March 11, 2022
Deputy Governor says Bali shouldn’t depend on tourism + 2024 polls hang in balance, again + Tourism Ministry's Instagram account hacked; Minister Uno talks of poor cyber defense + Weekend reads + more
Good morning!
Welcome to The Bali Beat for Friday, March 11. In today’s edition, we have Bali’s Deputy Governor saying Bali should stop relying on tourism, suggesting it should be the island’s sixth most valuable industry. In Jakarta, considerations continue around a possible delayed presidential election, while online, the Tourism Ministry’s Instagram account was hacked. 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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Weather & Tides
Today’s Weather for Southern Bali
Today’s Tides
Meteorology, Climatology & Geophysics Council (Link)
Tide table from Tide-forecast.com.
Daily Covid Update
National Figures
Local Figures
The Big News
“Deputy Governor Says Bali No Longer Wants to Depend on Tourism” from Kumparan (Indonesian): Deputy Governor of Bali Prof. Tjokorda Oka Artha Ardhana Sukawati (Cok Ace) said Bali is the area worst affected by the Covid-19 pandemic. One of the root causes is because Bali is too dependent on tourism. "54% of Bali's PDRB is sourced from that sector. When is down, our economy also collapses," he said on Thursday. Wagub Cok Ace said Bali Governor Wayan Koster had designed the concept of Kerthi Bali Economy (EKB) which aims to balance the structure and fundamentals of the Balinese economy with regard to the natural, human and local culture of Bali. In the EKB concept, the tourism sector is placed 6th, while the agricultural sector is in the first position.
“2024 Polls Hang in Balance, Again” from The Jakarta Post (Metered Paywall): Even though the upcoming general elections have been scheduled for Feb. 14, 2024, it is no longer certain that Indonesians will be able to vote that year with the government and the House of Representatives dragging their feet on approving the budget for the polls proposed by the election organizers. The legislative debate over the swelling budget for the elections have come on the heels of a controversial proposal from three ruling coalition parties — allegedly at the behest of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s inner circle — that the elections be postponed for a number of reasons, including higher election costs.
Context: For further reading on a potential third term for the President, see here (hard paywall).
“Tourism Ministry's Instagram Hacked; Sandiaga Uno Talks of Poor Cyber Defense” from Tempo: The official Instagram account of the Tourism and Creative Economy Ministry was hacked by an unknown party. Tourism Minister Sandiaga Uno said that this incident proved the vulnerability of the cyber defense system in Indonesia. Sandiaga claimed that the ministry has coordinated with a number of parties, including Instagram and Meta (Facebook) regarding the hacking. "This is what I have said in the past year or so that we really need to focus on three things in the digitalization sector," Sandiaga said on Thursday. The three things that must be addressed immediately are cyber security, digital payments, and financial technology (fintech) or investment and financing through technology platforms.
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The Movement of Recovery (Yayasan Pergerakan Pemulihan) is one of the main drivers of mental health services in Bali. Together with BBB Community, they launched LISA (Love Inside Suicide Awareness), a helpline which offers support in Bahasa Indonesian and English. They offer free counselling and support for those in need. For more information, please visit their website here.
Want to share your message with the most engaged members of the foreigner community in Bali? Click here to learn how to place a classified ad.
Other Headlines
“No Plan to Revise RT-PCR, Antigen Test Prices Says Ministry” from Antara: The Ministry of Health has said it is not planning to revise the price of RT-PCR and antigen swab tests amid a relaxation in domestic travel requirements. "We have not planned to adjust the tariff for the upper limit of RT-PCR or antigen tests so far," ministry spokesperson Dr. Siti Nadia Tarmizi said on Thursday. The government recently eased travel requirements for fully vaccinated domestic travelers, with those who have received two or three doses of COVID-19 no longer required to show negative RT-PCR or antigen test results before traveling. Responding to the regulation, Tarmizi said it has affected the number of people using antigen test kits. "So far, only antigen users have decreased. We are still checking the data," she said.
Context: In related news, fully-vaccinated travelers are not required to do a PCR test for train travel within Indonesia.
