Indonesia Morning News For January 18, 2019

Indonesian Presidential Campaign Heats up With First Debate
Echoing the campaign tactics of Donald Trump, former Indonesian Gen. Prabowo Subianto says his country, the world’s third-largest democracy, is in dire shape and he is the leader who will restore it to greatness.
— Khaosod English

Power infrastructure to drive Indonesia’s energy sector growth: Fitch Solutions
Construction of power infrastructure — chiefly coal-fired power plants — will remain the primary driver of growth in Indonesia’s energy and utilities sector for the near future, said Fitch Solutions Macro Research in a Jan 16 report.
— The Business Times

Indonesia’s Unicorn Charge Makes the Rupiah Tremble
Indonesia’s booming e-commerce industry is churning out unicorns such as Tokopedia PT and Bukalapak.com.
— Bloomberg

Indonesia c.bank holds key rate, says current level “near peak”
Indonesia’s central bank on Thursday held its key rate unchanged and the governor indicated that its cycle of aggressive tightening in 2018 was “near its peak”, thanks to “dovish” recent signals from the U.S. Federal Reserve.
— Nikkei Asian Review (paywall)

Kominfo Earmarks Rp109bn to Train 20,000 Digital Talents
Communication and Informatics Ministry (Kominfo) diverted a budget of Non-Tax State Revenue (PNBP) amounted to Rp109.3 billion to establish training for 20,000 digital talents in Indonesia. The budget shift has been granted by the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission 1.
— Tempo.co

Indonesia eases rules for vehicle loans by multi-finance firms
Indonesia’s financial services authority (OJK) has removed downpayment requirements for vehicle loans extended by some multi-finance companies in a bid to boost economic growth, according to a statement on Thursday.
— Reuters

Indonesia’s Unicorn Charge Makes the Rupiah Tremble
Indonesia’s booming e-commerce industry is churning out unicorns such as Tokopedia PT and Bukalapak.com.
— Bloomberg

Indonesia’s presidential challenger wants a better China trade deal
Indonesian presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto vowed to “seek a better deal” in trade with China, making relations with Beijing a key issue ahead of an April election in Southeast Asia’s biggest economy.
— The Business Times

Can cash curb corruption in Indonesia?
Indonesia’s National Police recently announced that it would increase the allowances of police officers by 70 percent.
— The Asean Post

Jokowi leads ahead of presidential debates
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and his challenger Prabowo Subianto are set to face off in the first of a series of debates ahead of the April presidential election.
— The Asean Post

She had a 14-foot pet crocodile named ‘Merry’. It ate her
MINAHASA, Indonesia – An Indonesian woman has been mauled to death by a huge pet crocodile on the island of Sulawesi, officials said on Wednesday (Jan 16).
— The Nation (very annoying popups)

Komodo national park earned Rp32 billion in 2018
The Komodo National Park recorded revenue amounting to Rp32 billion from tourist visits to the park during 2018, an increase from Rp29 billion in the previous year.
— Antara News

Plastic use ban to affect 25 million scavengers: IPI
The Indonesian Scavenger Association (IPI) has reminded that a ban on the use of plastic will affect some 25 million scavengers across the country.
— Antara News

Indonesia keen to boost trade ties with South Africa
The Indonesian government has expressed the hope that 2019 will bring their nation a step closer to strengthening its trade with Africa, and especially South Africa, when it hosts the Indonesian-African Infrastructure Dialogue in Bali.
— Fresh Plaza

Indonesia eyes LNG export to Cambodia
Indonesia has eyed export of liquefied natural gas (LNG) to Cambodia to meet the demand for power plants in the country, Vice President Jusuf Kalla said here on Wednesday.
— Antara News

Rights lawyers challenge Indonesia detention of 3 activists
Human rights lawyers said Thursday they were mounting a court challenge to Indonesia’s detention of three Papuan activists on charges of treason.
— ABC News

Rains continue to dampen Indonesian thermal coal supply as China, India markets heat up
Bad weather conditions in Indonesia, especially in the South Kalimantan province, continue to affect thermal coal production and loading schedules, pushing up spot market prices in recent days, sources said Thursday.
— Hellenic Shipping News

Indonesia vies for spot on UN human rights body
Indonesia will kick off its campaign in February to become a member of the United Nations Human Rights Council (UNHRC) for the 2020-2022 period.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia’s 2018 vehicle production rises 10% on year to 1.34 mil units
Indonesia produced 1.34 million vehicles in 2018, a 9.8% increase against 1.22 million vehicles made in 2017, data released late Wednesday by the Association of Indonesia Automotive Industries, or Gaikindo, showed.
— S&P Global Platts

Govt announces ambitious household gas program
As the current account deficit is now estimated at around 3 percent of gross domestic product (GDP), the government has started to introduce policies and programs to skimp foreign exchange (forex) spending, particularly on energy, which has drained forex reserves.
— The Jakarta Post

Indonesia chairs UN Security Council sanction committees
Indonesia has taken up the chairmanship of the United Nations Security Council’s sanctions committee on counterterrorism this week, according to its envoy to the UN.
— The Jakarta Post

GPN Debit Cards Distribution Below Target
The distribution of the National Payment Gate (GPN) cards falls short, with only 17.6 million cards distributed as per November last year.
— Tempo.co

Minister sees progress in GSP negotiation with the US
Indonesia`s Trade Minister Enggartiasto Lukita admitted to witnessing some progress in negotiation with the United States on the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP).
— Antara News

