VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries has begun implementing a pilot project for the cultivation of saline tilapia in a 16-hectare area in Karawang, West Java.

Saline tilapia is a type of tilapia that can live in both freshwater and saltwater.

Director General of Aquaculture Fisheries, Haeru Rahayu, stated on Saturday that the pilot project is expected to stimulate the local economy and improve the welfare of the community.

He added that the project aims to position tilapia as one of Indonesia's strategic commodities in the future.

According to Rahayu, there is a high demand for tilapia, especially in the form of fillets.

M. Tahang, the Head of the Karawang Fisheries Production Business Services Center, stated that they are currently working to boost the production of saline tilapia seeds.

He predicted that the project could yield 672 tons of tilapia with a rearing period of 150-180 days.

"If the average price of saline tilapia is Rp30,000 per kilogram, the total income could reach around Rp20 billion (approximately US$1.3 million)," he said.

Tahang further explained that the saline tilapia cultivation project also takes into account ecological considerations.

Based on the 2021 trade map, Indonesia ranks fifth as a global exporter of tilapia. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Manpower Minister Ida Fauziyah was awarded as an inspirational figure in the elimination of sexual violence in the workplace during the "2023 Anugerah Perempuan Hebat Indonesia" (Great Indonesian Women Awards) event.

Fauziyah stated that she would like to present the award to all policymakers in the workforce for their commitment to making maximum efforts in preventing and addressing cases of sexual violence in the workplace.

"We (the Manpower Ministry) are presenting this award to entrepreneurs as well as workers' unions for their crucial role in eliminating cases of sexual violence in workplaces," she noted in a written statement received here on Sunday.

Fauziyah mentioned that her ministry had issued the Manpower Minister's Decree Number 88 of 2023, which outlines prevention and handling measures for sexual violence in workplaces.

She further explained that the decree would only be effective if business actors and workers' unions collaboratively assist the government in preventing and combating sexual violence.

Additionally, the ministry continues to encourage all companies to establish a task force that will be responsible for receiving and addressing reports from victims of sexual violence in the workplace, she added.

"The government is seeking a strong commitment from all stakeholders in creating a safe and comfortable workplace for everyone," she emphasized.

Earlier, Haiyani Rumondang, the ministry's Director General of Work Inspection, Safety, and Health, expressed a similar statement, stating that a shared commitment and understanding among all relevant parties are necessary in efforts to prevent sexual violence in the workplace.

"We are confident that, with the support of like-minded industrial players, we can prevent cases of sexual violence from occurring in workplaces," she noted.

Rumondang also advised companies to incorporate the provisions of the minister's decree into employment agreements, company regulations, and collective working agreements. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Chairperson of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), Isma Yatun, has stressed the importance of conducting an internationally standardized audit on the financial management of the ASEAN Secretariat.

"Maintaining and strengthening the trust and confidence of ASEAN stakeholders is of utmost importance," Yatun said in a statement on Sunday.

During the 48th ASEAN Audit Committee (AAC) Meeting on Thursday, she stated that the Audit and Evaluation Division of the ASEAN Secretariat needs to be strengthened in terms of its role and function.

There is an urgent need to collaborate with other organizations, including entities associated with ASEAN such as the ASEAN Supreme Audit Institutions (ASEANSAI), for capacity building, especially in the public sector audit, she said.

The world conditions, especially the pandemic, pose challenges to the sustainability of organizations, but some international organizations have set an example by improving governance in response to the multi-dimensional crisis, she added.

"We must pay attention to and overcome these challenges, especially in carrying out our roles and responsibilities at the AAC," she said.

During the meeting, the AAC was expected to provide views and considerations for financial statement assurance, internal control, and governance of the ASEAN Secretariat.

The meeting was attended by AAC members from the 10 ASEAN member states, and Timor Leste attended as an observer.

"The ASEAN Audit Committee is seeking transparency, accountability, and good governance from the ASEAN Secretariat," she said.

The agenda began with the consideration of observations by the Committee of Permanent Representatives (CPR) on the report of the 47th AAC meeting and follow-ups on external auditors' recommendations from the previous meeting.

BPK also recommended increasing transparency and accountability of the ASEANSAI Secretariat, especially regarding the determination of external auditors, by amending the ASEAN Financial & Administrative Rules And Procedures (AFARP). (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Director General of Culture of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Hilmar Farid will represent the Indonesian government to receive the handover of historical collections from the Netherlands represented by Gunay Uslu, Junior Minister of Education, Culture and Science of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, on Monday, July 10, 2023 at the Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden, the Netherlands.

At the same event, the Technical Arrangement and Acknowledgment of Transfer of Rights from the Kingdom of the Netherlands to the Republic of Indonesia will also be signed.

The repatriation of Indonesian collections in the Netherlands is possible thanks to the cooperation and hard work of the two repatriation committees as well as the support of both governments, namely, the Directorate General of Culture of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology which has initiated the formation of the Indonesian Repatriation Team and the Ministry of Education, Culture and Science of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

I Gusti Agung Wesaka Puja, Chairman of the Repatriation Team for Indonesian Collections in the Netherlands, and the Dutch Colonial Objects Repatriation Committee, led by Lilian Gonçalvez-Ho Kang You, have been communicating positively and productively for the past two years in order to continue cooperation and encourage the return of historical objects from the Netherlands to Indonesia.

The history of the art collection's arrival in the Netherlands remains partly unclear. It began with the Prime Minister of East Indonesia, Ide Agung Anak Gde Agung, who is said to have organized exhibitions of the artworks in several Dutch and European cities between 1948 and 1950.

But an article in De Vrije Katheder, December 23, 1946 had discussed an exhibition of Pita Maha's works, 'an important collection', at the van Lier art gallery in Castricum. In 1955, the collection was deposited at the Tropenmuseum in Amsterdam.

After a series of comprehensive expert studies, four artifact collections, namely the 132 Balinese art objects collection of Pita Maha, the Singasari Statue, the Lombok royal heirloom, and the Puputan Klungkung keris will be returned to Indonesia. The 132 collections of Balinese art objects include paintings, wood carvings, silver objects and textiles by maestro artists who are members of the Pita Maha art group.

An association of Balinese artists founded on January 29, 1936 by Tjokorda Gde Agung Sukawati, I Gusti Nyoman Lempad, Walter Spies, and Rudolf Bonet. Meanwhile, the four Singasari statues kept at the Volkenkunde Museum, Leiden are prima donnas from the 13th century.

The four statues come from Singasari temple which was erected to honor the death of King Kertanegara, the last dynasty of the Singasari kingdom. The four statues that will return to Indonesia are Durga, Mahakala, Nandishvara, and Ganesha. (VOI)