FIRST OVERSEAS TRIP DURING PANDEMIC TO TAKE WIDODO TO THREE NATIONS by Fardah

 

Jakarta, Oct 30, 2021 (Antara) A special Garuda Indonesia airplane, GIA-1, departed for Rome, Italy on October 29, 2021 with President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and his entourage on board, marking the start of his three-nation working visit.

Widodo's trip—which is his first since the pandemic began in 2019 and has come at a time when COVID-19 transmission has begun to slow in many countries, including Indonesia—will take him to Italy for the G20 Summit, Great Britain for COP26, and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), which is an important business partner for Indonesia.

Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment Luhut Pandjaitan, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung are accompanying the President on the trip.

G20

Currently, Widodo is in Rome for the Group of Twenty (G20) Leaders' Meeting, scheduled for October 30-31, 2021. He will take over the grouping’s Presidency from Italy at the meeting. 

The G20 members are Argentina, Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Indonesia, Italy, Mexico, Russia, South Africa, Saudi Arabia, South Korea, Turkey, the United Kingdom, the United States, and the European Union. Spain is a permanent guest.

Indonesia will hold the Presidency of the G20, which represents 85 percent of the global economy and 75 percent of the global trade, from December 1, 2021 to November 30, 2022. The theme for Indonesia's Presidency is “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”.

He has also been invited to deliver a speech on women’s engagement in micro, small, and medium-scale enterprises (MSMEs) at the meeting.

Indonesia contemplates on revising controversial Internet law by Fardah

 Jakarta, Feb 25, 2021 (ANTARA) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) hinted at a likely revision to the country’s Internet law -- Law No 11 of 2008 on Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) -- especially to correct articles open to multiple interpretations.

“If its implementation leads to injustice, the law needs to be revised,” Jokowi had tweeted on Feb 15, 2021.

The ITE law essentially regulates the exchange of information and other electronic transactions. It enunciates what is banned on the internet. However, some critics view that its defamation article had been misused to criminalize certain parties, thereby not boding well with the freedom of expression.

In fact, the Jokowi administration and House of Representatives (DPR) had revised the ITE law in 2016, with the objective of correcting the law’s multi-interpretative articles.

However, Institute for Criminal Justice Reform (ICJR) and Legal Aid Center for the Press (LBH Pers), in its statement posted on its website (icjr.or.id) on October 28, 2016, echoed its concern over the “half-hearted” directional change of the amended ITE Law.

“From the start, the government has not shown much interest to the enforcement of the ITE law, specifically related to the freedom of expression. Changes made to the ITE Law are only legitimizing the interests of the government to curb the critical attitude of Indonesian society by adding new government powers. Mostly, all amendments add new powers to the government,” the ICJR noted in the statement.

Lately, the ITE law again drew a great deal of attention, especially following the death of a 29-year-old popular Muslim preacher, Ustadz Maaher, who died in a police prison on Feb 8, 2021, while placed in detention since December 4, 2020, over a hate speech case that violated the ITE law.

The outspoken preacher had reportedly filed a request of suspension of his detention owing to his illness and extended his apology over what he wrote on his Twitter account. However, his request was declined.

A similar incident took place on June 10, 2018, when Muhammad Yusuf, 42, a journalist at a local news site, Kemajuan Rakyat, died in a prison after being arrested for five weeks and placed in a Jakarta police prison and later moved to a South Kalimantan prison.

Yusuf was charged with defamation and hate speech for his article on a land conflict between a major palm oil plantation company and local residents of Pulau Laut, South Kalimantan Province. His article was perceived as being provocative and defaming the company.

In 2019, Ahmad Dhani, a famous rock musician and an outspoken opposition figure, was sentenced to a year’s imprisonment after being charged over a hate speech in line with the ITE law.

In fact, during the period between 2016 and 2020, 786 law-related cases were reported, with 88 percent of those charged being placed behind bars, Damar Juniarto of the digital advocacy group, the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet), stated.

POLICE GENERAL'S APPOINTMENT AS ACTING WEST JAVA GOVERNOR STIRS CONTROVERSY by Fardah

Jakarta, June 21, 2018 (Antara) - Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo's decision to install Commissioner General of Police M. Iriawan as West Java acting governor has courted controversy despite the minister's assurance that Iriawan's appointment is in line with existing regulations.

