27
September

Responsibility of all Components of Indonesia

Published in Features

The People's Consultative Assembly -MPR of the Republic of Indonesia held the socialization of Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or Unity in Diversity. The socialization activities held in various cities are often called the Socialization of the Four Pillars. One of its goals is to respond to the aspirations of the community.

On Monday, September 11, 2017, Chairman of the MPR, Zulkifli Hasan conveyed the socialization of the Four Pillars before a thousand students at As-Salafie Boarding School in Babakan Ciwaringin, Cirebon Regency, West Java. On that occasion, Zulkifli Hasan reminded that Pancasila contains the noble values of the nation. He also urged people not to use Pancasila to justify and to divide the nation. Previously, to approximately one hundred Balikpapan University students, Zulkifli Hasan emphasized that respecting human values is part of Pancasila understanding. He also conveyed that one of the attitudes to care about human values is to stop violence. The socialization of the Four Pillars is also held before various groups and communities.

The socialization of the Four Pillars should not only be seen as a transfer of knowledge about Pancasila, the 1945 Constitution, the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia, and Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or Unity in Diversity motto. But the most important thing is to instill an understanding that will encourage every Indonesian citizen to practice the values of Pancasila in everyday life. If every Indonesian citizen has a deep understanding of Pancasila, it will be difficult to divide Indonesia.

Pancasila -the state ideology as a unifying nation, must be stronger embedded in the life of the Indonesian nation, especially when seeing the conditions occurring in fellow ASEAN member countries, Myanmar. The existence of the political and economic interests of a particular group, easily spark conflict there.

The socialization of the Four Pillars must continuously be implemented, due to the diverse population of Indonesia, in terms of ethnicity, religions, races, and groups, who have different cultures and traditions. Diversity and differences are complementary to each other.

The effort to socialize the Four Pillars is not only the responsibility of the People's Consultative Assembly, but it also needs the support of the people and government of Indonesia. So, the implementation of Pancasila values, and the implementation of the 1945 Constitution will strengthen the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia and will make all Indonesian people be able to coexist with the spirit of Bhinneka Tunggal Ika or Unity in Diversity.

 

 

 

28
August

Bringing Indonesia`s Taste to London

Published in Wunderbares Indonesien

Dozens of people were seen lining up to the special room of André J. Cointreau, the CEO of Le Cordon Bleu London, to observe a cooking demonstration by Chef Degan Septoadji, who was the guest of the world's largest culinary and hospitality school.

"The event is very full [of people] and many are on the waiting list," said London-based sales and marketing director, Alienor Cointreau, at the event which was held in the third week of July. More than 30 people were forced to return home because the facility only held 100 people.

On the night of July 18, Chef Degan appeared with "Yellow Spice", the basic spice used for serving Soto Ayam, Kare Ayam and Ayam Panggang Kalasan. "These are the ingredients for Indonesian cuisine," he said while began a demonstration attended by LCB students from around the world, as well as local communities. The LCB, which has branches in 20 countries, has trained over 20,000 students from over 70 countries.

Those present were given the opportunity to smell and hold various ingredients used, including galangal and candlenut, including a question-and-answer session with the chef.

"We have chefs coming from all over the world, but this is the first time [from Indonesia], there is so much food, and we are excited," said Chef Loic Malfait, LCB's London academic director. "If we go on, this event could last until midnight," he added.

Those who were still present at night were served with Cannapes - another type of Indonesian food, with Sate Lilit, Ayam Sambal Matah, Bubur Ketan Hitam and Lapis Legit.

Chef Degan also re-emerged in a cooking demonstration event three days later on an Indonesian Weekend integrated promotion at Potters Fields Park, on the edge of the River Thames against Tower Bridge backdrop.

The dishes served for Indonesian Weekend were Gado-Gado, Soto Betawi and Rendang.

"Indonesian cuisine is very varied and Londoners are very enthusiastic and open with all kinds of world foods, and therefore the desire for Indonesian cuisine is so high," said Dito Widjono, from Proud Indonesia, the organizer of Indonesian Weekend.

Chef Degan himself said that London is very open to foreign cultures, "Indonesia still has a very exotic impression, so there is still a chance [for restaurants to penetrate the market]."

"In London, the number of Indonesian restaurants can be counted solely on the fingers, but the number of Thai restaurants are in the hundreds," he added.