VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has encouraged local industries to increase their creativity to design halal products, particularly in the fashion and tourism sectors, that hold huge potential in global trade.

"Fashion, creative products, leisure and media, and Muslim-friendly tourism would need innovative and classy product designs. Of course, this is a huge potential that must be explored by designers of industrial products," Amin noted in Jakarta during the conferment of the Upakarti Award 2020 held virtually on Thursday.

Amin remarked that the halal industry in Indonesia had still solely focused on food and beverage products, while other halal products including fashion, creative industry, and tourism also had a potential global market.

The demand for halal products in the global market had risen sharply with the development of the sharia-based economy.

"The State of Global Islamic Economy Report 2019/2020 showed that the world's Muslim consumers' expenditure has reached US$2.2 trillion in 2018. It is projected to reach US$3.2 trillion in 2024," he pointed out.

Indonesia, with the world’s largest Muslim population, has spent US$214 billion on halal products or some 10 percent of the world’s halal market shares. In comparison with other Muslim-majority nations, Indonesia has the largest market for halal products.

"Hence, I am optimistic that designers and industry operators would capitalize on the domestic and global market opportunities through the creation of new products that not only have aesthetic value but also high added value," the vice president noted. (Antaranews)

Coordinating Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Minister, Mahfud MD, highlighted at a meeting with Secretary General of the World Moslem League that Indonesia is a laboratory of pluralism and tolerance.

"Indonesia is the most effective laboratory of pluralism and tolerance in the world, as a country with the largest Muslim population in the world and with a very complete variety of religions and religious schools. Everyone can live side by side," Mahfud MD stated at a meeting with Secretary General Syech Abdul Karim Al Issa of the World Moslem League in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Tuesday (December 8), as cited from the statement received here, Wednesday.

During the 90-minute-long meeting, Mahfud MD and Al Issa stressed on the significance of implementing moderation of Islam, or Wasathiyyah Islam, among Muslims globally.

Inclusiveness has become an important aspect in the lives of people in nations and countries, taking into account the diverse religions and beliefs embraced by humans globally.

Muslims were urged to not become trapped in either radical extremism or liberalism and instead adopt a moderate outlook and serve as the agents of peace.

Mahfud MD believed that the concept of moderate Islam is pertinent to Muslims in Indonesia, as the country is home to a plethora of religions and beliefs.

Meanwhile, Secretary General Abdul Karim Al-Issa expressed pride over the mainstreaming of moderate Islam by Indonesian Muslims.

"Some time ago, I visited Indonesia and officially opened the Museum of the History of the Prophet Muhammad and delivered lectures at various places. Muslims there really reflect the awareness that humans are created differently but have the same position in life together. Indonesian Muslims follow the Medina Charter made by the Prophet Muhammad himself," Al-Issa stated.

The coordinating minister and secretary general then agreed to cooperate in spreading Wasathiyyah Islam through their networks. (Antaranews)

Chairman of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo wholly supports the government's effort to lobby several pharmaceutical firms of the world to meet the country's COVID-19 vaccine requirements.

Indonesia needs 350 million vaccine doses since each citizen should be administered two shots of the COVID-19 vaccine, Soesatyo noted in a statement released on Wednesday.

"The government's success to receive 270 million doses of vaccine from several countries to meet domestic needs is worthy of praise. However, with the Indonesian population of 268.5 million of which 70 percent must be vaccinated, the real minimum requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine will be 350 million doses," he stated.

The MPR supports the government's endeavor to address the shortage of COVID-19 vaccine, he affirmed.

It is not easy to meet the real minimum requirement for COVID-19 vaccine since all countries must compete with one another to get the much-sought medical product, he pointed out.

"With the global population of 7.8 billion, the world needs more than 15 billion doses of COVID-19 vaccine, while the global production capacity is projected to reach 8.4 billion doses," he stated.

