VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Assistant for Governance and People's Welfare for Badung Regency, I Nyoman Sujendra - 

Literacy in a global context is implemented with innovation and creativity in order to produce products that are competitive in the global market.

This was conveyed by the Assistant for Governance and People's Welfare for Badung Regency, I Nyoman Sujendra, during a talk show on Increasing the Community Literacy Index (PILM) for Welfare at the Giri Natha Mandala Cultural Building, Saturday (24/6/2023).

“The literacy indicator is different from the love of reading. That is, if we go deep into what we read and according to needs, then provide knowledge that can be implemented in practice for the collective interest," he said.

Nyoman also said that a passion for reading to improve literacy had become a priority target for the Badung government. If instilled early on, the habit of reading will have a broad impact on people's lives.

The head of the National Library, Muhammad Syarif Bando, confirmed that literacy is not only about reading and writing. High-power literacy is useful in winning global competition. Literacy is born with knowledge.

For example, Indonesia has abundant natural resources which can be of great value if the human resources have knowledge and skills that are continuously trained.

"Developed countries have the principle that with knowledge they can continue to develop, even without abundant natural resources. Therefore, they rely heavily on knowledge," he said.

Meanwhile, the Deputy for Library Resources, Adin Bondar, reinforced the fact that the tourism sector in Bali can explore its potential by constructing community literacy skills.

Adin believes that people with high literacy are able to solve various problems, such as reducing poverty, youth mortality, stunting, and improving the nation's economy.

"Libraries as an open space play a role in building knowledge-based behavior. The higher the level of literacy, the better the prosperity of a nation," he explained.

According to academician Ida Bagus Purwa Sidemen, literacy is closely related to culture. The majority of Balinese people who are Hindus consider nature as the center of knowledge and humans as the center of the universe that must be properly looked after.

As a literacy activist, Mumtazah Mardiliyah reminded that apart from culture, history is also needed to know identity as it is in the Bangsal Perjuangan Monument.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Saturday, the Badung Regency Library so far has provided mobile library services, and Pustaka Gita (a social media platform for accessing e-books and building a reader network/community).

Other support provided included training in making spices, making Tabya Tuh chili sauce (Balinese chili powder), and make-up.

The PILM activity was coupled with the inauguration of the Pusaka (Nusantara Manuscript Center) for Mangutama Literature, the inauguration of Student Literacy Ambassadors for Elementary and Middle School Levels, and awards to districts with high levels of reading interest//VOI

VOINews, Jakarta - UNESCO Jakarta together with the Coalition for Democratization and Moderation of Indonesia's Digital Space (Damai) held a high-level discussion with the theme "Countering Disinformation and Hate Speech Ahead of the 2024 Elections in Indonesia" in Jakarta on Thursday.

The meeting was attended by the Election Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu), the Presidential Staff Office, the National Commission on Violence against Women (Komnas Perempuan), the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM), representatives of 12 civil society organizations that are members of the Peace Coalition as well as representatives of social media platforms and messaging applications operating in Indonesia, namely Google, Youtube, Twitter, Bydance (Tik Tok), WhatsApp, and META.

This discussion was held as a shared space to take lessons from the 2019 elections, map the challenges of monitoring disinformation in the upcoming elections, and at the same time identify collaborative solutions involving various parties.

This activity is part of the UNESCO Social Media for Peace program with the support of the European Union, as well as commemorating the International Day Against Hate Speech.

In her remarks, Dr. Itje Chodijah, Daily Chairperson of the Indonesian Commission for UNESCO said that the implementation of elections in the digital era has great challenges.

"We need governments, technology companies, and civil society to work together to ensure that election campaigns and public messaging are conducted in a way that limits the circulation of disinformation, and ensures journalists work safely," she said in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon (June 22, 2023).

Stephane Mechati, Deputy Ambassador of the European Union for Indonesia and Brunei Darussalam, said that similar challenges to suppress the circulation of dangerous content related to elections also occur in various countries in Europe.

"The circulation of harmful content, especially hate speech and disinformation, is a dangerous threat to democracy and social relations in society. We all have a responsibility and need to unite to fight disinformation, and find the best way so that citizens can freely express their views, and get information from diverse and transparent sources," Stephane said.

This activity is also to introduce the existence of the Peace Coalition representing the voice of civil society as a strategic partner for various parties and a consultation forum for social media platforms and the government.

