AmCham Update
AmCham Update Vol. 2 #33
Foreign Spouses, Vaccines in Short Supply, Banking Sector Looks Good, Omnibus Financial Bill
Apr 07, 2021 | AmCham Indonesia

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Foreigners Married to Indonesians Allowed Back In

The Directorate General of Immigration has finally allowed foreigners married to Indonesians, and their children, to apply for a temporary stay visa for family reunification (Visa Index 317), starting April 5. The service, which was previously closed due to the pandemic, can now be accessed through its official website visa-online.imigrasi.go.id.

The department’s head of public relations, Arya Pradhana Anggakara, said foreigners are still banned from entering Indonesia under other circumstances unless they hold a temporary stay permit (Kitas), permanent stay permit (Kitap), diplomatic passport, APEC Business Travel Card, or special permits for essential purposes such as investment, humanitarian and medical work. Visa-on-arrival and free-visa entry are also still closed.

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PPKM Extended to April 19

Micro community activity restrictions (PPKM) have been extended for the fifth time, from April 6 to 19. Five additional provinces will implement PPKM during this period: Aceh, Riau, South Sumatra, North Kalimantan, and Papua, bringing the total to 20 provinces.

Jakarta Health Agency Head Widyastuti said that in the last two weeks, the confirmed Covid-19 cases in the capital had decreased by 1,247 from 7,322 active cases on March 21 to 6,075 as of April 5.

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Vaccine Supply Limited, Seniors Prioritized

Indonesia’s vaccine supply for March and April has gone down, from the targeted 30 million doses to 20 million due to embargoes imposed by producer countries. Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin said senior citizens over 60 are prioritized for vaccination as they makeup 10 percent of all positive cases and have a high fatality rate. The government will then focus on vaccinating teachers until June in preparation for in-class learning in July.

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Bank Accounts Show Economy Accelerating

Indonesia’s economy is accelerating, according to Indonesia Deposit Insurance Corporation (LPS) data on public savings, said Board of Directors Chair Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa. The data, gathered from 107 banks (95 conventional and 12 sharia), shows the total amount of savings in Indonesia was Rp 6,726 trillion as of February 2021, an increase of 9.7 percent from Feb 2020 and 1.3 percent from Jan 2021. The total value of accounts holding over Rp 5 billion was Rp 3,283 trillion, and for those holding less than Rp 100 million, it was Rp 907 trillion. 

By savings type, the deposit was the largest with Rp 2,749 trillion (40.9 percent of total value), followed by regular savings (Rp 2,114 trillion, 31.4 percent), current account (Rp 1,787 trillion. 26.6 percent), deposit on-call (Rp 72 trillion, 1.1 percent) and certificate of deposit (Rp 4 trillion, 0.1 percent). 

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AmCham Cares: Reckitt Benckiser Indonesia

Indonesia has the fifth-highest number of preterm births in the world at around 675,700 per year. Worldwide, premature babies born before 37 weeks of gestation are the second leading cause of death in children under five years of age after pneumonia.

To mark World Prematurity Day on Nov 17, 2020, Reckitt Benckiser Indonesia carried out a campaign to care for premature babies by sharing short videos via social media to raise awareness among both the public and health workers and agencies about how to care for and provide a better life expectancy for premature babies.

As part of the campaign, on March 21 the company donated medical equipment packages worth Rp 900 million to two hospitals that are national referral centers for premature babies: Cipto Mangunkusumo Hospital (RSCM) and RSAB Harapan Kita.

As a leading consumer goods company in the health and hygiene sector, the company is committed to protect, heal and nurture in creating a cleaner and healthier world. It runs a continuous program "Healthy Families, Healthy Indonesia," which provides access to education, products, and inspiration for the community to lead a cleaner and healthier lifestyle.


Financial Omnibus Law Now Top Priority

Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati said the government and the House of Representatives (DPR) will immediately discuss the Financial Sector Development and Strengthening Bill (RUU P2SK), also known as the Financial Sector Omnibus Law. The bill was drafted and submitted in the 2021 National Legislation Program (Prolegnas) and was a priority.