Nearly three billion doses of the total production capacity were ordered by developed nations, so the Indonesian government must strive to obtain the additional vaccine to meet the target, he emphasized.

While several countries have scheduled the vaccination of their citizens to end the COVID-19 pandemic, Indonesia must have the pluck to take a similar initiative to cater to minimum requirements for the COVID-19 vaccine, he noted.

Chief of the COVID-19 Task Force at the Indonesian Foreign Ministry, Daniel Tumpal, stated during a discussion here recently that Indonesia's free and active foreign policy had made it easy for the country to negotiate with other nations on the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines.

Indonesia has been able to freely conduct diplomacy for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccines, while several large countries are competing with one another for developing the vaccine, he noted.

“The free and active foreign policy is not a figment. For instance, where this vaccine is concerned, we have held talks with the United States, Britain, China, and so on. I don't see any problem. We are so comfortable to move everywhere,” he affirmed.

Indonesia secured the supply of COVID-19 vaccines from China and the United Arab Emirates after Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi and State-Owned Enterprises Minister Erick Thohir paid visits to the countries in the middle of this year.

The procurement of COVID-19 vaccines has been one of the three points of refocus of the work priorities of the Foreign Ministry and Indonesian foreign representatives amid the pandemic, especially to help the government mitigate the outbreak through health diplomacy, Tumpal reiterated.

"In the short and the long run, the three issues -- diagnostic, therapeutic, and vaccine -- will mark our diplomacy in the health field," he remarked.

Indonesia has established cooperation with several countries, including China, South Korea, the UK, and the UAE, for developing and distributing COVID-19 vaccines. (Antaranews)

The 13th Bali Democracy Forum (BDF), scheduled for Thursday, will focus on the challenges faced by democratic countries in the Asia-Pacific region amid COVID-19, a high-ranking Foreign Affairs Ministry official said today.

Initiated by Indonesia in 2008, the annual forum aims to make democracy a strategic agenda in the Asia-Pacific region. For 13 years, the forum, led by Indonesia, has facilitated dozens of meetings and dialogues on democracy and its challenges.

"Democracy and COVID-19’ has been chosen as the main theme of the forum for this year as many countries are currently struggling to control the COVID-19 pandemic and uphold democratic practices at the same time," director general for information and public diplomacy at the Foreign Affairs Ministry, Teuku Faizasyah, said on the sidelines of the meeting's preparations on Wednesday.

The COVID-19 pandemic, which has claimed more than 1.5 million lives worldwide, has forced dozens of countries to impose restrictions to control infections, he noted.

In some cases, the restrictive policies have barred people from exercising their civil rights, and observe democratic values and practices, he added.

Therefore, the forum is expected to focus on finding ways to strike a balance between controlling the pandemic and maintaining democratic practices, such as ensuring people’s full participation in elections, Faizasyah added.

Indonesia and other countries, such as the US, have now gained experience in organizing a safe election amid the COVID-19 pandemic, he noted.

Voting was held for Indonesia’s simultaneous regional elections today in 270 regions, comprising 9 provinces, 224 districts, and 37 cities. The holding of elections amid the pandemic has raised concerns among some groups in the country, including health workers and epidemiologists. But, the General Elections Commission, on many occasions, has assured people of the strict observance of health protocols at polling stations, which number over 200 thousand.

In light of the issue, the 13th Bali Democracy Forum is expected to serve as a platform for other countries to share their experiences and best practices in protecting their democracy amid the pandemic, Faizasyah said.

The one-day forum will follow the hybrid physical and virtual format, with virtual participants joining the meeting via video conferencing. The main event will be broadcast live online, he said.

More than 100 delegates have confirmed their participation at the virtual meeting. So far, 25 heads of foreign delegations have confirmed they will attend the 13th Bali Democracy Forum.

Indonesia, the host country, has limited physical attendance at the venue in Nusa Dua, Bali, to 50 persons, Faizasyah said. (Antaranews)