         After studying the appointment, the State Secretariat reached a conclusion that it does not violate any laws, so President Joko Widodo issued a decree on the appointment of Iriawan, Jakarta's former police chief, according to Kumolo.

         The minister installed Iriawan as the acting governor of West Java Province in Bandung, West Java, on June 18, 2018.

         Iriawan, concurrently main secretary of the Indonesian Resilience Institute, succeeded Governor Ahmad Heryawan, whose term of office ended on June 13, 2018.

         His inauguration was based on Presidential Decree No 106/P of 2018 on the honorary dismissal of the governor and deputy governor of West Java for the 2013-2018 term of office and the appointment of acting governor of West Java.

         The appointment of the Police commissioner general was criticized by Luthfi Andi Mutty, a member of Parliament, who opined that the decision is a violation of the existing regulations.

         "Appointing an active police general as the acting governor is a violation of at least three regulations," Mutty noted in a statement.

        As per Law No. 3 of 2002 on Indonesian Police, a police officer can hold a position outside the police after resigning from his post.

         Law No. 10 of 2016 stipulates that to fill the gubernatorial seat, the government can appoint a civil servant.

INDONESIAN INT'L ISLAMIC UNIVERSITY AS STUDY CENTER OF ISLAMIC CIVILIZATION by Fardah

  Jakarta, June 5,2018 (Antara)- President Joko Widodo's administration is determined to build an international Islamic university that can also serve as a study and research center of Islamic civilization in Indonesia.

         Joko Widodo (Jokowi) and Vice President M Jusuf Kalla laid the first cornerstone for the construction of the Indonesian International Islamic University (UIII) campus in Depok, West Java Province on June 5, 2018, to materialize the dream.

         Construction of the UIII campus had been planned since the past two years, according to Jokowi, who was on the occasion accompanied by Religious Affairs Minister Lukman Hakim Saifuddin; Public Works and Public Housing Minister Basuki Hadimuljno; Research, Technology, and Higher Education Minister M. Nasir; and Governor of West Java Province Ahmad Heryawan.

         The plan had been discussed for two years but finding the land was not easy, he noted.

         Jokowi said he was keen to allocate one thousand hectares of land for the UIII campus, but it was difficult to find land on Java Island.

         "I offered (land) outside Java, but all teams disagreed," he added.

         "In fact, we get 142 hectares of land, which is far from one thousand hectares. However, after I observed it on the field, I was surprised, as 142 hectares of land is already quite vast. Alhamdulillah (thank God). Imagine if we could have got one thousand hectares," Jokowi pointed out.

         The university is to come up on 143 hectares that belonged to Indonesia's state radio station on Pemancar street, Cisalak village, Sukmajaya sub-district, Depok Municipality. The buildings will be on 21 hectares and the rest of the land will be open spaces and greenery.

         The president revealed that the design of the UIII campus will be futuristic and expressed hope that the UIII would become a study and research center of Islamic civilization in Indonesia.

SOEKARNO-HATTA AIRPORT TRAIN READY TO SERVE PASSENGERS by Fardah

Jakarta, Jan 2, 2017 (Antara) - Several toll roads and highways are currently being constructed in Jakarta and the surrounding areas to ease traffic congestion in the capital city, notorious for being one of the world's most traffic-congested and populated cities.

          The government has, so far, also provided several means of public transportation, such as the Trans-Jakarta bus services and commuter train KRL Jabodetabek to serve the Greater Jakarta or Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi (Jabodetabek) areas.

          However, traffic jams persist, and the use of the KRL Jabodetabek as well as the Trans-Jakarta bus services have become inconvenient since they are always crowded during peak hours.

          To solve the problem of congestion, the authorities have been constructing the Mass Rapid Transit and Light Rail Transit that will connect Greater Jakarta as well as a train connecting the Soekarno-Hatta International Airport to the Sudirman Baru Station located in Central Jakarta.  
     Initially, the airport train had started from the Manggarai railway station, but since work on another project was ongoing at the station, the plan was postponed.

          As the construction of the airport train was completed in December 2017, its trial operation was carried out from December 26, 2017, until January 1, 2018, with the ticket priced at Rp30 thousand per passenger per trip, but the normal tariff is currently Rp70 thousand.

          Edi Sukmoro, president director of the state-owned railway company PT Kereta Api Indonesia, informed the press recently that the company had sought feedback from passengers during the trial operations.

