NEARLY 50 MILLION INDONESIANS THREATENED BY EXTREME DROUGHT

 Rabu, 31 Jul 2019 16:03

By Fardah
Jakarta, 31/7 (Antara) - An El Nino-induced severe dry spell has cast a pall over 100 districts and cities in Indonesias provinces of Aceh, West Java, Central Java, Yogyakarta, East Java, West Nusa Tenggara, and East Nusa Tenggara.
Most parts of Java, Bali, and Nusa Tenggara have not received rains for nearly 60 days. The extreme dry season has impacted 102,746 hectares (ha) of agricultural area and ruined 9,358 ha.
The National Meteorological, Climatology, and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) has forecast extreme dry season until September, with the condition likely to peak in August.
The government has forecast that the current drought, which is drier than that of last year, would spread to 28 out of the countrys 34 provinces, and could affect 48,491,666 people and leave 11,774,437 ha areas parched.
A total of 55 district and municipal administrations in the seven provinces have declared a state of emergency in their regions over drought.
The authorities have built artesian wells in several areas and supplied over seven million liters of clean water, out of the 15 million liters to be distributed.
The government has prepared 15,665 thousand liters of water to be dispatched to 1,969 villages, Agus Wibowo, spokesman of the National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB), stated.
In the meantime, the Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) Ministry inspected the availability of clean water in dams, lakes, and reservoirs in regions, as the severe dry season has resulted in a water crisis.
"During drought, the supply of clean water (for households) is a priority and next is for agricultural irrigation," PUPR Minister Basuki Hadimuljono had noted in a statement on July 7, 2019.

IMPROVING HUMAN RESOURCES TO RESPOND TO GLOBAL CHALLENGES

Minggu, 28 Jul 2019 10:22

By Fardah
Jakarta, 28/7 (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), who has been reelected for the 2019-2024 period, is set to focus on the development of human resources, after intensifying infrastructure constructions in his first term.
Human resources development is one of the five priority programs to be implemented during the second term, he has vowed.
At an event called Indonesian Vision held on July 15, 2019, Jokowi expounded his vision and mission which he said was responding to global challenges that are complex, evolving and full of uncertainties and risks.
He has pledged to continue the development of infrastructure, intensify the development of human resources, invite investment that can generate job opportunities, reform structural bureaucracy, and optimize budget utilization that is focused and in line with the target.
"However, I need to remind you that big dreams could only be realized if we remain united, optimistic, and confident and dare to face challenges in the face of global competition. We must be brave and confident so that we could become one of the strongest countries in the world," Jokowi stated before thousands of people.

He has issued orders that the State Budget must be made ready for improvement in the quality of human resources for the next five years.

CROWN PRINCE'S VISIT BOLSTERS PARTNERSHIPS BETWEEN INDONESIA, UAE

Sabtu, 27 Jul 2019 16:45

 By Fardah

Jakarta, 27/7 (Antara) - Abu Dhabi Crown Prince Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan visiting Indonesia on July 24, 2019, was historic and memorable, as he was enthusiastically welcomed and held long, friendly discussions with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi).
Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi described the two leaders as having established ties akin to best friends.
"They clicked. This is one of the longest meetings the president has had with a guest from another country," the minister remarked at the Bogor Presidential Palace following the bilateral meeting between the Crown Prince and the president that lasted over 2.5 hours.
Marsudi recalled Sheikh Mohamed's friendly welcome extended to President Jokowi when he had visited Abu Dhabi in 2015.
"When the president visited Abu Dhabi in 2015, Sheikh Mohamed welcomed him at the steps of his jet. They walked to the car together and Sheikh Mohamed himself drove the president to the restaurant. President Jokowi felt very respected," she remarked.
Sheikh Mohamed, who also serves as deputy commander-in-chief of the UAE Armed Forces, arrived in Jakarta with a large delegation comprising Lt General Sheikh Saif Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Interior, Sheikh Hamed Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Chief of the Abu Dhabi Crown Prince's Court, Sheikh Mohammad Bin Hamad bin Tahnoon Al Nahyan, Chairman of Abu Dhabi Airports, Sultan bin Saeed Al Mansouri, Minister of Economy, Suhail bin Mohammed Faraj Faris Al Mazrouei, Minister of Energy and Industry, Hussain bin Ibrahim Al Hammadi, Minister of Education, Noura bint Mohammed Al Kaabi, Minister of Culture and Knowledge Development, and Dr. Sultan Al Jaber, Minister of State, among others.
The two leaders affirmed their commitment to intensifying collaboration between Indonesia and the UAE, capitalizing on the enormous opportunities for economic and development cooperation, as well as fostering friendship and mutual understanding between the people of both nations.

