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Minister of Culture Fadli Zon speaks to reporters in Bandung, West Java, on December 14, 2024. (ANTARA/Ricky Prayoga)

VOInews, Bandung : Minister of Culture Fadli Zon said that he wants Indonesia to become the world's cultural center at the Indonesian Historians Society (MSI) National Seminar and Working Meeting on Saturday.

He added that this is because Indonesia has a variety of cultures, stretching from Aceh to Papua, which he described as 'mega diversity.'

"Indonesia has extraordinary diversity. If we look at other countries that have more limited cultures, it is because they are homogeneous. Even when they are heterogeneous, their diversity is not as much as ours.," he explained at Universitas Pendidikan Indonesia (UPI) in Bandung, West Java, on Saturday.

Zon added that with around 1,300 ethnic groups, Indonesian society has diverse cultural expressions, a situation that has existed for a long time.

"Especially with our historical background and the melting pot in the past, where there was interaction between Indonesian culture and foreign cultures, which gave birth to cultural acculturation and assimilation," he said.

At the seminar, which featured 90 speakers from various universities presenting research on the history and advancement of culture, Zon highlighted the challenges of digital culture.

He also underlined the importance of registering each cultural expression as a world heritage.

He stated that Indonesia has 16 intangible cultural heritages and aims to designate at least five more each year in the future.

"Not just three, but at least five every year. Single nominations are limited, but we can also be included in multinational nominations. Then, there is another one called the extension list; this also works together with other countries," the minister said//Antara-VOI

Secretary of the Directorate General of Culture of the Ministry of Culture, Fitra Arda, speaks during an event to promote the Ngawuwuh tradition in Garut, West Java, on December 14, 2024. (ANTARA/ Putri Hanifa)

VOInews, Garut : The government has expressed great hopes for advancing culture in Indonesia with the establishment of the Ministry of Culture.

According to Fitra Arda, secretary of the Directorate General of Culture in the ministry, this move can strengthen the position of culture and create a tangible impact on society.

"Culture is a unifier of the nation, a driver of the economy, a diplomatic force, and a shaper of national identity," he said during an event promoting the "ngawuwuh" tradition in Garut, West Java, on Saturday.

"With this narrative, culture is expected to become a main pillar of national development," he added.

Arda emphasized the importance of connecting culture with sustainability issues.

Local traditions, such as ngawuwuh—drinking a hot spiced beverage made from ginger, coconut, brown sugar, and lemongrass—show how culture and nature are closely intertwined.

"The world is intensifying efforts to link culture with sustainable living, focusing on caring for the Earth and preserving traditions," he said. "This aligns perfectly with the ngawuwuh tradition, as the loss of natural resources would lead to the loss of culture."

More than just preserving traditions, Arda stressed the need for action to develop culture as a solution for future challenges.

He noted that culture should not only focus on ancient artifacts but also embrace the living, evolving future.

With this approach, the Ministry of Culture aims to strengthen Indonesian culture's narrative on both national and global levels.

Traditions like ngawuwuh are not just ancestral heritage but also serve as inspiration for building a more sustainable and harmonious world.

The spirit of ngawuwuh emphasizes that amidst the challenges of modernization, the values of friendship and togetherness remain essential for Indonesian society.

The Mulakeudeu indigenous community in Garut, West Java, preserves the ngawuwuh tradition through the annual Hajat Lembur Kampung Mulakeudeu event//Antara-VOI

South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol delivers an address to the nation at his official residence in Seoul, South Korea, Dec 14, 2024. (Photo: The Presidential Office/Handout via Reuters)

VOInews, Soeul : South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol vowed on Saturday (Dec 14) to fight for his political future after he was impeached in a second vote by the opposition-led parliament over his short-lived attempt to impose martial law, a move that had shocked the nation.

The Constitutional Court will decide whether to remove Yoon sometime in the next six months. If he is removed from office, a snap election will be called.

On a visit to Jordan, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken said South Korea has shown the strength of its democratic institutions after Yoon.

"I think the most important thing is that the Republic of Korea has demonstrated its democratic resilience," Blinken told reporters. "We've seen it follow a peaceful process laid out in its constitution, and we're ready to work with President Han as he assumes office."

