VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Malaysia's newly appointed Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim said on Monday his administration will review a plan for a state-owned 5G network introduced by a previous government, as it was not formulated transparently.

Under the premiership of Muhyiddin Yassin in 2021, Malaysia unveiled a plan for a state-owned agency to own all 5G spectrum, with various carriers using the infrastructure to provide mobile services.

The single-ownership of spectrum raised concerns from the country's major carriers over pricing, transparency and monopoly.

The 5G plans will be evaluated to ensure they strictly followed procedures, Anwar said at a news conference following his first cabinet meeting.

"It needs to be reviewed because it was not done in a transparent manner," Anwar said, without giving details.

A spokesperson for Muhyiddin was not immediately available for comment. His government has defended the 5G plan, saying it will reduce costs, improve efficiency and accelerate infrastructure development.

The government will also revise and improve the 2023 budget tabled in October, Anwar said. The budget was presented in parliament by the previous government, but was not passed due to the general election.

Anwar also said his government will not roll back certain decisions made by the previous administration, but he did not identify them.

Anwar was appointed premier by the king last month, after the election resulted in an unprecedented hung parliament. Anwar's bloc did not win a simple majority but he formed a coalition government with the help of other political blocs.

On Friday, he named his cabinet, which includes an ally accused of graft as his deputy.

Ahmad Zahid Hamidi, a co-deputy premier, is on trial over 47 charges of bribery, money laundering and criminal breach of trust. He has pleaded not guilty.

Anwar said he would not compromise on his pledge to fight corruption despite Ahmad Zahid's appointment.

"I trust my cabinet team is determined to ensure we follow strict rules and the principles of good governance," he said, adding that previous systems "allowed leaders to steal". (reuters)

South African officials and scientists on Monday celebrated a milestone towards building the world's largest radio astronomy instrument, which is co-hosted with Australia and aims to unlock mysteries of the universe.

The construction launch outside the remote town of Carnarvon, Northern Cape, marks the next phase of developing a complex instrument aimed at revealing events since the cosmic dawn, when the first stars and galaxies were formed.

South Africa said it will add 133 dishes to its 64-dish MeerKAT radio telescope to create SKA-Mid in the next phase of developing a so-called Square Kilometre Array (SKA).

"Today has huge significance for all of us ... working towards building a large, exploratory instrument that can serve our community and advance a number of scientific frontiers," Joseph McMullin, deputy director-general at the SKA Observatory (SKAO) intergovernmental organisation said.

MeerKAT, which will be incorporated into SKA-Mid, has delivered images of phenomena including stellar nurseries and the chaotic region around the supermassive black hole at the centre of our galaxy, some 25,000 light-years from earth.

Chosen for its remoteness, with hills providing an extra shield against radio interference, the vast protected reserve around Carnarvon is the main African base for hundreds of antennae that could eventually be sited as far afield as Kenya and Ghana.

The dishes are designed to connect with each other to form one giant telescope and with the new additions, expected to be operational by 2030, enhanced image clarity and resolution.

While tripling the number of dishes at MeerKAT to form a mid-frequency instrument, Australia will host a low-frequency telescope array of 131,072 antennae, each two metres tall and resembling Christmas trees, officials said. (Reuters)

The Bogor District Government, West Java Province, is upbeat about the Pongkor National Geopark being inscribed on the UNESCO Global Geoparks (UGGp) List next year.

The Pongkor National Geopark was ready to follow seven geoparks in Indonesia -- the Batur Geopark, Sewu Mountains Geopark, Ciletuh Geopark, Mount Rinjani Geopark, Lake Toba Geopark, Belitong Geopark and Maros Pangkep Geopark -- that have been recognized by UNESCO, Acting Bogor District Head Iwan Setiawan stated here on Monday.

To support the application for Pongkor to become a member of UGGp, the Bogor District Government formed a Pongkor Geopark Information Center (PGIC) and inaugurated the 2022-2025 Management Board for the Pongkor National Geopark Area and the 2022 Pongkor National Geopark Forum in Tamansari Sub-district, Bogor, on Nov 30, 2022.

Pongkor Geopark was inaugurated four years ago, or since November 2018, and is one of the existing 12 national geoparks in Indonesia.

The geopark has huge tourism potential and is an advantage for Bogor District, covering 15 sub-districts and comprising 10 geosites, 43 geo/bio/cultural heritage sites, and 15 tourist attractions.

It is an earth park formed naturally, not artificially.

The Bogor District Government is ready to mobilize human resources to synergize with the Provincial Government, Central Government, the Perhutani (Forestry) Forum, National Parks, and Antam Pongkor to support the Pongkor Geopark to be inscribed on the UGGp List.

"We synergize together. If we dream together, we can make it come true, like dawn in the morning. Hopefully, in 2023, this geopark would be recognized as a UGGp," he remarked.

He urged village chiefs and sub-district heads to help educate people to support tourism in Bogor District, with Pongkor Geopark as one of the main tourist destinations. (Antaranews)

The Ministry of Law and Human Rights is committed to utilizing the Working Group Road Map on Human Rights Respect, Protection, Fulfillment, Enforcement, and Advancement (P5HAM) as an instrument to protect people with mental disabilities.

"The road map will be utilized to converge all activities relevant to our efforts in the respect, fulfilment, enforcement, protection, and advancement of rights of people with mental disabilities in Indonesia," Law and Human Rights Deputy Minister Edward Omar Sharif Hiariej stated at a seminar on P5HAM Road Map for people with mental disabilities here, Monday.

The deputy minister affirmed that Indonesia is committed to being attentive to the rights of people with mental disabilities.

"Every person has equal rights and opportunities in life, including those with mental disabilities," Hiariej accentuated.

As a country, with a strong commitment to human rights at the national and international level, Indonesia has set up the P5HAM Road Map for people with mental disabilities and, in 2022, attended a meeting to report on the implementation of the convention of the rights of people with mental disabilities, he expounded.

Respecting, protecting, and advancing the rights of all residents, including people with mental disabilities, is the responsibility of the government, he remarked.

He affirmed that the government remains committed to enacting regulations and policies and setting up a specialized working group to advance human rights.

Hiariej affirmed that apart from setting up the P5HAM Working Group Road Map, the ministry is also remains resolute to enacting other policies to bolster the rights of people with mental disabilities.

Despite the changes only been seen gradually, the deputy minister is confident that all parties will concur with the government's efforts to respect, fulfil, enforce, protect, and advance the rights of people with mental disabilities. (antaranews)