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VOInews, Jakarta: Commemorating the 17th night of Ramadan 1444 Hijriah, the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney held a Nuzulul Quran celebration, with the theme Al-Qur'an as a Guide to Life for Humans, in the hall of the Indonesian Consulate General, Friday (8/4/2023).

At this celebration, the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney invited representatives from community leaders and the Indonesian diaspora in New South Wales (NSW) and other community representatives. Among those present were representatives from the Center Of Islamic Da'wah (CIDE), Islamic Study and Information Forum (FISI), Indonesian Islamic Women Association, Ashabul Khafi Islamic Center, Surau Sydney, Indonesian Community Council (ICC), Minang Saiyo Family Association ( IKMS), Indonesian Diaspora Network (IDN) NSW, Iqro Foundation, Human Initiative and Youth representatives who are members of Islamic Student Organizations in NSW.

The Indonesian Consul General, Vedi Kurnia Buana expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm of the Indonesian people and diaspora in NSW and thanked the invitees for attending.

"To all invitees, on behalf of the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney, I would like to thank you for coming to commemorate the Nuzulul Qur'an night at the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney," said Consul General Vedi in his remarks, as quoted from the official statement from the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney received in Jakarta, Saturday (9/4/2023).

Consul General Vedi said the Nuzulul Qur'an momentum should be able to remind Muslims of the importance of the Qur'an as a way of life and increase faith in the Qur'an.

"The Nuzulul Qur'an incident is a tremendous event," he said.

"If we had sent down this Qur'an on a mountain, you (Muhammad) would have seen the mountain submit and break into pieces out of fear of Allah. We created this parable for humans so they would think," said Consul General Vedi quoting QS al-Hashr 59: 21.

Consul General Vedi further reminded Muslims to make the Al-Qur'an not only as a reading, but more than that to make the Al-Qur'an a way of life in carrying out daily tasks in all aspects of life.

Meanwhile, Ustazd Buya Ilham, Lc., MA., in his sermon explained, Nuzulul Qur'an reminded the importance of reading and interpreting the Qur'an, not only at the moment of Nuzulul Qur'an, but in daily activities.

"The Al-Qur'an as a guide for Muslims has brought us out of darkness," he said.

"Darkness that approaches and envelops us occurs because we are confined by lust and we continue to follow it, satisfying ourselves by simply following lust," he added.

At the end of the tausyiah, he invited all present to continue to be able to interact with the Al-Qur'an. According to him, making the Al-Qur'an a part of daily life will bring Muslims to acquire perfect faith in the Al-Qur'an and devotion to Allah SWT.

Apart from tausiyah, the night of commemoration of Nuzulul Qur'an at the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney was also filled with the recitation of the Qur'an read by Ahmed Abdul Rauf, a student from CIDE College, Mountdruitt, Northwest, NSW.

One of the invitees present, Herman Rahman, expressed his appreciation for the holding of the Nuzulul Al-Qur'an night commemoration by the Indonesian Consulate General in Sydney, while also hoping that all those present could continue to emulate and live up to the values and meanings of the Al-Qur'an, so that we are able to achieve balance and peace of life. (VOI/Andy)

Jakarta (voinews): Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has emphasized that harmony among the people is important for maintaining national unity and peace, which are key for realizing the vision of an Advanced Indonesia.

He made the statement in a video on the commemoration of Nuzulul Qur’an 1444 Hijri/2023, which was broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Secretariat of the Vice President on Friday evening.

Nuzulul Qur’an commemorates Prophet Muhammad’s first revelation, which is believed to have been conveyed to him on the 17th night of Ramadan which, this year, coincided with the evening of April 7.

“All good programs, plans, and works to realize the vision of an Advanced Indonesia can only be carried out if our nation is in harmony and unity," the Vice President remarked.

He noted that the command to maintain harmony is stated in the Qur'an Surah An-Nisa verse 114.

The verse says, "There is no good in most of their secret talks — except those encouraging charity, kindness, or reconciliation between people. And whoever does this seeking Allah’s pleasure, We will grant them a great reward."

Conciliating the community, including preventing conflicts and maintaining harmony, is an act that can help avert hardship, Amin said.

The message conveyed by the verse is very relevant for a large and diverse nation, such as Indonesia, for strengthening inter-religious harmony, he added.

"The differences among human beings are inevitable, as shown in the reality of life. Regarding this, the Qur'an has also stated in Surah Hud verse 118: ‘Had your Lord so willed, He would have certainly made humanity one single community of believers, but they will always choose to differ,’” he said.

According to the verse, if Allah SWT wills, all people will certainly become one community, however, Allah SWT has let people remain as different communities, he explained.

However, these differences should not spark disputes in the community, he said.

"Thus, it is very important to revitalize the lesson contained by the aforementioned verse in the life of (our) pluralistic nation to cement and maintain harmony in the society," he added.

The fasting month of Ramadhan — which began on March 23 this year, as announced by the Religious Affairs Ministry -- is the right opportunity to strengthen kinship and unity in the midst of existing differences to bolster national and human brotherhood, he said.

"We are grateful to Allah SWT because Muslims in Indonesia are wasathiyyin, meaning they think moderately and implement the principle of at-tawassuth or being moderate (in their stance on any issue), neither being extreme left nor extreme right," Amin noted.

He said that moderation and religious tolerance are crucial for building harmony.

The management of religious moderation is an important means for preventing conflict, building consensus, and maintaining national integrity, he added.