Prime Minister Han Duck-soo, who was appointed by Yoon, became acting president while Yoon remains in office but with his presidential powers suspended halfway through his five-year term.

"I will give all my strength and efforts to stabilise the government," Han told reporters after the vote.

Later, he chaired a National Security Council meeting and urged the country to maintain a "watertight readiness posture" to ensure North Korea could not plan any provocations.

The political crisis, which has led to the resignation or arrest of several senior defence and military officials, has raised concerns over the South's ability to deter nuclear-armed North Korea at a time when Pyongyang is expanding its arsenal and deepening ties with Russia.

Yoon is the second conservative president in a row to be impeached in South Korea. Park Geun-hye was removed from office in 2017. Yoon survived a first impeachment vote last weekend, when his party largely boycotted the vote, depriving parliament of a quorum.

"Although I am stopping for now, the journey I have walked with the people over the past two and a half years toward the future must never come to a halt. I will never give up," Yoon said.

Considered a tough political survivor but increasingly isolated, he has been dogged by personal scandals and strife, an unyielding opposition and rifts within his own party.

Protesters near parliament backing Yoon's impeachment leapt for joy, waving colourful LED sticks as music pumped out. By contrast, a rally of Yoon supporters emptied following the news.

Opposition Democratic Party leader Lee Jae-myung urged protesters near parliament to fight together so Yoon is removed swiftly. "You, the people, made it. You are writing a new history," he told the jubilant crowds braving subfreezing temperatures.

The impeachment motion was carried as at least 12 members of Yoon's People Power Party joined the opposition parties, which control 192 seats in the 300-member national assembly, clearing the two-thirds threshold needed.

The number of lawmakers supporting impeachment was 204, with 85 against, three abstentions and eight invalid ballots.

The political crisis has sparked disarray in the ruling party, with its chief Han Dong-hoon defying calls to resign after backing impeachment as "inevitable to normalise the situation".

Yoon shocked the nation on Dec 3 when he gave the military sweeping emergency powers to root out what he called "anti-state forces" and overcome obstructionist political opponents.

He rescinded the declaration barely six hours later, after parliament defied troops and police to vote against the decree. But it plunged the country into a constitutional crisis and triggered widespread calls for him to step down on the grounds that he had broken the law.

Yoon later apologised but defended his decision and resisted calls to resign.

Opposition parties launched the fresh impeachment vote, supported by large demonstrations//CNA-VOI

Diplomats from eight Arab countries as well US Secretary of State Antony Blinken and France's Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs Jean-Noël Barrot attend a meeting in Jordan on Saturday, Dec 14, 2024. (Photo: AFP/Pool/Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/Pool)

VOInews, Aqaba : Top diplomats from eight Arab countries, meeting in Jordan on Saturday (Dec 14), called for a peaceful transition in Syria with UN and Arab League support following Bashar al-Assad's ouster.

In a final statement after the talks in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba, foreign ministers from Jordan, Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain and Qatar said they had agreed to "support a peaceful transition process" in Syria, "in which all political and social forces are represented".

Anti-Assad forces, led by Islamist group Hayat Tahrir al-Sham (HTS), toppled the longtime ruler on Sunday following a lightning offensive.

HTS is rooted in Al-Qaeda's Syria branch and is designated as a "terrorist" organisation by many Western governments but has sought to moderate its rhetoric.

A transitional government installed by the rebel forces has insisted the rights of all Syrians will be protected, as will the rule of law.

The foreign ministers, meeting in Aqaba in the presence of Arab League chief Ahmed Aboul Gheit, said the political process in Syria should be supported by "the United Nations and the Arab League, in accordance with the principles of Security Council Resolution 2254" of 2015, which set out a roadmap for a negotiated settlement.

The Arab diplomats also declared their backing for a transitional rule agreed upon by Syrians, which would enable "a political system that corresponds to the aspirations of all parts of the Syrian people, through free and fair elections overseen by the United Nations".

They also warned against "any ethnic, sectarian or religious discrimination" and called for "justice and equality for all citizens".

They also denounced Israeli air strikes on Syria, which have targeted key military assets across the country in recent days.

In addition to the Arab foreign ministers' meeting, Jordan was also hosting US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan and top EU and UN officials for talks on Syria Saturday//CNA-VOI