          President Joko Widodo inaugurated the operation of the airport train at the Soekarno Hatta International Airport Station in Cengkareng, Banten, on Jan 2.

CHRISTMAS SPREADS MESSAGE OF PEACE ACROSS INDONESIA by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 25, 2017 (Antara) - Some 25 million Indonesian Christians, constituting 10 percent of the Muslim-majority country's population, celebrated Christmas by spreading a message of peace not only in Indonesia but also all over the world.

         Speaking at the largest and oldest Catholic Cathedral, located in central Jakarta, on Dec 25, the Conference of Indonesian Bishops (KWI) has called on all Christians to maintain peace during Christmas 2017.

         The theme for Christmas celebration at the Cathedral Church was "Diversity Starts from Home."
    "We long for an Earth, which is full of peace, and human beings, among whom the spirit of brotherhood grows stronger. This Christmas offers the momentum to renew personal or common life together," Mgr Ingatius Suharyo, the KWI chairman, noted at the Cathedral Church, which is located next to Istiqlal Grand Mosque.

         The call for peace is based on the current condition in the community, as many people are harboring concerns over the recent threat to Indonesia's unity due to stiff political competition by those using all means possible, including those running counter to the Pancasila state ideology, according to Suharyo.

         "Our country's wish to create peace and prosperity has become difficult to realize," he pointed out.

         Religions have called on the people to maintain peace with fellow faith followers and all creatures created by God, he remarked.

PREPARATIONS FOR WEDDING OF JOKOWI'S ONLY DAUGHTER COMPLETED by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 1, 2017  (Antara) - Kahiyang Ayu, the only daughter of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), will get married to her university sweetheart Bobby Affif Nasution in her hometown Solo, Central Java, on Nov 8 this year.        
    Ayu and Bobby Nasution are both aged 26 and students of the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB). The duo had dated for a year and got engaged in June 2017.

         "My sister will get married on Nov 8," Gibran Rakambuming Raka, Jokowi's eldest son, had informed the press at the president's private residence in Solo or Surakarta last September.

         Speaking as the spokesman of his family, Raka was accompanied by Ayu and First Lady Iriana during the press conference.

         The wedding ceremony will follow Javanese traditions, and preparations for the wedding have been completed.

         The Graha Sabha Buana Hall, owned by the Jokowi family and located near his private home in Solo, will serve as the venue for the wedding ceremony, and the food will be provided by catering company Chili Pari owned by Raka.

         "One of the dishes to be served is martabak," Raka said as quoted by tempo.co.

         The 30-year-old entrepreneur is no stranger to the popular Indonesian pancake, as he also owns cafe Martabak Kota Barat, or Markobar, having outlets in several cities across Indonesia.

         Both martabak manis, or sweet pancake, and martabak telur, or stuffed fried pancake, will be served at the wedding. The pancake delights will be prepared at the venue.

         "Guests will be able to witness the cooking process," Raka added.

         Ayu's elder brother said the media will be given access to cover the ceremony, adding that he will set up a media center for the event.

         "Do not worry. We will set up a media center for the journalists. It will be operational in the run-up to the wedding," Raka told reporters.

         Ayu, or Ayang, was born in 1991. She has completed an undergraduate degree in food technology at the state-run Sebelas Maret University in Solo. She has attended a postgraduate degree course at IPB since 2015.

         Bobby Nasution is the third or youngest son of Erwin Nasution, former executive director of state-owned plantation holding company PT Perkebunan Nusantara II, who passed away in January this year.

         He has two elder sisters: Mayang Sari Nasution and Inge Amelia Nasution.

         Bobby Nasution had received his undergraduate degree in agribusiness from the Faculty of Agribusiness and Management at the IPB in 2014.
    Nasution is now a postgraduate student in Business Management Magister of the IPB.  
    Jokowi said he is looking forward to his daughter's wedding and is excited to be a member of a big Batak family, as his future son-in-law is an ethnic Batak from Medan, North Sumatra.

         President Jokowi led the final meeting on the wedding preparations in Solo on Oct 29. Following the meeting, he confirmed that all preparations were completed.

         The meeting was attended by Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Solo Mayor FX Hadi Rudyatmo, and Commander of the Diponegoro Military Command Major General Tatang Sulaiman, among others.

         "Everything is set, and we just need to distribute the invitations," Jokowi informed the media.

