VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Beijing: France's top diplomat said Monday (1/4/2024) that Paris expects China to send "clear messages" to its close partner Russia over its war in Ukraine, after meetings with his counterpart in Beijing. France and China have sought to strengthen ties in recent years and, during meetings in Paris in February, Foreign Minister Wang Yi told President Emmanuel Macron that Beijing appreciated his country's "independent" stance. But Paris has also sought to press Beijing on its close ties with Moscow, which have only grown closer since the invasion of Ukraine.

Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams and the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Asia Pacific and Africa Affairs, Abdul Kadir Jailani took a picture with the Mural painters in front of their work at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Jakarta (Photo : Australian Embassy) - 

VOInews, Jakarta : Australian Ambassador to Indonesia, Penny Williams and Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director General for Asia Pacific and Africa Affairs, Abdul Kadir Jailani, officially launched the 75th anniversary of Australia-Indonesia diplomatic relations campaign of activities on 28 March at Taman Ismail Marzuki. 

During the launch, Ambassador Williams and Director General Jailani unveiled the 75th anniversary logo and officially opened a public mural collaboration between Australian and Indonesian artists.

“This year marks the 75th anniversary of diplomatic ties between Australia and Indonesia,” said Ambassador Williams. “I am delighted to launch the first of many activities which will showcase the close partnership between our two countries.”

“The anniversary is not only a milestone in our diplomatic relationship - it is a time for all Australians and Indonesians to come together to reflect on our shared connections and celebrate our partnership,” said Ambassador Williams.

The 75th anniversary logo was selected through a public competition run by the Australian Embassy in partnership with the Indonesian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The winner, Alif Pandu Sofyana, explained that his design featured iconic national symbols from both countries, Indonesia’s Garuda and the Australian Kangaroo, and signified the close relationship between the two countries. 

The mural, entitled Together, is a collaboration between artists George Rose (Australia) and Tutu (Indonesia), celebrating the 75th Anniversary through contemporary art. The mural utilises augmented reality technology allowing the public to directly interact with the artwork.

The mural will be displayed at Taman Ismail Marzuki throughout 2024. A series of activities will be held as part of the celebration, including design, music and historical collaborations, and more//VOI

VOInews, Jakarta: The Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia in collaboration with the Austrian Study Association (WAPENA) successfully hosted "Ramadan Assembly, Greet and Meet with the Indonesian Ambassador to Vienna" on Saturday (23/3) at the Indonesian Embassy/PTRI Vienna building. Ambassador and Permanent Representative of the Republic of Indonesia to Austria, Slovenia, the UN and International Organizations in Vienna, Damos Dumoli Agusman said that this activity invited the Indonesian Muslim community and Austrian partners to strengthen Islamic brotherhood between muslims in the two countries.

"Iftar or Breaking the Fast Together 1445 AH is a collaboration between the Indonesian Embassy/PTRI in Vienna and the Indonesian Muslim community in the Vienna and surrounding areas who are members of an official community organization in Austria called Warga Pengajian Austria or WAPENA, in German Der Indonesische Islamische Verein which is affiliated with IGGÖ as coordinator of Muslim community organizations throughout Austria," said Damos Dumoli in a statement received on Sunday (24/2) in Jakarta.

He also revealed that in 2022, WAPENA will have a mosque to introduce and propagate Islam in Austria.

"Alhamdulillah, Praise God that starting in 2022, WAPENA will have its own mosque which will become a home to proclaim Indonesian Islam which is Rahmatan 'lil Alamin, spreading Islam which is a blessing for the universe with special characteristics of tolerance, moderation and mutual respect between fellow religious believers, ” said Damos Dumoli.

Damos Dumoli also said that the iftar event brought together the Indonesian Muslim community with its partners in Austria and was a momentum in the holy month of Ramadan to strengthen people-to-people partnerships between the two countries to improve relations even better in the next 70 years.

Meanwhile, WAPENA Imam Andi Ahmad Junirsah encouraged Muslims to develop a greater sense of compassion and responsibility towards others, both for their communities and globally.

"Through acts of kindness, charity and good intentions, Muslims aim to have a positive impact, promote social justice, sharing and foster a sense of optimism, unity and solidarity during the holy month of Ramadan," said Andi.

IGGÖ Main Imam Ermin Sehic said that Islam had been designated by the Austrian Government as an official religion since 1912 and was the largest minority religion with around 800 thousand adherents spread across all corners of Austria in 2024.

"It is an honor that the Indonesian Islamic community is now part of IGGÖ and can play an active role and contribute to the good of Muslims in Austria," said Ermin. (Daniel)

VOInews, Jakarta: Sharia banks are identical to the real and labour-intensive sector. Adiwarman Azwar Karim, Deputy Commissioner of Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) in an interview with Voice of Indonesia on the Mutiara Ramadhan program which aired on March 21 2024 outlined the strategy of the largest Sharia Bank in Indonesia to develop the real sector and grow MSMEs in Indonesia.

First, Adimarwan A. Karim, who is also the founder of Karim Consulting, stated that Bank Syariah Indonesia has a relatively larger portfolio in consumer services and small business financing compared to Sharia Banks in neighboring countries.

"If we compare it with the neighboring country of Malaysia, the majority of sharia bank customers in Malaysia serve large corporations, which is quite different from that in Indonesia. At BSI, for example, almost 50% of us serve consumers, namely the needs of the general public, those who want to buy a car, buy a house, and fulfil their needs using sharia methods. "Then the other 50 percent is a combination of small businesses and corporations," said Adiwarman to Voice of Indonesia.

Second, regarding the MSME development strategy, Adiwarman emphasized the importance of business ecosystem-based financing.

“We must develop small businesses in an ecosystem. By developing it in an ecosystem, the cash to cash flow becomes closed loop, we know where the money flows (circulates). Creating an ecosystem, this is the small business that we are now working on, namely small businesses that are in one ecosystem. In fact, small businesses that are sporadic in nature, which are not yet connected in an ecosystem according to banking experience, are businesses with quite large risks, so there are other ways to develop these sporadic businesses. But for small businesses that are in the ecosystem, insha Allah, we can serve them very well." Adiwarman continued

Third, Adiwarman reminded business actors that it is important to pay attention to actual demand to maintain the continuity and success of their business.

"In all the case studies that we learn about the successful startups in building their ecosystems, the first is that they must be based on actual demand, the demand is real in society. We look at several startups that have now become extraordinary successes. There was already a request for that, even before they existed, people were already riding motorbike taxis at the base. There is actual demand, which we then organize into a good ecosystem," said Adiwarman A Karim.

The development of the halal industry, as stated by Adiwarman A Karim, needs to be done using an ecosystem approach.

"Then developing the halal economy, we also map the ecosystem. For example, if the Hajj ecosystem starts from buses, transportation, airplanes, hotels, food, and we combine all of that into one ecosystem, then we develop that ecosystem. We can't just pay for the Umrah and Hajj travel, for example, because if we don't use the ecosystem approach it will collapse. Likewise, for example, for cosmetics, we also cannot only finance halal cosmetic companies without building the ecosystem. Because the risks are greater without an ecosystem. This is actually what we do.” concluded the ustadz who is also an alumnus of Boston University.

Fourth, Adiwarman emphasized the importance of focus and priority scale in developing a well-mapped business ecosystem.

“The mistake that often occurs is that we are too enthusiastic about developing various ecosystems simultaneously, so that in the end we don't focus. So what we actually have to do is after we have mapped the existing ecosystem, then we choose one as the quick win and then we enlarge that ecosystem. We then replicate the success to generate other ecosystems," concluded Adiwarman A. Karim. (Daniel)