KOMODO ISLAND TO BE DEVELOPED INTO VERY EXCLUSIVE TOURIST ATTRACTION

26 Jul 2019 16:17

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah
Jakarta, 26/7 (Antara) - The controversy over Komodo Island has died down after the central government gave the go-ahead for temporarily closing the ecotourism destination to be developed into a conservation area and a very exclusive tourist attraction.
Komodo Island is located within the Komodo National Park (TNK) that spans 137 thousand hectares, of which 60 percent constitutes waters. The park has 147 islands, including five major islands: Gili Motang Island, Padar Island, Nusa Kode Island, Komodo Island, and Rinca Island.
The TNK is home to 2,800 Komodo dragons (Veranus Komodoensis), including 1,040 heads on Rica Island, while the rest live on Komodo Island, Giling Motang Island, and other smaller islands.

In 1977, TNK was named a biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and in 1991, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2012, it was listed as the New 7 Wonders of Nature sites.
The TNK recorded revenue amounting to Rp32 billion from tourist visits to the park during 2018, an increase from Rp29 billion in the previous year. A total of 176,830 tourists, comprising 121,409 foreigners and 55,421 Indonesians, had visited the TNK last year, a surge from 119,599 visitors in 2017, and a drastic increase from 80 thousand tourists in 2014, according to Lukita Awang, head of TNK.
During a visit to Labuan Bajo, West Manggarai District, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) confirmed that Komodo Island will be developed into a conservation area and only few tourists, willing to dig deeper into their pockets, will be allowed to land on the island to see the Komodo Dragon, the worlds only surviving giant lizards in the wilderness.

HABITAT LOSS TRIGGERS SUMATRAN ELEPHANT-HUMAN CONFLICT

Kamis, 18 Jul 2019 17:38

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 18/7 (Antara) - Sumatran forests are home to some of the worlds rarest plant species and among remaining landscapes where elephants, tigers, and orangutans coexist.

Covering 470,000 km², Sumatra, the sixth largest island in the world, has 580 bird species, 201 mammal species nad more than 15,000 known plants.
Forest loss particularly due to plantation, development projects, and forest fires, however, has heightened the human-elephant conflict, leading to the death of an estimated 35 elephants between 2012 and 2015. There are now fewer than 1,700 Sumatran elephants (elephas maximus sumatranus) left in the wild, according to some reports.

The World Wildlife Fund (WWF) recently drew attention to the critical condition of eight enclaves of the Sumatran elephant that may result in the species' extinction following changes in nature fuelling conflict with humans.
"Several elephant enclaves have been transformed into palm oil plantation and industrial forest, thereby sparking greater conflicts with humans," a spokesman of the WWF Riau Program Syamsidar said on June 14, 2019.
According to a survey by WWF, the elephant population in some enclaves had dwindled and could possibly result in local extinction. Syamsidar remarked that only one elephant remained in each enclave in Rokan Hilir and Batang Ulak, whereas only three elephants were alive in Mahato-Barumun, while the Balai Raja enclave was home to only five elephants.
"In Mahato, all three elephants are females. There is no possibility of reproduction, and this can lead to what we call as local extinction," he cautioned.

Connecting goods and people of Pacific, Southeast Asia by Fardah

Jakarta, July 13, 2019 (ANTARA) - The first ever Pacific Exposition highlighting the region’s business, investment, and tourism potential began in Auckland, New Zealand, on July 11, 2019 at Indonesia’s initiative, supported by the governments of New Zealand and Australia. 

Themed “Creating Pacific Momentum”, the expo sees the participation of 123 companies, officials, businessmen, and artists from 20 Pacific countries. These are Solomon Island, Australia, Cook Island, Federated States of Micronesia, and Fiji, in addition to French Polynesia, Indonesia, Kiribati, Marshall Islands, Nauru, and New Zealand. Niue, Palau, Papua New Guinea, and Samoa are also participating along with Timor Leste, Tuvalu, Vanuatu, and New Caledonia.

“This forum is the first of its kind. We are creating momentum to engage with each other and strengthen our fraternity with fellow Pacific countries and territories," Foreign Minister Retno L. P. Marsudi said.

The Pacific Exposition, which concludes on July 14, includes a range of events from the Tourism Forum (July 11), the Business and Investment Forum (July 12), the Pacific Cultural Forum (July 13), and the Sound of the Pacific Concert (July 14).

The expo was officially opened by Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi, together with other Pacific countries’ leaders, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Affairs Minister of New Zealand Winston Peters, and Australian Foreign Minister Marise Payne, in the presence of some 400 guests.

