VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Speaker of the Indonesian People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo encouraged the Indonesian government to have a strategy in place for preventing and suppressing corruption cases in the country.

"The step needs to be taken because corruption can cause conflicts and harm the supremacy of law and exacerbate poverty and hinder development," he noted here on Friday.

Soesatyo made the statement in relation to International Anti-Corruption Day that is commemorated every December 9.

The MPR speaker assessed that International Anti-Corruption Day becomes a momentum for Indonesia to recall its goal of reform: eradicating corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN) from the government.

In addition, he considers International Anti-Corruption Day as being crucial since currently, various big challenges caused by corrupt practices exist that can threaten the welfare and stability of the community.

"I urge the government to not hesitate in preventing corruption based on Law Number 30 of 2002 concerning the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) by prioritizing transparency and accountability and strengthening institutions, so that the sustainable development goals without involving corrupt behavior can be achieved," he remarked.

He urged the KPK, along with the Attorney General's Office and the police, to stay committed to tracing and thoroughly investigating all corruption cases in Indonesia.

He noted that law enforcement agencies should also give sanctions in accordance with the existing regulation against those who committed corruption practices.

"The government must fix the entire system of governance in Indonesia to minimize opportunities for corruption," he remarked.

Soesatyo opined that the government should also pay attention to the importance of governance that is good and free from corruption, collusion, and nepotism, as well as the importance of accountability and political commitment. (Antaranews)

The International Conference on Afghan Women's Education (ICAWE) meeting was held in Nusa Dua, Bali on Thursday, (08/12). The meeting specifically discussed access to education for Afghan women.

The Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi at a press conference on ICAWE in Bali, Thursday mentioned that there were five main points discussed at ICAWE 2022, including to update the current situation in Afghanistan, reaffirming support to all Afghan people without exception, to reaffirm our support to the rights of women, in particular education for women, to identify gaps and gather resources to support women’s education in Afghanistan and to design ways forward.

This first meeting produced the Bali Message of ICAWE document, which basically provides strong support and solidarity to Afghan women in obtaining an education.

“I firmly believe, investing in women means investing in a brighter future. Given the opportunities, women can make a critical contribution to society. And I am very glad, many of us here also share the same views. According to UN Women, more than 11 million Afghan women and girls are in dire need of humanitarian assistance. And the data from UNDP says that restrictions on women could cost Afghan’s economy of USD 1 billion or 5% of its GDP. While the World Economic Forum’s Gender Gap Index 2021 puts Afghanistan last out of 156 countries,” Minister Retno explained.

Moreover, the  2022 ICAWE meeting was not only attended by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi but also attended by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs of Qatar Lulwah al-Khatir, representatives from 38 countries, four international organizations, business circles, a number of philanthropists and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

“I really appreciate it and I would like to thank the government of Indonesia for hosting us today for the leadership I would like to thank you Minister Marsudi specifically for your leadership on this very important portfolio.  The portfolio not only for  Afghan women, I think Muslim women at large as well,” Lulwah noted.

Lulwah al-Khatir also appreciated Indonesia as the host of ICAWE which became a discussion event that was considered very important for the fate of women in Afghanistan and other countries. Lulwah also explained that one of the most important results of ICAWE 2022 is the scholarship program and economic empowerment cooperation for women in Afghanistan// RRIVOI/ AF.

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has appealed to the people, especially those living in Turen sub-district,  Malang district, East Java, to uphold peace and security.

To maintain harmony and security in society, there needs to be good collaboration between people, the national defense forces, the national police, village administrations, as well as the regional government, he said in Malang district on Thursday.

"Ladies and gentlemen, we must always get along and must work well with each other. Then, with the village leaders, national defense forces, national police, including the regional government," the minister added.

The impact of the coronavirus pandemic is still visible, he said. However, the government has been able to handle it well, as seen by the decline in COVID-19 cases.

The war between Ukraine and Russia has also affected people in Indonesia, which has also compromised the community's economy.

"Right now, the economy is in trouble all over the world due to the impact of COVID-19 and Ukraine's war with Russia. They are producers of oil, gas, fertilizer, and corn. And because of the war, of course, their prices are going up," he noted.

He said that even though the pandemic situation has currently improved, people must remain cautious. The government is also continuing to work to improve the public economy.

"We must still be harmonious, compact, work together, and must always be united; we must not be divided," he said.

He also met with hundreds of residents in Turen sub-district, Malang district, on Thursday and took pictures with some of them.

He also provided basic food aid packages for at least 200 local residents and handed over 10 dirt bikes to the Turen Military District Command 0818/14. (Antaranews)

Archives related to COVID-19 pandemic handling in Indonesia will be a valuable asset for the nation in the future, according to National Archives of Indonesia (ANRI) Chairperson Imam Gunarto.

"(The decision to create archives) is intended to facilitate future generations in obtaining information, particularly about pandemic handling," Gunarto stated at a media gathering here, Thursday .

He explained that the establishment of archives related to COVID-19 handling was aimed at following up on Minister of State Apparatus Empowerment and Bureaucracy Reform Circular No 62 of 2020 that mandated such action.

The ANRI is ready to accept all archive objects relevant to COVID-19 pandemic handling from government ministries and institutions, the agency head affirmed.

"The circular is guiding archive creators to implement measures to rescue COVID-19 handling archives to bolster the accountability of government institutions' performance," Gunarto stated.

He noted that apart from enumerating the criteria of archives that must be rescued and preserved, the circular also requires archive creators to report and submit objects related to COVID-19 pandemic handling with historical values to the archiving agency.

As the circular has given mandate to the agency, ANRI will work promptly to consolidate COVID-19 pandemic handling archives and ensure that the process will be implemented earnestly, according to the agency head.

"ANRI hopes the complete COVID-19 pandemic archives will be a valuable source of information for people in the future," he stated.

Gunarto highlighted that to date, some 18 government institutions had presented COVID-19 handling archives created by them to the agency.

"So far, 18 institutions have been presenting their COVID-19 pandemic handling archives to ANRI, and the total archives accepted by us have reached eight thousand archive files or units," he remarked. (Antaranews)