         He revealed that there will be some eight thousand invitees, more than double the number of people invited to his eldest son's wedding held at the same venue in 2015.

INDONESIA, TELEGRAM SHARE COMMON CONCERN ABOUT TERRORISM by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 4, 2017 (Antara) - The Indonesian government and Russia-based Telegram have finally settled a misunderstanding between them and pledged to work together to solve existing problems as they share a common concern about terrorism.

           The understanding was reached during Telegram CEO Pavel Durov's visit to Jakarta on Aug 1 following a decision by Indonesia to partially block web-based Telegram application.

          Durov held a meeting with Communication and Informatics Minister Rudiantara to discuss a follow up on the mechanism to handle negative content, particularly when it concerns terrorism.

          At the meeting, both sides agreed to open a special communication channel for the ministry and Telegram in order to prevent the spread of negative content effectively and swiftly.

          Durov remarked that his company was concerned about the terrorism content and shared a similar commitment with Indonesia's Communication and Informatics Ministry concerning counterterrorism.

         He revealed that Telegram was committed to working faster to "shut down publicly available content related to ISIS and propaganda of terrorism."
   "Telegram is highly concerned about the global threat of terrorism, particularly in a country like Indonesia," he explained.

          Minister Rudiantara has expressed appreciation to Durov for his response and his visit to Jakarta to meet him and discus the problem.

          "I laud Telegram for being very responsive concerning this issue," Rudiantara stated.

           He promised to normalize Web-based application Telegram this week since its blocking since July 14, 2017.

SOCIAL SOLIDARITY CALLED POWERFUL TOOL FOR DEALING WITH NATIONAL PROBLEMS by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 24, 2016 (Antara) - Having more than 1,300 ethnic groups and 400 distinct languages and dialects, are certainly challenges for the 250-million population of Indonesia, the fourth most populated nation in the world, after China, India and the US.

         Moreover, the country comprises some 17,000 islands and lies between the Ring of Fire and the Alpide Belt, resulting in the country being prone to volcano eruptions, earthquakes and subsequent tsunamis.

         The Ring of Fire is a major area in the basin of the Pacific Ocean where a large number of earthquakes and volcanic eruptions occur annually. With its 40,000 km horseshoe shape, it is associated with a nearly continuous series of oceanic trenches, volcanic arcs, and volcanic belts and/or plate movements. It has 452 volcanoes, including more than 75 percent of the world's active and dormant volcanoes.

         Indonesia has experienced among the world¿s deadliest natural disasters, such as the 1883 eruption of Krakatoa Volcano, and a magnitude-9.3 earthquake off Aceh waters that triggered a massive tsunami on Dec 26, 2004.

        The Indian Ocean earthquake and its resulting tsunami killed an estimated 225,000 to 230,210 people, mostly in Aceh Province and Nias Island (North Sumatra Province), as well as several other countries in Southeast and South Asian regions.

JAKARTA'S "212" MASS FRIDAY PRAYER FOR NATIONAL UNITY by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 5, 2016 (Antara) - A mass Friday prayer held in downtown  Jakarta on December 2, 2016 was a historic event for the Muslims of Indonesia as it was believed to be the largest ever Friday prayer held on the streets with several million people attending.

        Muslim men and women who participated in the prayer came not only from Jakarta but also from other provinces throughout Indonesia. No flags of political parties or banners of any gubernatorial candidates were seen during the mass prayers. Several non-Muslim sympathizers, including those of Chinese descent, were also present.

        Most of the audience came on its own, bearing their own expenses, and many of them claimed they were moved to join the prayer because of their love for Islam and in particular for its Holy Book, Al Quran, and for maintaining the unity and diversity of Indonesia.

        Even the organizer of the mass Friday prayer, the National Movement of Guardians of the Indonesian Ulema Council's Fatwa (GNPF-MUI) did not make any claim that bringing together so many people was in any way their success.

        The GNPF-MUI leaders believed that no figure or party or organization could have mobilized such big numbers. The crowd turned up because of an appeal to their conscience.

        No one could have the exact count of audience's numbers but the GPMUI estimated it to be around 7.5 million. Different media, however, came out with different estimations, varying from hundreds of thousands, one million, two million, or even three million.

"UNITED NUSANTARA" CELEBRATES "UNITY IN DIVERSITY" OF INDONESIA by Fardah

Jakarta, Dec 1, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia, the world's largest archipelagic country, is blessed with more than 17 thousand islands, 700 tribes, and over 1,100 different local languages and dialects.