"I am grateful that the practice of religious moderation in our country has been able to become a reference for the international community. I hope that Muslims in Indonesia can maintain this good practice and are expected to have more contribution in realizing a peaceful world," he remarked.

With God's help and people’s hard work, Indonesia will be blessed and manage to reach glory, he said.

"God willing, our nation will continue to survive all hardships and challenges, thus it can keep advancing to become an evenly prosperous country," he added.

He also said that the Qur'an was revealed to become a guidance for humans and help them distinguish between right and wrong, as mentioned in Q.S. Al Baqarah verse 185.

The verse means, “Ramadan is the month in which the Qur’an was revealed as a guide for humanity with clear proofs of guidance and the standard to distinguish between right and wrong. So whoever is present this month, let them fast. But whoever is ill or on a journey, then let them fast an equal number of days after Ramadhan. Allah intends ease for you, not hardship, so that you may complete the prescribed period and proclaim the greatness of Allah for guiding you, and perhaps you will be grateful."

Amin said that there are two kinds of guidance in the Qur'an, namely general guidance, or hidayatul adillah, which has been given to all human beings, both to Muslims and non-Islamic believers.

The second one is the ma'unah guidance, or help from Allah SWT, which is bestowed to pious people, he added.

He said that in the Qur'an, people have been urged to invite others to do good, as mentioned in Surah Ali-Imran verse 104, saying "Let there be a group among you who call others to goodness, encourage what is good, and forbid what is evil — it is they who will be successful.”

Meanwhile, at the National Commemoration of Nuzulul Qur’an 1444 Hijri at the Religious Affairs Ministry’s headquarters here on Friday, Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD said that Qur’an had inspired Indonesia to become a peaceful and tolerant nation.

“Diversity is a valuable wealth of Indonesia. It is our strong commitment to maintain (national) harmony," he said. (antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Angela Tanoesoedibjo has emphasized that Government Regulation (PP) Number 24 of 2022 will help ensure that creative economy actors can easily secure financing for their businesses.

"Under Government Regulation Number 24 of 2022, creative economy entrepreneurs can apply for financing using intellectual property rights (IPR) that have been registered with the bank and non-bank financial institutions as collateral," she said.

Currently, the banks’ institutional financing scheme is being reviewed under the supervision of the Financial Services Authority (OJK), she said in a written statement released in Jakarta on Saturday.

She explained that education regarding Government Regulation Number 24 of 22 is needed to make the community aware of its benefits.

"This socialization does not only aim to increase public awareness or interest in intellectual property, but also aims to socialize stakeholders regarding IPR-based financing schemes," she added.

Besides using IPR as collateral, she said that the regulation also outlines alternative financing schemes for creative economy entrepreneurs.

Article 15, Paragraph 1 of the regulation regarding the “Development of Alternative Financing Sources” states that “The government can develop alternative sources of financing outside of the financing institution mechanism.”

The alternative financing here refers to information technology-based joint funding services, and/or securities offerings through information technology-based crowdfunding.

Articles 7 and 8 of the regulation state that a number of conditions will have to be met by creative economy entrepreneurs in order to obtain financing easily and quickly.

Meanwhile, the CEO of security crowdfunding company Bizhare, Heinrich Vincent, said the regulation provides opportunities for the public to get actively involved in providing funding for IPR-based creative economy entrepreneurs through stocks, bonds, and sukuk, and it is also expected to make it convenient for creative economy entrepreneurs to develop their products. (antaranews)

Jakarta (voinews): State-run electricity provider PT PLN (Persero) has made the largest floating solar power plant (PLTS) in Indonesia—with a capacity of 561 kilowatts peak (kWp) and located in Tambak Lorok, Semarang City, Central Java Province—operational.

According to a statement issued on Saturday, the PLTS is being operated by PLN's subsidiary, PT PLN Indonesia Power (IP).

The floating PLTS is part of a 920-kWp PLTS facility, which is being constructed by the company at several buildings in the Gas and Steam Power Plant (PLTGU) complex of PLN IP’s Semarang Power Generation Unit (PGU).

President Director of PLN Darmawan Prasodjo said that the construction of the floating PLTS showed his party’s commitment to encouraging the energy transition program, reducing the impact of climate change, and achieving net-zero emission (NZE) by 2060.

To realize the NZE target, his party has carried out a number of initiatives, for instance, by no longer establishing new contracts for the construction of coal-fired power plants, he said.

“Instead, PLN has started building EBT (new and renewable energy)-based power plants. Our big plan is shifting away from fossil-based power plants to EBT-based power plants," he remarked.

President Director of PT PLN Indonesia Power Edwin Nugraha Putra said that the construction of the floating PLTS is a commitment of PLN IP and its subsidiary, PT Indo Energi Hijau, for expediting the energy transition in Indonesia.

The construction of the PLTS is also aimed at optimizing the use of potential land for integrating renewable energy generation, according to the statement.

The floating PLTS was constructed over eight months on a one-hectare water pond, the president director of PLN IP said.

“In the first year (of its operation), this PLTS will produce environmentally friendly electricity of 1.4 million kWh per year and reduce CO2 (carbon dioxide) gas emissions by up to 1,304 tons each year,” he informed.

Putra said that his party is implementing a number of energy transition initiative programs, which will integrate the support from various parties, both business entities and government-supported funding agencies, to achieve the NZE target by 2060.

"It is an innovation that we carry out to bolster the supply of clean energy in Indonesia and realize the NZE by 2060," he added. (antaranews)