Vaccination Update
“Second Day of Vaccine Acceleration Increases” from Nusa Bali (Indonesian): Health Buleleng Regency decided to add two vaccination points for the booster vaccination acceleration program from the number of points on the first day. A total of 28 vaccine points were opened on Wednesday, spread throughout the Buleleng region. The addition of this vaccination point also succeeded in increasing the achievement of vaccines per day. Data from the Buleleng Health Office, the achievement of booster vaccination last Wednesday as many as 8,918 people. That number increased significantly compared to the achievement of the acceleration of booster vaccination the first day last Tuesday which was only 6,056 people. So now the total achievement of booster vaccination in Buleleng has moved at 12.31% or 66,203 people.
Health Protocols (Prokes) & Health Services
Nation: “Parents Must Prepare for Long Covid Risk in Children Says Expert” from Antara
Jembrana: “Dengue Cases in Jembrana Are on the Rise” from Bali Puspa News (Indonesian)
Economy & Infrastructure
“MotoGP Predicted to Boost Entrepreneur Investment in NTB” from Bisnis Bali (Indonesian): The MotoGP is believed to encourage the entry of investors to West Nusa Tenggara. Chairman of the National Employers Network NTB I Made Agus Arianz explained that MotoGP became an attraction for investors from home and abroad to invest in NTB. "Mandalika is in the spotlight and the world's conversation, raising the name of NTB which was once said to be left behind, backward by outsiders," said Agus, on Thursday. The IDR 4 trillion fund used by the government to build circuits and supporting facilities according to Agus is comparable to the promotion obtained by NTB. Agus also explained the need for the addition of domestic and international direct flights to accelerate the entry of tourists and investment into NTB. "Direct flight needs to multiply currently the domestic just from Bali, Jakarta, Surabaya, Makassar, and Jakarta, must be added," he said.
More...
Nation: “Government Ensures Even Distribution of Cooking Oil Raw Materials Says KSP” from Antara
Nation: “Garuda Indonesia and Emirates Codeshare Flights to Take Off in Mid-March” from Coconuts Jakarta
Education
“School Curriculums Must Cover Disaster Says DPD Speaker” from Antara: The curriculums of schools, especially those located in disaster-prone regions, must cover disasters, Regional Representative Council (DPD) Speaker A. A. LaNyalla Mahmud Mattalitti has said. "Students at schools should receive an education on disaster, and it is very necessary," he said on Thursday. According to Mattalitti, a disaster curriculum can become a foundation for children to protect themselves and help other people in case of disaster. Moreover, the number of disasters in various regions, whether floods, earthquakes, landslides, volcanic eruptions, and fires, has risen in recent years, he said. These various incidents should make the government realize the importance of providing disaster knowledge to children, starting from pre-disaster, emergency response, and post-disaster period, he said.
More...
Nation: “Jakarta Still Limits Face-to-face Learning Capacity to 50%” from Antara
Bali Reopening
“Expect Up to 3.6 Million Tourist Arrivals if Covid Subsides Says Uno” from Antara: Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno said he expects around 1.8 to 3.6 million foreign tourists to visit Indonesia this year if the number of COVID-19 cases in the country declines significantly. The entry of tourists will revive the activities of 34 million workers in the tourism and creative economy sector, he said Thursday. He said he is optimistic that the opening of travel lanes with strict health protocols for foreign tourists through Batam, Bintan, and Bali islands will be enthusiastically welcomed by visitors. Furthermore, the trial of the COVID-19 pandemic control attempt on tourists visiting Bali Island in February 2022 had been implemented well, he added. It was proven by the low COVID-19 positivity rate, which was less than 0.5% of the total 1,500 visitors tested at the arrival gate, he said.
More...
“Quarantine-Free Bali Puts Indonesia On Track for Broad Reopening” from Bloomberg
“International Arrivals Increase, VOA Applicants Also Increase” from Bali Prawara (Indonesian)
Weekend Reads
“Keeping The Hope of Bali Tourism” from Kompas (Indonesian)
“Why Do So Many Indonesians Back Russia’s Invasion of Ukraine?” from Indonesia at Melbourne
“In a National Park Plagued by Encroachers, Indonesia Tries a New Approach” from Mongabay
Of Interest
“Indonesians Must Not Heed Russian Propaganda Says Ambassador” from Antara
“25 Balinese Men Stranded in Turkey After Being Duped by Shady Recruiter” from Coconuts Bali
“Indonesia’s Mount Merapi Erupts Multiple Times, 250 Evacuate” from AP
“Monkey Herd Attacks Plantations Payangan Residents, Gianyar” from Radar Bali (Indonesian)
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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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