         Although over 80 percent of its population of more than 250 million comprises Muslims. People having different faiths such as Christians, Hindus, and Buddhists, have been living here in harmony for many decades.

         "Our diversity is God's gift that we must all be grateful for. This is also our strength and we can boast about it to other countries. Though we have a lot of diversity, we remain united," President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said while speaking before young members of Indonesia's second largest Muslim organization, Muhammadiyah, in Banten, on Nov 30.

         The country's founding fathers have been very wise in choosing "Bhinneka Tunggal Ika," or Unity in Diversity as the national motto.

         To celebrate the diversity and unity of the nation, a peaceful assembly called United Nusantara (Archipelago) was organized simultaneously at the National Monument (Monas) in Jakarta, and in other cities across the country, on Nov 30.

         The assembly, aimed at strengthening the sense of unity and integrity of the nation, witnessed the participation of thousands of people that included prominent religious figures, ulemas, students, musicians, youth and other elements of the nation.   
     The Commander of the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI), General Gatot Nurmantyo, and Chief of the Indonesian Police, General Tito Karnavian, attended the gathering which was also called a 'roll call.'

TOWARDS A SLUM-FREE INDONESIA BY 2019 by Fardah

 Jakarta, Nov 19, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia has around 137 million urban dwellers who make up 53.7 percent of the total population.  By 2025, an estimated 68 percent of Indonesians will be living in cities.  
   Slums claim 23 thousand hectares of land in Indonesia, according to data from the Public Works and Public Housing Works Ministry.

        About 29 million Indonesians live in slums with poor basic services with 11 million lacking access to sanitation and 9 million lacking access to safe water. Indonesia's urban poor pay 10 to 30 times more to buy clean water from private providers, compared to the better off families with access to water utilities.

        The government, in line with the Law No. 17 of 2007 regarding National Long-Term Development Plan 2005-2025, has set a target of achieving a "city without slums" by 2020.

        The current government under the leadership of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), however, has intensified work to improve living conditions in slum areas in order to achieve a "slum free" status by 2019.

        Jokowi, in fact, has made poverty alleviation program one of his administration's key development efforts.

        Nine cities have been chosen for the first stage of the slum free program, according to the Ministry of National Development Planning.

        The cities are Banjarmasin, East Kalimantan; Pekalongan and Semarang in Central Java; Surabaya and Malang, East Java; Tangerang, Banten; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Palembang in South Sumatra; and the city of Yogyakarta.

ANOTHER RALLY NOT NEEDED WHILE AHOK BLASPHEMY CASE GOING ON by Fardah

Jakarta, Nov 19, 2016 (Antara) - The public are expected to calm down and follow the developments of the legal process handled by the Crime Investigation Department (Bareskrim) of Indonesian Police (Polri), regarding the blasphemy case involving Basuki Tjahaja Purnama (Ahok).

           As promised by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), the central government will not make any intervention in the law enforcement to uphold justice regarding the case.

         "The legal process is proven, and there is absolutely no need for government intervention affecting the enforcement of justice," Coordinating Minister for Political, Law and Security Affairs Wiranto said in a statement on Nov 16.

        The security minister said the legal process of Ahok, as a suspect, was purely based on investigation of testimonies given in a professional manner.

         Wiranto appealed to the people to respect the legal process at this time and entrusted it entirely to law enforcement authorities, in order to resolve the problem completely.     
        The police has named Ahok a suspect for his alleged blasphemous statement regarding the Holy Quran.

           The Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict that the statement was a blasphemy and should be processed legally in line with the country's existing laws. Bareskrim received 11 reports from Muslim organizations against Ahok.

        "The investigation has been upgraded with Ahok as the suspect," Indonesia Police spokesman Senior Commissioner Rikwanto said.

PRESIDENT JOKOWI REACHES OUT TO ULEMAS, SECURITY OFFICERS IN POLITICAL SAFARI by Fardah

   Jakarta, Nov 12, 2016 (Antara) - President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) postponed his state visit to Australia that was originally scheduled for Nov 5-8, and instead opted to go for a political safari to meet top military and police officers as well as ulemas (Islamic scholars) over a week.

         The president's decision followed the massive rally on Nov 4, held by thousands of people after Friday mass prayers in Jakarta.