Pacific Exposition 2019 will connect the dots between the 17,000 Indonesian islands and the thousands of Pacific islands, Australia and New Zealand, according to Retno Marsudi.

EAST NUSA TENGGARA OFFERS MANY MORE TOURIST SPOTS

Jumat, 12 Jul 2019 23:32

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 12/7 (Antara) - East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) Province is famous for Komodo National Park, which comprises Komodo, Padar, and Rinca islands as well as 26 smaller ones, and was founded in 1980 to protect the Komodo dragon.

The Komodo dragon (Veranus Komodoensis), is the world's only surviving giant lizard.

In 1977, the Komodo National Park was named a biosphere reserve by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), and in 1991, it was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site. In 2012, it was listed as the New 7 Wonders of Nature sites.

Komodo Island is located near Labuan Bajo, which is one of the 10 priority tourist destinations designated by the government as "New Bali." The nine other destinations are Borobudur in Central Java; Mandalika on Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara; Bromo-Tengger-Semeru in East Java; Pulau Seribu in North Jakarta; Lake Toba in North Sumatra; Wakatobi in Southeast Sulawesi; Tanjung Lesung in Banten; Morotai in the northern region of Halmahera in the Maluku Islands; and Tanjung Kelayang in Belitung, Bangka Belitung.

Both Komodo Island and Labuan Bajo are located in West Manggarai District on Flores Island, and they are the backbone of the tourism industry of NTT, in particular, and Indonesia, in general. 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. A total of 176,830 tourists, comprising 121,409 foreigners and 55,421 Indonesians, had visited the Komodo National Park last year, a surge from 119,599 visitors in 2017.

GERINDRA, PKS EXPECTED TO REMAIN EFFECTIVE, QUALITY OPPOSITION

Sabtu, 6 Jul 2019 21:22

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 6/7 (Antara) - The 2019 presidential election held simultaneously with legislative elections on April 17, 2019, across Indonesia was a long and tiring process with a campaign lasting more than six months, leading to a deeply divided nation.

The elections were considered the world's biggest and most complex single-day vote on April 17, 2019, where 192 million people queued up at some 810 thousand polling stations, resulting in unexpected deaths of some 700 polling officers, mostly after working for two days at a stretch after serving voters on polling day.

The 2019 race was a replay of the contentious 2014 presidential election that exposed the nation's divide, as Joko Widodo (Jokowi) faced retired general Prabowo Subianto.

The General Elections Commission (KPU) announced the final results on May 22, 2019, at 1:28 a.m., declaring that the Jokowi-Maruf Amin pair had secured 85 million votes, or 55.5 percent of the national vote, as compared to contenders Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno who received 68 million votes, or 44.5 percent.

The Jokowi-Amin pair declared victory, while the Prabowo-Sandiaga pair rejected the KPU's official tabulation result and challenged it in the Constitutional Court (MK).

MK's nine judges announced their final ruling session on June 27, 2019, by rejecting in totality the Prabowo-Sandiaga pair's petition.

President-elect Jokowi and Vice President-elect Ma'ruf Amin will soon form a new cabinet for the 2019-2024 period, according to Arsul Sani, deputy chairman of TKN, Jokowis national campaign team.

Infrastructure development intensifies to boost N Sulawesi Tourism

Sabtu, 6 Jul 2019 21:29

Daerah : Jakarta

By Fardah

Jakarta, 6/7 (Antara) - North Sulawesi, with a population of 2.4 million and located on the northern Sulawesi Island, or formerly known as Celebes, is looking forward to attracting more foreign tourists to visit the province.

They are offering a variety of natural panoramas, with beaches, hills, volcanic mountains, and scenic plateaus.

The scenic and biodiverse Bunaken Marine National Park, which is some 10 kilometers from the provincial capital of Manado is one of the most popular tourist destinations. The park has been inscribed on the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization World Heritage List.

Foreign tourist visits during the January-May 2019 period has reached 55,144, or a 9.67 percent rise than 50,284 travelers during the corresponding time frame in 2018, according to data of the Manado Immigration office. Of the total tourists, most came from China, reaching 86 percent, followed by two percent each from Singapore and Germany, and 1.3 percent from the United States.

North Sulawesi has been named as the Rising Star of Indonesia's tourism sector for its ability to boost its growth to 600 percent in the last four years. The number of foreign tourists visiting North Sulawesi, especially Manado and Bitung, had reached 20 thousand in 2015, rising twofold to 40 thousand in 2016, 80 thousand in 2017, and 120 thousand in 2018.

Within a four year span, in total, foreign tourist visits to the province have jumped sixfold. Similarly, the number of domestic tourists visiting the region has reached two million in 2016, with the figure continuing to increase to four million in the next year.