April 5, 2022
Pertamax gas price hike causes Pertalite shortages across island + Govt pledges Rp6.9 tln to help cooking oil crisis + Minister claims country on verge of "endemic" phase of Covid + more
Pertamax fuel price hike leads to shortages of Pertalite across island + Police form task force & govt vows Rp6.9 tln to help families facing cooking oil crisis + Minister claims country on verge of Covid “endemic” phase + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Tuesday, April 5. In today’s edition, there's been a run a Pertalite gas after last weekend's rise in Pertamax price hikes, and local elected officials are really, really mad. Reports of cooking oil shortages continue to come in as the national police and Ministry of Industry have formed a joint task force to ensure that producers meet their quotas. And the government continues to tout falling infection & positivity rates, saying that the country is on the verge of a Covid "endemic." Scroll down for the full wrap on what has been happening in Bali and Indonesia since you last heard from us.
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National Figures
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The Big News
"Pertalite Rare in Bali, Nyoman Parta Sentil [Criticizes] Minister Erick Thohir and President Director of Pertamina" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian): Member of Commission VI DPR from the PDI-P faction, I Nyoman Parta questioned the scarcity of Pertalite-type fuel oil in his constituency, Bali. “Pertalite is not available at many gas stations. The statement of the Minister of State-Owned Enterprises and the President Director of Pertamina, Nicka Widyawati, is not in accordance with the conditions on the ground. Gas stations on Jalan Supratman Denpasar, gas stations in the Bukit Jati area and the Kemenuh area, Gianyar are also empty," wrote Nyoman Parta on his Facebook account.
Context: With the price of Pertamax fuel jumping from Rp. 9,000/liter to Rp. 12,000/liter over the weekend, people switched en masse to Pertalite, which has not yet risen in price. Pertamina's President Director told CNBC that there had been a 10%-15% shift in demand from Pertamax to Pertalite, and that the spike was "only temporary." Local media was filled with stories of long lines and tapped out gas stations across the island, including in Gianyar, Karangasem, and Denpasar.
"Joint police, ministry task forces to ensure cooking oil supply" from Antara: "Polri, together with the Ministry of Industry, has formed joint task forces that will be deployed to the central level, producers, and at the central offices. We will place personnel, from the police and from the Ministry of Industry, especially in several large producers, for 24 hours," National Police Chief General Listyo Sigit Prabowo announced after a meeting with Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita at the National Police headquarters here on Monday. Prabowo explained that the joint task forces will be tasked with supervising the production process and ensuring that business actors are committed to producing cooking oil in accordance with their agreement with the government.
Context: After yesterday's story about President Widodo promising up to Rp. 300,000 in cash assistance for families to buy cooking oil, the government announced that Rp 6.9 trillion has been allocated to the program, which will run through June. While the heads of the cooking oil task force said that the available stock of oil was "sufficient," there have been widespread reports of shortages and they admitted that "progress can be pushed" in terms of bulk production.
"Indonesia can enter endemic phase if health awareness rises: minister" from Antara: "If the public has understood on how to deal with the pandemic, then we are ready to conduct the transition," remarked Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin. He said he expected that the current improvement in the COVID-19 situation in Indonesia must also be accompanied by responsible acts of the community for curbing the transmission of the virus. "The responsibility of handling the pandemic is in our own hands," he stressed.
Context: During a wide-ranging briefing, Minister Budi claimed that Indonesia had handled Cobid "relatively far better than other countries," citing statistics from December 2021 that showed that 86.6% of Indonesians tested already had Covid antibodies. He also touted the government's booster program as a "precautionary measure" against further outbreaks. Meanwhile, Minister Luhut cited a 97% decline in the country's daily infection rate since the Omicron peak, that the country’s positivity rate is now 4%, which is lower than the 5% threshold set by the WHO, and that there has been an 88% reduction in hospitalizations as reasons for optimism; currently, only 9 Regencies in the Java-Bali area are still at PPKM Level 3.
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Other Headlines
"Bali Provincial Government launches [forgiveness] for vehicle tax arrears" from Antara (Indonesian): The Bali Provincial Government has again launched a policy of whitening or relaxation for motor vehicle tax arrears on the Island of the Gods which will take effect from April 4, 2022. "So, we realize that people who have not paid taxes are not because of their low awareness, but because our economic situation has not yet recovered. true," said Bali Provincial Secretary Dewa Made Indra in Denpasar, Monday. Based on data collected until February 2022, there were 449,249 vehicles that had not fulfilled their tax obligations with a total value of around Rp. 223 billion. (NOTE: There is no mention in the article about whether this interest & fee amnesty would apply to foreigners who had failed to pay their taxes during the last two years.)