         The head of state visited the Indonesian Army (TNI AD) Headquarters to give directives to 2,185 soldiers on Monday (Nov 7).

         In his address to the soldiers in the courtyard of the Army Headquarters, the president appreciated all security agencies for their efforts to secure the peaceful Nov 4 rally, popularly known as 411 rally.

         The head of state said the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri) must continue to forge national unity and a sense of cohesion.  
    On the evening of Nov 7, Jokowi visited the central executive board of Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) to meet a number of ulemas of the country's largest Muslim organization.

         Flanked by Minister/State Secretary Pratikno, the President was greeted by secretary general of NU executive board, H Helmy Faishal Zaini.

         Shortly after arriving at the office of the NU executive board, the president held a limited meeting with the board members, including NU's general chairman Said Aqil Siradj, secretary general Helmy Faishal and advisory board's chairman, Ma'ruf Amin.

CONSOLIDATION, RECONCILIATION NEEDED FOLLOWING MASSIVE NOV 4 RALLY by Fardah

 Jakarta, Nov 10, 2016 (Antara) - In the beginning, Andreas Gunawan and Wiwid Margareta were worried and hesitated whether to continue their plan to wed in Jakarta's Catholic Cathedral on November 4, that coincided with a massive rally staged by Muslims.

       The country's oldest and largest cathedral is located across Istiqlal Grand Mosque, where hundreds of thousands of Muslims gathered and performed Friday mass prayers at noon, prior to staging a peaceful rally in front of the Jakarta City Hall and moving to the Presidential Palace. In the evening, the protestors went to the Parliament Building.

        As the couple decided to go ahead with their wedding ceremony in the cathedral, they were surprised and very pleased that police officers, together with protestors in fact, helped them reach the cathedral safely and smoothly, amid large crowds flocking in the heart of the city.

         Net.TV interviewed the happy and grateful couple on that day and reported that despite the presence of crowds in its surrounding areas, the cathedral operated as usual.

         Up to 1 million people turned up for the gathering believed to be the largest rally ever in Indonesia's history, although data on the exact number was not available. 
   The rally was called by the so-called National Movement of Guardians of Indonesian Ulema Council's Fatwa/Edict (GNPF-MUI) to demand justice and legal enforcement.

        Following Jakarta Governor Basuki Tjahaja Purnama's alleged blasphemous statement regarding the Holy Quran, the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI) issued an edict that the statement was a blasphemy and should be processed legally in line with the country's existing laws.

ABU GENERAL ASSEMBLY URGES BROADCAST MEDIA TO EMBRACE MULTICULTURALISM By Fardah

  Jakarta, Oct 27, 2016 (Antara) - "Unity in Diversity" is the national slogan of Indonesia, which has a population of 254 million people, of which 300 ethnic groups speak 740 languages, and reside on the country's 17,000 islands. 
   This slogan was successfully presented before 700 participants of the 53rd General Assembly of the Asia Pacific Broadcasting Union (ABU) held in Bali, on October 23 and 24.

        Indonesia believes that the "Unity in Diversity" concept is crucial for pluralistic content to promote peace amidst global issues, such as conflict, poverty, and social and political problems.     
   "Multiculturalism is crucial for world peace and has been adopted by ABU for broadcasting in Asia and the Pacific," Mohammad Rohanudin, president director of the Indonesian state-owned radio station RRI, said recently.     
   In his welcome speech, Rohanudin emphasized the protection of diverse audiences in the region, and urged broadcasters to further promote unity and a sense of togetherness among the people of the region.

        At the conclusion of the General Assembly, the participants adopted the Bali Declaration on "Broadcasting for All: Multiculturalism And Diversity."
  The Bali Declaration considers and recognizes that broadcasters have a responsibility to provide audiences in the Asia-Pacific with knowledge and information on how to improve people's lives.

        It also appeals to ABU members to devote substantial and increased radio and television broadcast airtime during both peak and lean periods, and to utilize the media to celebrate and embrace all forms of multiculturalism and diversity.

BROADER OPPORTUNITIES FOR GENERAL PUBLIC TO WITNESS INDEPENDENCE DAY CELEBRATIONS by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 17, 2016 (Antara) - Indonesia's Independence Day celebrations at the presidential palace are no longer exclusively for VIPs, as members of the general public have been given opportunities to personally participate in the ceremony since last year.