Anies Baswedan Demands Govt to Review Giant Sea Wall Project
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan demanded the central government restudy the giant sea wall project to prevent issues in the future.
— Tempo.co

What’s Next for the Indonesia-Korea Fighter Jet Programme?
Intellasia East Asia News New reports have again raised questions about the future prospects of the deal.
— Intellasia

Authorities declare dengue emergency in Sragen
The dengue fever outbreak that killed two people over the past two weeks in Sragen, Central Java, has prompted authorities to declare an emergency across the regency.
— The Jakarta Post

City Design Echoing a Christian Cross Sparks Protest in Surakarta
The Surakarta City Sharia Board (DSKS) plans to hold a protest at the Surakarta City Hall on Friday, January 18, aimed to address an architectural design in front of the city hall which DSKS deemed too similar to a Christian cross symbol.
— Tempo.co

Expect consolidation in Indonesian O2O space, says Kudo CEO Nugroho
The recent move by Indonesia’s online commerce giants Tokopedia and Bukalapak to tap into the offline market has gravitated interest into the country’s online-to-offline (O2O) space, which is already occupied by some notable startup
— Deal Street Asia

Rejection of South Jakarta church a misunderstanding: Police
The police have claimed that a misunderstanding was behind the rejection of a new church in Jagakarsa, South Jakarta.
— The Jakarta Post

Surakarta students arrested for creating truancy group on WhatsApp
The Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) arrested 11 students in Surakarta, Central Java, on Tuesday for initiating a truancy group on WhatsApp, which consisted of hundreds of high and junior high school students in the city.
— The Jakarta Post

Boeing praises Indonesia for recovering ‘black box’ of crashed jet
Intellasia East Asia News US top aircraft manufacturer the Boeing Company (Boeing) has praised Indonesian authorities for successfully recovering the “black box” of Indonesian Lion Air Flight 610 that crashed into the Java Sea in October, killing all 189 people aboard.
— Intellasia

MH370 went down ‘like a broken kite’ says fisherman who knows ‘exact location’
Rusli Khusmin said he witnessed the disaster in March 2014, when the Malaysian Airlines flight carrying 239 people disappeared.
— Metro.co.uk

Central Java warns parents not to fake family certificates to enroll in state schools
The Central Java administration has warned parents to not attempt to cheat the new state school enrollment policy to gain access to nearby schools with a favorable reputation after it found that family certificates could be a new tool for misuse.
— The Jakarta Post

3 TNI’s Elite Troops Ordered to Handle Urban Warfare
The Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Commander Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto said that TNI’s elite forces have the ability to face terrorist threats in urban areas.
— Tempo.co

BNN Exposes Illegal Drugs Network in Salemba Prison; 3 Arrested
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN) of Jakarta exposed an illegal drugs network in Salemba Prison.
— Tempo.co

Ma’ruf Amin to Talk on Terrorism and Islam in Election Debate
Vice presidential hopeful number 01 Ma’ruf Amin will answer questions which are related to terrorism issue in the presidential election debate.
— Tempo.co

Jokowi to Inaugurate New Terminal of Tjilik Riwut Airport
resident Joko Widodo or Jokowi would inaugurate the new terminal of Tjilik Riwut Airport and other airports which would be centered in Palangkaraya City on February 7, said Regional Secretary of Central Kalimantan, Fahrizal Fitri.
— Tempo.co

Ministry to establish holding firm on media printing
The State Enterprises Ministry has planned to establish a holding company on media printing under the concept of operating holding.
— Antara News

Indef: Retail Growth Inevitable
A senior economist with the Institute for Development of Economics and Finance (Indef) said there are four sectors that will continue to grow and develop throughout 2019. The sectors are retail, health, education and infrastructure.
— Tempo.co

Anies Baswedan Blames Contractor for Broken Levee in Muara Baru
Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan backed local people living around the levee of Muara Baru, North Jakarta despite they broke the sea wall which triggered waters inundated the area and caused the flood in December.
— Tempo.co

Indonesia to Send 400 More UN Peacekeepers
Indonesia plans to send around 400 UN peacekeepers this year.
— Tempo.co

Pandjaitan supports acceleration of industrial, tourism development in Bintan
Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan supports the plan to accelerate the development of the tourism and industrial sectors in Bintan, Riau Islands.
— Antara News

Research should give birth to innovation: minister
Coordinating Human Development and Culture Minister Puan Maharani stated that a research should give birth to innovation.
— Antara News

Feature photo Artem Bali

Find our previous morning news feature photos in the AEC News Today Morning News Feature Photos gallery where you will find a pictorial display of daily life throughout the Asean Economic Community (AEC).

Indonesia morning news by AEC News Today is your one stop source for Indonesia news on matters of governance and policies affecting Asean business communities and is published M-F by AEC News Today: Governance, not government; policies not politics.

Indonesia morning news for January 18 added by Stella-maris Ewudolu on January 18, 2019
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Stella-maris Ewudolu

Journalist at AEC News Today

Stella-maris graduated with a Bachelor of Arts, Education from Ebonyi State University, Nigeria in 2005.

Between November 2010 and February 2012 she was a staff writer at Daylight Online, Nigeria writing on health, fashion, and relationships. From 2010 – 2017 she worked as a freelance screen writer for ‘Nollywood’, Nigeria.

She joined AEC News Today in December 2016.