Ordered By Jokowi, This Is Khofifah's Step On Inflation To Settle Extreme Poverty In East Java

East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa/PHOTO IST

East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa has secretly prepared steps to control inflation and extreme poverty in East Java. This step is in line with the instructions of President Joko Widodo, at the Regional Head Coordination Meeting (Rakornas) and Forkopimda 2023 at Sentul International Convention Center, Bogor, Tuesday, January 17, 2023. In the National Coordination Meeting, continued Khofifah, Jokowi instructed all regional heads to prepare steps to handle various problems. Starting from the problem of inflation, extreme poverty, stunting, investment, impacting bureaucracy, APBD, TKDN, political stability and security towards the 2024 General Election, as well as the issue of freedom of religion and worship. "We are preparing steps and strategies with all ranks of the East Java Forkopimda to continue to collaborate, coordinate, and synergize to carry out President Jokowi's directives in dealing with various problems," said Khofifah. For the inflation issue, Khofifah admitted that she continues to update data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS), as the basis for decision making or policy handling inflation. Based on data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) as of January 2, 2023, the movement of month-to-month inflation in East Java in December 2022, experienced inflation of 0.60 percent. Meanwhile, inflation yo y and inflation for the calendar year amounted to 6.52 percent. "In an effort to control inflation in East Java, the East Java Provincial Government implemented a 4K strategy. The four strategies are Price Integrability, Supply Availability, smooth Distribution and Effective Communication," he said. The first strategy is price affordability, where this effort is carried out through various steps such as the implementation of cheap markets and market operations, strengthening cooperation between regions through trade and investment mission activities, as well as monitoring the availability and development of prices for basic commodities and digital food task force posts. The second strategy is the availability of supplies, including by absorbing rice grain from farmers, preparing planting patterns, optimizing, securing production. "Then controlling the availability of livestock commodities, fostering and monitoring of farmers, accelerating the rice planting movement in 38 districts/cities, and monitoring the availability of basic goods supplies," he said. Furthermore, the third strategy is smooth distribution, in which this program is carried out by providing ship transportation subsidies for the outermost islands, repair and maintenance of roads, provision of land transportation subsidies when the zero Over Dimension Over Load (ODOL) is implemented, and strengthening coordination of fuel stock security and 3kg LPG in East Java. "The fourth strategy is effective communication, including by strengthening synergy and coordination between stakeholders, meetings with the Head of OPD and BPS to discuss inflation developments in East Java every week. We will also provide running text on the development of basic and important goods prices in electronic media," he said. Meanwhile, in dealing with the problem of extreme poverty, Khofifah admitted that she had taken various steps, such as the electrification program, the Renovation of Decent Housing (Rutilahu) program, various social assistance programs, as well as the women's business empowerment program (Jatim Puspa). He said the East Java Provincial Government itself already has best practice programs that have been running so far, such as PKH-Plus targeting the people of East Java aged 70 years or over in the PKH program. "We also continue to ask the Regent/Mayor to continue to check in their respective areas which there is still extreme poverty. We also ask the Head of the East Java PMD Service and the Head of Bakorwil to participate in combing which areas there are still extreme poverty," he said. Next regarding the handling of stunting, Khofifah said that the East Java Provincial Government has two kinds of interventions. Namely, the specific itervention (health area) contributed 30 percent and sensitive intervention (non-health field) contributed 70 percent. "These various efforts continue to be carried out both cross-sectoral coordination, education, counseling, and coordination both on nutrition, baby and child food, immunization implementation, to routine monitoring of growth and development of toddlers in posyandu," he said. Then related to investment, said Khofifah, her party continues to encourage the creation of a conducive and ideal investment climate in East Java. In East Java itself, there is a Regional Regulation No. 2 of 2019 concerning investment, which regulates the acceleration of licensing services, deregulation of investment, promotion of domestic and foreign investment, as well as the provision of incentives for investors. This incentive, he continued, includes reducing or providing regional tax breaks or levies, providing stimulant funds, and providing capital assistance. Meanwhile, the provision of conveniences such as providing data and information related to investment opportunities, providing facilities and infrastructure, providing land or locations. "We also continue to innovate the licensing process digitally by utilizing information technology, namely online licensing services, online investment information services, as well as Jatim Online Single Submission services," he said. "In addition, by providing facilitation for existing companies to continue to operate facilitating the control of investment in East Java's companies and facilitating companies in unraveling investment problems," he added.