"Koalisi Damai aims to build transparent relationships and ongoing dialog with platforms and the government to ensure that content moderation practices and policies in Indonesia are based on an understanding of the local context and in line with international human rights standards. Koalisi Damai will conduct data-based research, fight for freedom of expression online, and increase digital literacy and public awareness of this issue," said Wijayanto, Ph.D, Chairman of the Presidium of Koalisi Damai.

Valerie Julliand, UN Resident Coordinator for Indonesia said that the Peace Coalition can mobilize its network and expertise to provide input on concrete methodologies for monitoring online dangerous content, design risk mapping for potential conflict areas, and propose handling emergencies on platforms and election organizers.

The meeting was divided into two sessions. The first session was open to the public and the second session was closed. In the first session, Dr. Novi Kurnia, Head Researcher of Center for Digital Society (CfDS) - Gajah Mada University, representing the Peace Coalition, and Michael Caster (Article 19) presented important findings from research conducted by each institution related to the regulatory framework in Indonesia governing harmful content, the dynamics of social media use, and current content moderation practices in Indonesia.

Both researches received support from UNESCO. The second session was a closed-door discussion based on Chatam House rules to build openness and free space to convey the challenges faced and provide input.

Representatives of technology companies, including social media platforms and messaging apps, expressed their willingness to collaborate with the Peace Coalition to improve monitoring processes, early warning, and de-escalation mechanisms for the circulation of disinformation and hate speech on social media.

To convey this joint commitment, representatives of the institutions signed a banner "Joint Commitment for Peaceful Elections 2024. Going forward, UNESCO will facilitate follow-up with the parties and pave the way for concrete initiatives that support freedom of expression and access to information as a common need. (VOI/UNESCO)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Ambassador of Indonesia, Damos Dumoli Agusman, was received by Governor Wilfried Haslauer for his inaugural visit to the Chiemseehof on Thursday.

Agusman represents the Southeast Asian island nation of more than 270 million people in Austria and Slovenia and is also the permanent representative for the United Nations and other international organizations based in Austria.

In addition to the cultural appeal of Salzburg, the topics of discussion were also the chances of economic cooperation with Indonesia.

"I wish the ambassador every success in his work for his compatriots in Austria," emphasizes Governor Wilfried Haslauer.

Before becoming Ambassador, Damos Dumoli Agusman worked at the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for international law issues and international agreements. (VOI)

VOINews, Jakarta - The Trade Ministry is striving to optimize Indonesia’s chairmanship of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to increase the volume of national exports, especially of micro, small, and medium enterprise (MSME) products, to the region.

"We have to take advantage of it. We must ensure that Indonesia’s chairmanship of ASEAN 2023 can encourage our local MSME products to become superior products on an international level," Deputy Minister of Trade, Jerry Sambuaga, said here on Thursday.

Domestic handicrafts, snacks, and clothing products have the potential to become superior products in the Southeast Asian region, he noted.

In addition, Indonesian online games also have a large and promising economic potential, he said.

"Indeed, it (the games) is free to download. However, there are many additional features which need purchasing to be downloaded," the deputy minister added.

As directed by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi), his ministry is striving to ensure that the products Indonesia exports are finished processed products that have added value.

Sambuaga emphasized that increasing export performance with the support of MSME actors would have a positive impact on the domestic economy, for instance, in terms of product downstreaming and opening new working opportunities.

"As chair of ASEAN, we have strategic values and potentials to ensure Indonesia is able to become a strategic global (economic) player, not just at regional level," he said.

The value of Indonesia’s exports to ASEAN countries reached US$3.97 billion (Rp61.46 trillion) in May 2023, an increase of 26.02 percent compared to the previous month (month-to-month), according to Statistics Indonesia (BPS).

During the period, Indonesia's exports to a number of its main trading partners in the region, including Singapore, showed an increase.

Indonesia's exports to Singapore climbed by 25.78 percent month-to-month to touch US$688.6 million (Rp10.66 trillion).

Meanwhile, the volume of the nation’s exports to Malaysia reached US$958.1 million (Rp14.83 trillion), up 19.23 percent month-to-month, and Thailand US$547.9 million (Rp8.48 trillion), up 53.27 percent month-to-month. (antaranews)