"Currently, House Commission 11 [which covers the financial sector] and we [the government] are compiling the P2SK Law, which is expected to provide a stronger, more up-to-date and comprehensive foundation on the financial sector reform," she said on April 5.

She said the bill will improve the governance and coordination of relevant institutions such as the Financial Sector Stability Committee (KSSK), as well as bank and non-bank financial service institutions. This will also include policies on fintech and the digital transformation of financial institutions.

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Debate on Personal Data Protection Continues

The House of Representatives (DPR) aims to finalize the Personal Data Protection bill by June, despite the Ministry of Communications and Informatics (Kominfo) and the DPR having yet to reach a consensus on the establishment of a data protection body.

The DPR said the body should be independent from the government, as public institutions collecting personal data have the potential to violate data protection regulations. Kominfo wants the commission to be established under the government with multiple stakeholders under it. DPR Commission I Vice-Chair Abdul Kharis Almasyari said he hoped both parties could agree on the issue soon in order to finalize the draft regulation by June. Commission I oversees defense, foreign affairs, information, and intelligence.

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Idul Fitri Allowance Rules Yet to be Determined

The government has yet to decide on the rules for religious holiday allowance (THR) payments for Idul Fitri 2021. Minister of Manpower Ida Fauziyah said the THR payment scheme for this year is still being discussed by the National Wage Council (Depenas) and the national tripartite worker agency (Tripnas), saying all feedback has been compiled and would be conveyed through a national tripartite plenary meeting.

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In this fast-paced world, it is often hard to stay informed on the latest political issues and business trends that may affect our lives. This is why Katadata’s D-insights provides the information we need on a daily basis, plus weekly and quarterly reports that summarize the trends and give background on the business, politics, markets, and energy.

Katadata D-insights offers a special rate for all AmCham members. The subscription for D-Insights are as follows:

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Support Independent Journalism: Subscribe to The Jakarta Post

In these difficult times, our hometown English language newspaper, The Jakarta Post, is more important than ever. Given the difficulties of physical circulation and the economic slump, the Post needs to boost its online subscribers – a goal we heartily support at AmCham Indonesia. Quality English language news is vital for our businesses, our home offices, and the flow of information out of Indonesia. It is for this reason, that we are urging all of our members and readers to subscribe to JP! Information is what will help get us through this crisis. Below is information about how to sign up.

JP Premium Digital Subscription Packages

https://www.thejakartapost.com/packages

Monthly subscription – Rp 50,000

Yearly subscription – Rp 600,000


Now is the Time to Join AmCham!

Now is the Time to Join AmCham!

We offer a full slate of meetings, events, and information for our community online. But we can only do this through the support of our members. If you are not yet an AmCham member, please join now.

AmCham Indonesia is open to all companies with an interest in US business relations and we have many non-American members. We are a community and we welcome you!

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AmCham Office and Events

AmCham Office and Events

The AmCham Office is on work from home status and all face-to-face meetings and events have been postponed. We are having a number of meetings online using the Zoom platform. You will be notified of virtual meetings as they are scheduled.

 

 


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What is Your Company Doing on COVID-19?

Please let us know what measures your company may be taking in the form of donations and other assistance to help Indonesia during this time of confusion and concern. Contact [email protected] with your news. We would like to publicize the ways that our AmCham companies are pitching in.


Stay well

We urge you to send us press releases and other information that we can pass on to the broader AmCham community. If you have items of interest, please email material to [email protected]. Follow this link to information provided by the US Embassy

Stay safe, call a doctor if you have a high fever, cough, or difficulty breathing. Stay healthy above all else.


AmCham Update is AmCham's regular newsletter on developments related to the pandemic crisis and other issues in Indonesia. It is edited by AmCham Managing Director A Lin Neumann and written by the AmCham Staff. Paul L Goddard is the Managing Editor

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