VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Women's doubles players Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu became the first in the Merah Putih Squad to secure a place in the final round of the Indonesia Open tournament 2021 on Sunday. (ANTARA/Roy Rosa Bachtiar/KT) - 

Indonesia's Greysia Polii and Apriyani Rahayu smashed through the semi-finals in the women's doubles of BWF Super 1000 Indonesia Open tournament, beating Thailand's Jongkolphan Kititharakul and Rawinda Prajongjai on Saturday.

Polii and Rahayu won two straight games, scoring 21-18, 21-14, after struggling for 58 minutes, to beat their third-seeded opponents and win a place in the finals.

"Although the match did not reach one hour, it felt long. (We are) lucky and grateful for today's result," Polii remarked when Antara met her after the match in Nusa Dua, Bali, on Saturday.

Polii and Rahayu, who previously clinched gold at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, played a confident game and were unified in executing attacks. Their serves were brave and accurate.

The match also saw some score-chasing, but the Indonesian pair managed to endure and lead in both games, albeit with difficulty. Kititharakul and Prajongjai, meanwhile, seemed under pressure and could not develop their strategy.

However, the Thai pair received a chance when Polii and Rahayu made a mistake in their rush to win. Seeing an opportunity, Kititharakul and Prajongjai managed to rise and catch up.

Thanks to their solid cohesiveness and communication, Polii and Rahayu managed to gain back control by the time the second game was completed.

"There is still tomorrow. We want to restore our body and mind, eat and sleep well," Rahayu said about her preparations for her upcoming and first final game of the Indonesia Open.

The victory has increased Polii and Rahayu's lead in their meeting record to 7–1, and they will face either South Korea or Japan in the final round.

In the semifinals of the upper pool women's doubles, Baek Ha Na and Lee Yu Rim will soon face Nami Matsuyama and Chiharu Shida. One of the teams will go up against the Indonesian pair in the final.

Nevertheless, Indonesia still has the opportunity to add two tickets to the final round of the Indonesia Open in the men's doubles (Marcus Fernaldi Gideon-Kevin Sanjaya Sukamuljo) and the men's singles (Jonatan Christie).

World's top-seeded Gideon and Sukamuljo will face Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty of India, while Christie will face Tokyo 2020 Olympic gold medalist Viktor Axelsen of Denmark//ANT

A screenshot of director general of social forestry and environmental partnerships at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Bambang Supriyanto (middle), addressing a press conference in Jakarta on Saturday (November 27, 2021). (ANTARA/Prisca Triferna/KT) - 

The Ministry of Environment and Forestry is aiming to encourage greater youth participation in environmental recovery and protection efforts through the Indonesian Environment Recovery Youth Program, an official has said.

"One of the groups that is very potentially involved is young people. Therefore, the ministry has involved Green Leadership Indonesia and (asked) all youth to take a role in the youth program to restore Indonesia's environment," director general of social forestry and environmental partnerships at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Bambang Supriyanto, said at a virtual press conference on Saturday.

The purpose of the youth program is to provide a space for sharing innovations and creativity for the rescue and preservation of the environment, Supriyanto explained.

In addition, he said, the program is seeking to push the youth into action for encouraging the spirit of restoring the environment among the public, so that they can become a role model for society.

The Forestry Ministry, through the program, is also seeking to open opportunities for the young people to form a network of environmental rescue fighters spread throughout the archipelago, he added.

"The last activity is to open a space for dialogue between young people and environmental and forestry policymakers," he explained.

Such a dialogue between the youth and policymakers in the environment and forestry sector will be a first for the ministry, Supriyanto added.

One of the program's real goals is a series of seven activities that will be held in December 2021, one of which is a dialogue among the younger generation, Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya, and other ministry officials during the official program launching, he said.

Earlier, Deputy Minister of Environment and Forestry, Alue Dohong, also said that nature and culture conservation should become a lifestyle for the younger generation.

"This aligns with the lesson that the COVID-19 pandemic has given, where people will go back to nature," Dohong remarked at the 2021 National Nature Conservation Day, here on November 24, 2021//ANT

People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) secretary general Ma'ruf Cahyono at an event entitled 'Building Indonesia from Villages', originating from here on Saturday (November 27, 2021). (ANTARA/HO-Humas MPR RI/FR) - 

Development efforts to open villages to the influence of the outside world should be responded with the bolstering of local identity, secretary general of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), Ma'ruf Cahyono, has said.

In a written statement received here on Saturday, Cahyono argued that such an effort would ensure that the local culture, the spirit of mutual assistance, national identity and character in villages remains protected.

To optimize this effort, the Indonesian Village Government Association (Apdesi) could collaborate with MPR, which will consistently develop the nation's character by disseminating the Four Pillars of MPR, he affirmed.

"Apdesi could assist in supporting MPR's vision as the well of nationality, guardian of the Pancasila ideology and the people's sovereignty, and back MPR's duty in disseminating the Four Pillars of MPR, review the governance system, and absorb the people's aspirations," he remarked.

National development can successfully be achieved if villages are taken care of properly by the state in terms of their advancement and independence, the secretary general said.

Villages play an important role in supporting the government's success as a whole, he added. Villages are also the frontliners in terms of achieving success in various matters and government programs, he said.

Villages have two strategic functions, he highlighted. First, in terms of economy, villages' prosperity is one of the indicators that determine how strong a region or a nation's economy is, he said.

Second, politically, a village could become the indicator for the people's voice and aspirations that should not be ignored, he added.

According to Cahyono, the village potential development program is directed at the realization of agro-tourist, industry, and digital villages.

"In the future, I am optimistic that villages could grow to become the center of economic and technological growth," he affirmed.

This would make the younger generation become interested in returning to villages, developing their regions, and optimizing various existing opportunities//ANT

Secretary to the head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP), Achmad Uzair Fauzan, at a webinar originating from here on Saturday (November 27, 2021). (ANTARA/Tri Meilani Ameliya/FR) - 

University students will serve as the backbone for realizing Advanced Indonesia 2045, secretary to the head of the Pancasila Ideology Development Agency (BPIP), Achmad Uzair Fauzan, stated at a webinar on Saturday.

Advanced Indonesia 2045 is closely linked to the demographic bonus, or when the Indonesian population is expected to be dominated by people in the productive age category, that is, between the ages of 15 to 64, he explained.

In theory, when a population is dominated by people from the productive age, there are many citizens who are earning an income and who can bolster the economic prosperity of the nation, he explained.

Thus, Indonesia has a huge potential for becoming an advanced nation by 2045, which is why university students, as the engine of social transformation, should optimize this opportunity, he said.

He also described university students as a part of the social elite.

"University students are part of the social elite who can become the instigators of social transformation, meaning those who encourage people to be better, get higher education, and become more prosperous," he elaborated.

He also opined that university students are an important pillar who will determine the future of Indonesia.

However, the potential of Advanced Indonesia 2045 has not been completely actualized because the Indonesian people are still encountering some challenges, he added.

"One of the challenges for us to head toward Advanced Indonesia 2045 is technological development," he noted.

Fauzan deemed that advanced people are those who are "information literate", meaning those who can quickly obtain correct, accurate, latest, and complete information.

Hence, the challenge of technology should be handled by optimizing the growth of information technology in Indonesia, he advised.

In addition, the government and related parties should educate the people so that they develop the capability for using communication and information technology media//ANT