Former Gojek chief Nadiem Anwar Makarim has been appointed Minister of Education and Culture, a position previously occupied by Muhadjir Effendy, now Coordinating Minister of Human Development Culture.

Being the only millennial representation in the cabinet, Makarim appealed for support from the young generation. “To fellow millennials, I ask for your support, as I am the sole representative of our generation in the cabinet,” said the 35-year-old in Jakarta, Wednesday.

His appointment is expected to create significant breakthroughs in human resources development, especially while preparing to enter the job sector, one of President Joko Widodo’s main visions for his second term in office.

“We will create significant breakthroughs in the development of work-ready human resources, ready to strive, as well as link and match between education and industry,” said President Jokowi while introducing Makarim and his other ministers for the ‘Indonesia Moving Forward’ cabinet in the Presidential Palace.

After successfully raising Gojek from a small start-up into Indonesia’s first decacorn company, Makarim’s posting in the education sector may come as unexpected.

His expertise in business and innovative digital technology with Gojek may not seem to be directly linked to the education system in the country, especially considering his education background. He has two degrees from major Ivy League universities, a Masters of Business Administrations from Harvard University and a Bachelor’s degree in International Relations from Brown University.

After being sworn in, he explained how his expertise and posting in the Ministry of Education and Culture can push the President’s ambition to develop Indonesian human resources and prepare them to excel in both domestic and international sectors, as he laid out the three reasons he was chosen for the specific posting.

“Even though I did not come from the education sector, the first reason is that I understand what lies ahead,” he said, adding that the President believed that he could anticipate future challenges and requirements that may come from the job and industry sectors in the future.
The second reason was the vital role of technology in developing 300,000 schools and 50 million students in Indonesia, he continued. “Do not forget that Indonesia has among the four largest education systems in the world. The role of technology is imperative,” he added.

He then revealed the third and last reason for his appointment, which is the need for an innovative figure that can create breakthroughs and think outside of the conventional ways.

As part of the millennial generation himself, he is formulating a breakthrough involving technology and the young generations, especially those who are about to make the leap into the workforce after completing their education.

“We will focus on those who are leaving the education system,” he said, adding that he wanted graduates with character, competence, as well as collaboration and teamwork skills.  

President Joko Widodo accompanied by Vice President Ma'ruf Amin announced the composition of his new cabinet on the veranda steps of the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, Wednesday morning. The announcement was made after the President for two consecutive days called one by one the figures he had chosen as a candidate for minister. At the end of the announcement, President Joko Widodo reminded his ministers to work seriously and avoid corruption.

"The cabinet which I have just announced, first, don't be corrupt. Creating a system that closes the gaps of corruption. Secondly, there is no vision and mission of the minister. What exists is the vision and mission of the President and Vice President. Third, we all have to work fast, work hard and work productively. Fourth, don't get stuck in a monotonous routine. The fifth, tangible results-oriented work. The sixth, always checking for problems in the field and find a solution. Finally, everything must be serious in working, said Joko Widodo.

The President names his new Cabinet the Indonesia Onward Cabinet. There are 4 Coordinating Ministers and 30 Ministers, plus the Attorney General, Cabinet Secretary, Presidential Chief of Staff and Head of the Capital Management Coordinating Board who will assist the president in the next five years. (VOI / RINI / AHM)

The inauguration of the Indonesian President and Vice President was held on Sunday 20 October 2019 at the MPR / DPR RI Building, Jakarta. After taking the oath, President Joko Widodo in his speech mentioned the target of work to be carried out in the next five years.

“With the support of a conducive political ecosystem and a conducive economic ecosystem. Therefore, in the next 5 years we want to do: First, human resource development will be our top priority, building hardworking, dynamic Human Resources. Building skilled human resources, mastering science and technology. Inviting global talents to work with us. That also cannot be achieved by old methods, new ways must be developed. We need a large endowment fund for our Human Resources management. Collaboration with industry is also important to be optimized. And also the use of technology that makes it easy to reach all corners of the country,” Joko Widodo said.

President Jokowi further said, the second target was to continue the development of infrastructure that connects the production area with the distribution area. Third, simplifying the form of regulation, fourth, simplifying the bureaucracy. And fifth, economic transformation targeting the Indonesian Gross Domestic Product reaches 7 trillion US dollars in 2045. The inauguration was attended by 6 heads of state and 12 special envoys from friendly countries, as well as Indonesia’s fifth President, Megawati Soekarno Putri and Indonesia’s sixth President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. (VOI/NK/AHM)

The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) and the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) installed four seismographs in Western Seram District, Maluku Province, in cooperation with the .Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB).

The four seismographs were part of 11 earthquake detectors installed in three different areas in Maluku which bore the brunt of a 6.5-magnitude earthquake on September 26, 2019, Chief of the BNPB Early Warning Subdirectorate Abdul Muhari said on Sunday.

The seismographs were installed at the Latu Village's Office in Amalatu Sub-district, BMKG Climatology Station in Loki Village, Huamual Sub-district and the BPBD Office in Western Seram District.

"We want the devices to be safe from various disturbances. So, they are installed at the village's office and government agency buildings so they can be guaranteed," he said.

The seismographs were installed to find accurate data about earthquakes which still shook Ambon City, Central Maluku District and Western Seram District following Sept 26, 2019 earthquake.

Various efforts are needed to analyze and study the characters of the earthquakes in Maluku since the number of aftershocks is relatively high compared to those affecting the rest of the country, he said.

The Maluku earthquakes are a specific phenomenon and are different from those hitting other regions in the country, including Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara which has small number of aftershocks.

The BMKG recorded 1,703 aftershocks since the September 26, 2019 earthquake rocked Maluku. Meanwhile, the number of aftershocks recorded from Lombok earthquake for three months was 363.

More than 34 people were killed and tens of others were injured in the Maluku earthquake.