VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia-made N219 aircraft, produced by aircraft manufacturer PTDI in cooperation with the National Institute of Aeronautics and Space (LAPAN), completed series of certification tests and officially secured a Type Certificate at the end of 2020.

The Type Certificate was issued by the civil airworthiness authority, Directorate of Airworthiness and Aircraft Operation (DKPPU) at the Ministry of Transportation.

"The first Prototype Design 1 of N219 Nurtanio has clocked 250 flight cycles and 275 flight hours, while the second Prototype Design 2 completed 143 flight cycles and 176 flight hours. In total, the N219 aircraft completed 393 flight cycles and 451 flight hours during this certification process," Director of Technology and Development of PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PTDI) Gita Amperiawan stated here on Monday.

Transportation Minister Budi Karya Sumadi bore witness to the N219 Type Certificate being handed over by Secretary of the Directorate General of Air Transportation Nur Isnin Istiartono to PTDI President Director Elfien Goentoro in Jakarta.

"The certification process is the most important one to ensure security and safety on account of the fact that the aircraft’s services will be availed by users and the general public in future," he stated.

In connection with the DKPPU test results, the N219 aircraft was declared to have met the CASR Part 23 (Airworthiness Standards for Aeroplanes in the Normal, Utility, Acrobatic, or Commuter Category).

Manufacturing of the N219 aircraft began in 2014 for the design and application phase of the Type Certificate followed by the manufacture of the first aircraft prototype in 2016 and the second aircraft prototype in 2017 along with the system integration process.

After obtaining the Type Certificate, the N219 will enter the commercialization stage in 2021.

PTDI President Director Elfien Goentoro affirmed that the N219 is a matter of pride for Indonesia, as for the pioneering time, it has successfully completed the certification of aircraft that was entirely manufactured by Indonesians. (antaranews)

Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno perceives Bali as a benchmark for the revival of tourism and the creative economy in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.

With the preparedness of the tourist resort’s tourism destinations and creative economy, Bali can rise up from its economic downturn as well as become a role model for other regions in the country.

"Bali is the backbone of Indonesia's tourism and creative economy," he noted in a statement here on Monday.

Uno spoke of being handed over a special task by President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to focus on five super-priority destinations. Bali should serve as a paradigm for the five super-priority destinations to revive the tourism sector and creative economy.

"President Jokowi urged me to focus on the five super-priority destinations. However, these five super-priority destinations should take a cue from Bali since it is a world-class destination. Hence, if we want to develop it, we have to learn from Bali all aspects of readying tourist destinations. Everyone wants Bali to become the main reference," he asserted.

During a dialogue with businessmen engaged in the tourism sector and creative economy in Bali, Uno claimed to have a program to boost economic recovery.

"I encourage innovation, adaptation, and collaboration programs. In the framework of collaboration, I need inputs from champions of the creative economy. I will study these inputs to later become our materials for reviving the economy," he explained.

The minister plans to expand grant funds for tourism entrepreneurs and the creative economy under the short-term plan for the recovery program.

"For the short term, it is to expand grant funds to cover tourism and creative economy businesses outside hotels and restaurants in addition to covering many elements of the creative economy," he stated.

The new minister spoke of having received requests from the governor and deputy governor of Bali for the government to facilitate local businessmen through the provision of soft loans amounting to Rp9.9 trillion in total. In connection with this matter, Uno highlighted his intent to coordinate with Finance Minister Sri Mulyani. (antaranews)

The Social Affairs Ministry has launched the Social Entrepreneurship Program (Prokus) targeting graduated beneficiaries of the Family Hope Program (PKH) to assist them in keeping their businesses afloat.

"Prokus is aimed at empowering people through business approaches," the ministry's Director General of Social Empowerment, Edi Suharto, noted in a statement here on Sunday.

The first strategy is the B-for-S business approach to address the social risk, while the second is the B plus S approach, a business and social integration for the people’s empowerment.

The program is expected to lower poverty and unemployment.

Prokus has three components known as the Triple Power, comprising social assistance in incentive for working capital (BSiMU), Business Mentoring Incubation (IMB), and social mentoring.

For implementation of the program, the ministry has involved Oorange Unpad (Padjajaran University), State Polytechnic of Semarang (Polines) ZFN Agape Indonesia (Titipku), Bina Swadaya, and mentors from social affairs office in sub-districts.

"The entrepreneurship program is part of the government's intervention to help graduated PKH beneficiaries to survive in this pandemic," Suharto stated, adding that this is an anchor of the ministry's social empowerment program.

In 2020, Prokus fund of Rp3.5 million each was distributed to one thousand graduated PKH beneficiaries in the five regions of Majalengka District, West Bandung District, Jakarta, Semarang District, and Bantul District. (antaranews)

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuala Lumpur has coordinated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and asked the Malaysian Police (PDRM) to investigate the maker of the national anthem Indonesia Raya parody on YouTube.

"We have communicated with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the PDRM team will carry out an investigation," said the Coordinator of the Education and Culture Function of the Indonesian Embassy in Kuala Lumpur, Yoshi Iskandar when contacted in Kuala Lumpur, Monday.

Yoshi said based on his monitoring the video had also been taken down from YouTube.

"If you look at the video, it has also been taken down. That is from the channel side. But maybe it still exists because it is circulating in the media," he said.

Yoshi said on Sunday (27/12) his party had coordinated fast movement.

"As soon as the video went up, we immediately coordinated with the PDRM and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs here. From there a statement came out from the Malaysian Embassy. That was the result of our coordination with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in order to reduce the situation we see now because it is busy in the media and there are many comments," he said.

Yoshi emphasized that in principle we will solve it in accordance with the applicable legal provisions.

"We'll see. The process just flows. We entrust it to the Malaysian side. We entrust the Malaysian PDRM to investigate this matter. So let it go like that. We will continue to monitor it," he said.

Yoshi said that his party knew about the video last Sunday based on reports from the public.

"As soon as we know, we trace back that there are several channels, but if we enter the local PDRM area, we will follow the applicable corridor," he said.

He said he appealed to the public to hold back together.

"The actions taken are sensitive, of course, provocative. It can affect the good relations between people to people and Indonesia - Malaysia. So don't be provoked. What is clear is that we trust the law. Their response is also fast. We appreciate it," he said. (Antaranews)