s direction, stunting reduction’s rate must reach at least 3 percent annually. It takes focused, targeted and integrated efforts, not mere ceremonial events to spend the allocated budget,” said Moeldoko.

According to the Chief of Staff, the previous stunting reduction program was carried out and supervised by 19 ministries/agencies. The President deemed the program run ineffectively due to the many bureaucracy rules. 

Furthermore, Moeldoko said that the stunting reduction acceleration program would be carried out in an integrated manner, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health (Kemenkes) and the National Population and Family Planning Board (BKKBN). The government will allocate Rp 50 trillion budget for the program.

Moeldoko also suggests the optimization of One Data Indonesia program in reaching out areas with a high prevalence of stunting. By then, he was pretty optimistic to achieve the 14 percent target of stunting reduction in 2024.

Not only that, the central government must provide technical assistance, goods, and funds for at least 3 provinces with the highest stunting prevalence, namely East Nusa Tenggara, West Sulawesi, and Aceh.

“KSP also requested the President’s permission to lead the National Active Posyandu [integrated health services post] Movement, as the front liner working against stunting in children,” said the former TNI Commander.

Indonesia’s stunting rates are still staggering. In 2019, 27.7 percent of Indonesian children under the age of 5, or almost 9 million children, were stunted. 

However, according to the National Nutrition Survey, the 2021’s national stunting rate fell to 24.4 percent, 3.3 percent lower than the previous year.

Jakarta – Despite the many opposition and grudging acquiescence from coal industry groups and international buyers, President Joko Widodo’s policy of banning coal exports must be interpreted as a national effort to prevent a worse global energy crisis. The Executive Office of the President (KSP) defended the policy, calling for mutual cooperation from all stakeholders to prioritize local energy capacity.

“The global energy crisis has pushed countries to compete for reliable energy sources, including thermal coal from Indonesia. Therefore, It is important for us as a nation to jointly contribute in this matter [to prevent domestic energy crisis]. Be it the government, the community, PLN [State-owned utility] and national mining entrepreneurs,” said Deputy Chief of Staff for Infrastructure, Energy and Investment of KSP Febry Calvin Tetelepta, at the Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, Thursday (6/1).

According to Febry, the President’s directive to prioritize the coal supply for domestic needs is in line with the 1945 Constitution’s mandate. It also showcased the government’s consistency in meeting the electricity needs of 270 millions citizens. “This is a genuine gesture from the President to side with the interests of the people,” he said.

Febry also called on mining companies to adhere to the Domestic Market Obligation as stipulated under the Law No. 3/2020 on Mineral and Coal and Government Regulation No. 96/2021 on Business Activities. Mineral and Coal Mining. The DMO policy requires coal mining firms to sell at least 25 percent of their production in the domestic market and to cap the selling price at US$70 per ton for state-owned electricity firm PLN’s coal-fired power plants.

“The government has not blindly banned coal exports. The government appreciates companies that fully comply with DMOs and contractual obligations to PLN. However, the government will not hesitate to revoke business licenses or give any penalty obligations to companies that have yet to comply with sales contracts or their DMO quota,” said Febry.

Febry added, in the medium and long term, the President has ordered the Energy and Mineral Resources Minister and State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Minister to build a permanent DMO mechanism, ensuring the country to meet national electricity demands and be adaptive to the challenges of the global energy crisis.

Starting on Jan. 1 Indonesia, as the world’s biggest thermal coal exporter, announced that it was banning coal exports for a month. The policy was taken after the country saw supplies at domestic power plants fall at critically low levels, putting Southeast Asia’s biggest economy on the brink of widespread power outages.

Jakarta – Indonesia is seeking a more comprehensive approach to deal with the longstanding conflict in the easternmost provinces of Papua and West Papua. Chief of Staff to the President of the Republic of Indonesia, Moeldoko, conveyed the message during a meeting with the newly appointed New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia Kevin Burnett, at the Bina Graha Building, Jakarta, Tuesday (4/1).

“The Indonesian government understands that the conflict in Papua should not only be solved with a military approach,” said Moeldoko. “A comprehensive and integrated approach is much more prioritized, because we have to abolish poverty and some underlying problems in education and health sectors. This is important for Indonesia,”.

For this reason, he continued, the government has issued Presidential Instruction No. 9/2020 on Accelerating Welfare Development in Papua and West Papua Provinces whose program is led by Vice President Ma’ruf Amin.

However, Moeldoko also regretted the recent turmoil in Papua as armed groups have started attacking public facilities such as schools and hospitals, as well as targeting attacks on teachers and doctors.

While it is hard to overlook the dreadful situation, the Indonesian government has put their commitment in sending troops to Papua only for the sake of border security. They were sent there to assist the police in creating law and order in the region, he said. Moeldoko denied any military operation conducted in the provinces. 

“When I was still the Indonesian Military Commander, I told my soldiers to put their weapons on their back, instead, put hoes in front. That means the welfare approach should be put above all,” continued the former TNI Commander.

The soldiers are also expected to turn difficult situations to a more stable and peaceful environment, for example by providing learning and health assistance for Papuans.

Meanwhile, Kevin Burnett took up his post as the New Zealand Ambassador to Indonesia in September 2021. Prior to serving as Ambassador, Kevin completed 35 years’ service as an officer in the New Zealand military forces.

“Mr Moeldoko’s explanation is very useful and we really appreciate the efforts made by the Indonesian government in addressing the Papua issue. I plan to directly visit Papua to have a dialogue with the people there,” said Kevin.

New Zealand and Indonesia reaffirmed their bilateral relations by signing the 9th Joint Ministerial Commission (JMC) in July 2020. In the signed Plans of Action document, the two countries agreed to map a clear direction on their partnership for the period of five years.