       Moreover, this year, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) has offered broader opportunities to the common people to attend the commemoration of the 71st anniversary of the country's independence that falls on August 17.

       Jokowi led the ceremony highlighted by the hoisting of Indonesia's Red and White flag at the Merdeka Palace in the morning.

       First Lady Iriana Joko Widodo, Vice President M Jusuf Kalla and spouse Mufidah Kalla, several cabinet ministers, and veterans also attended the ceremony.

       Among the VIPs also present at the event were former president Megawati Soekarnoputri and former vice presidents Boediono and Try Sutrisno.     
  Some 2,210 members of the working class were also invited to the ceremony on August 17, 2016. Of the total, 1,210 people were invited to attend the flag hoisting ceremony in the morning and the rest for the afternoon flag-lowering ceremony.

       Head of the Presidential Secretariat Darmansjah Djumala had earlier remarked that some 70 percent of the total invitees were members of the general public and 30 percent were high-ranking officials and other VIPs.

MTQ BRINGS QURAN CLOSER TO MUSLIMS by Fardah

Jakarta, Aug 5, 2016 (Antara) - Muslims believe that Quran, the Islamic Holy Book, is a timeless miracle given by Allah the Almighty to His last Prophet, Muhammad SAW (peace be upon him) some 1400 years ago.

         The Quran consists of the unaltered and direct words of Allah.  The words were revealed through the Angel Gabriel to the Prophet Muhammad, who was an orphan.

         The miracle can be viewed among other things from the artistic and verbal beauty of the Quran and its style which is neither poetry nor prose, as well as the intellectual and scientific content of the Quran.

         The Quran is not only spiritual guidance but contains complete way of life for the entire humankind, therefore Muslims read Quran regularly and many of them even memorize the whole Book.

         Many Muslim majority countries including Indonesia organize Quran Recital Competition or Musabaqah Tilawatul Quran (MTQ) to bring Muslims closer to Quran and allow them to gain a better understanding of Islamic teachings as stated in the Holy Book of Islam.

         This year, Mataram, the capital of West Nusa Tenggara (NTB) is hosting the 26th National MTQ from July 29 to August 6, with some 1.2 thousand participants from 34 provinces.

         President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) opened the MTQ on July 30 in a ceremony also attended by some 30 foreign ambassadors, at the NTB Islamic Center.  

CALLS TO IMPROVE OFFICERS' SKILLS AND CAPACITY IN FORMULATING BYLAWS by Fardah

     Jakarta, June 17, 2016 (Antara)- Ensuring that regional regulations are formulated carefully and no loopholes creep in is better than being left to rectify mistakes or having to scrap such problematic bylaws repeatedly.

         Foolproof drafting of laws requires that personnel tasked for the purpose as well as regional officials who sign or supervise the implementation of the local regulations undergo continuous education and attend courses to equip themselves with the required skills.

         The Central Government, on June 13, announced that a total of 3,143 problematic bylaws were scrapped by the Home Affairs Ministry on the instructions of the head of  state, mostly for reasons that these hindered investments and licensing processes.  
    This is the highest number of regulations to be scrapped since the implementation of plans to introduce regional autonomy.

           During 2002-2009, a total of 2,246 regional regulations were scrapped, while 1,501 were scrapped during 2010-2014, and 139 from November 2015 to May 2016.

          In total, the government has revoked 7,029 regional regulations since 2002.    

ULEMAS GATHER IN JAKARTA TO PROMOTE ISLAM AS MIDDLE PATH by Fardah

Jakarta, May 10, 2016 (Antara)- Islam is believed to be a religion of middle path and religion of peace.

         There is no radical Islam nor liberal Islam.

         However, there are two groups of extremists who misinterpret Islamic teachings in radical way or, on the contrary, in liberal way.

         To counter the two extreme groups, some 400 ulemas (Islamic clerics, scholars) and leaders are expected to voice the moderation of Islam during the first International Summit of Moderate Islamic Leaders (Isomil) being held in Jakarta, from May 9 to 11, 2016.

         The participants of the conference being hosted by the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), one of Indonesia's major Muslim organizations, are from 33 countries among other things Malaysia, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Iran, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, the United States and Europe.

         Ma'ruf Amin, a leader of the NU, said the two contradictory extreme groups - radical and liberal - are both dangerous and must not be followed.