"605,133 Passengers Served at Ngurah Rai Airport Period March 2022" from Bali Prawara (Indonesian): Air transport traffic for the March 2022 period, at I Gusti Ngurah Rai International Airport - Bali served as many as 605,133 passengers and 4,774 aircraft movements. This achievement is a record of domestic and international flights that have re-operated with a percentage compared to the period of February 2022, for passengers an increase of 56% and followed by an increase in aircraft movements of 30%. Meanwhile, the highest number served on domestic flights was 26,335 passengers on March 25, 2022 and for international flights 1,979 passengers on March 28, 2022.
Context: In 2019, the average number of foreign tourists who came to Bali each month was 525,000, or about 17,500 per day.
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
"Mall operating hours can be up to 22.00" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan stated that the government extended the operating hours of malls, restaurants and cafes until 22.00 WIB for areas with PPKM Level 2 status. With the extended operating hours, the Government appeals to Forkopimda and mall or restaurant managers to be disciplined in enforcing the use of PeduliLindung screening, especially approaching the hour of the iftar period.
More...
Province: "Valid tomorrow, passengers who have not been boosted through Ngurah Rai Airport, Bali, are required to do an antigen/PCR test" from Bali Tribune (Indonesian)
Province: "Gilimanuk and Padangbai Ports Crossing Rules as of 2 April 2022, Second Vaccine Mandatory Antigen" from Bali Tribune (Indonesian)
Province: "[Due To] Pandemic, Many HIV/AIDS Patients in Bali Do not Get Treatment" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
Denpasar: "Offenders Still High in Denpasar" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
"Complementing each other, the NTB Provincial Government Denies to Compete in Bali Tourism, Calls Synergy Between the Two Regions" from Tribune Bali (Indonesian): The stretch of tourism in the Province of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is increasing after the big celebration of the MotoGP race. Secretary of the NTB Provincial Tourism Office, L. Hasbul Wadi explained that between Bali and NTB, according to him, they were brother and sister who complemented each other. He also denied any accusations that Lombok wanted to compete with Bali in the tourism sector. "Tourism in NTB is promoted by Bali , we convey that Bali and Lombok or NTB are brothers and sisters. If you go to Lombok , you will find Bali . Bali and Lombok have no competition [on tourism], there is cooperation, coordination, and synergy," he said.
Economy & Infrastructure
"Indonesia to impose VAT, income tax on crypto from May" from The Jakarta Post: Indonesia plans to charge value-added tax (VAT) on crypto asset transactions and an income tax on capital gains from such investments at 0.1% each, starting from May 1, a tax official said on April 1, amid a boom in digital asset trading. Indonesians are allowed to trade crypto assets as a commodity but not to use them as a means of payment. "Crypto assets will be subject to VAT because they are a commodity as defined by the trade ministry. They are not a currency," the official, Hestu Yoga Saksama, told a media briefing. "So we will impose income tax and VAT."
More...
Nation: "GoTo allocates shares worth $22m to its drivers in Indonesia" from TechInAsia
Nation: "PLN alerts 47,090 workers to maintain electricity reliability during Ramadan" from Antara (Indonesian)
Province: "Chicken Meat Prices Rise, Breeders Have Difficulty Seeds" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Province: "[Regional Incentive Funds] Allocation for Bali Continues to Decline" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
Buleleng: "VAT Rises, Dozens of Projects Reassessed" from Nusa Bali (Indonesian)
Klungkung: “Residents of Nusa Penida Protest the Levy of Tourism Levies" from Bali Post (Indonesian)
NTB: "NTB Industrial Office Plans Integrated Halal Industrial Area" from Republika (Indonesian)
NTB: "Mandalika Requires Sustainable Activities" from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian)
Education
Buleleng: "PTM in Buleleng Begins Again, A Number of Schools Still Implement Limited PTM" from Bali Puspa News
"Only 5% of Citizens Support the Idea of President's Third Term" from Bali Post (Indonesian): Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) Senior Research Director Deni Irvani said that a majority of citizens (73%) said that the provision for a maximum of two presidential terms must be maintained. "Only 15% believe that the provision must be changed, said Deni." Of the 15% who think the president's term should be changed, 61% (or about 9% of the total population) want the president to serve only one term (for 5, 8, or 10 years)... The opinion of the majority of residents who want to maintain the maximum of two presidential terms was consistent in 3 surveys, namely May 2021, September 2021, and March 2022.
Of Interest
"Herry Wirawan sentenced to death for raping 13 students" from Coconuts
"Beach Clean Up Action, 1.5 Tons of Plastic Garbage Collected" from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
"[Buleleng] Council is upset because local governments cannot sanction naughty foreign workers" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Breaking into Singapore Foreign Citizens' Villa Room, Former Villa Employees Arrested" from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
"Bali Village Official Arrested For Selling Drugs To His Residents" from The Bali Sun
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How You Can Help Bali
Due to the collapse of the tourism sector in Bali, tens of thousands of families have found themselves with a greatly reduced income—if any. If you’d like to support organizations working to help those in need, you can see a list of some here.
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