VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Japanese artist Sakura Tomomi Ijuin has been trying to connect Indonesian and Japanese cultures since 2011 through the Sakuranesia Society Foundation, which provides opportunities for the younger generation to make friends using art.

Since 2011, she has been carrying out activities that connect Indonesia and Japan by becoming chairman of a foundation that provides opportunities for children from all over the world to make friends through art in Japan, she informed in Jakarta on Monday.

Sakura Tomomi, who is also known as Sakura, is head of the Sakuranesia Society Foundation. She has also been active in international cultural exchange activities, including in Bali in 2018, which finally introduced her to the Jember Fashion Carnival (JFC).

After learning about JFC from a donor, she tried to find information about the carnival until, in 2019, she came to attend her first JFC event in Jember, East Java, in person.

Sakura felt that she had the same mission as the JFC: connecting the world through art and creativity. This encouraged her to introduce the JFC to Japanese artists.

She said Japanese artists were surprised when they learned that Indonesia had a world-class festival like JFC, which has been going on for 20 years with the support of many volunteers.

Sakura succeeded in getting Japanese artists interested in voluntarily participating and enlivening the JFC out of pure interest, without being paid for accommodation or other costs.

"When I invited them to participate in celebrating JFC, they were very happy and willing to work together," Sakura said.

She informed that during this year's JFC, she brought three groups from Japan, namely the Artwear group, which presented music, calligraphy, and fashion entertainment, and the Grand Carnival group, which presented dance performances such as the Kadowa Dreams dance team.

The Kadowa Dreams dance team, which consists of the best dancers in Japan and has participated in world competitions, plans to hold auditions in Indonesia for members of their dance league.

This is because, according to Japanese artists, Indonesia is known for having a large number of young people, so they want to revive the world of entertainment for talented young people.

Not only from a cultural point of view, Sakuranesia also invited the World Kids Carnival group, which will make donations to children from three schools in Jember.

"A total of about 30 people from Japan participated in the JFC. This is the first time they have visited Jember," she said.

Earlier, Deputy Governor of East Java, Emil Elestianto Dardak, said that JFC is not just an event to display costumes, but a dream to advance the nation.

This year's JFC has participants from at least eight countries, including Japan, and representing five continents. This reflects the success of the JFC event in the outer zone of Japan.

"JFC is not only the pride of Jember and East Java, but also Indonesia, so the meaning is not limited to the clothing and creativity that are displayed," he said.  (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo has urged the government to closely coordinate with the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) on monitoring global temperature conditions and the quantum of their effect on Indonesia.

"It is necessary to take appropriate mitigation and preventive measures to prevent extreme heat, land fires, difficulty accessing clean water, and also crop failures in Indonesia," Soesatyo said in an official statement issued on Monday.

He made the statement in response to rising global temperatures, which were the highest on record in July 2023.

The highest global temperature ever recorded was reported this week, according to data provided by the United States National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP).

According to NCEP data, July 4, 2023, was recorded as the hottest day on Earth since 1979, with the average global temperature reaching 62.92 degrees Fahrenheit.

Therefore, Soesatyo urged the government to increase its awareness about the issue, since such a phenomenon could potentially spread to other parts of the world, including Indonesia.

In addition, he said, an increase in global temperature also has the potential to cause great damage to the environment and have a serious impact on human health.

He advised the government to prepare a strategy to deal with the effects of rising global temperatures. The strategy would need to aim toward minimizing the negative impact of such a phenomenon.

He also asked the government to pay attention to droughts caused by climate change and El Nino. He emphasized on maintaining the level of productivity of food crops, which has been disrupted due to prevailing conditions.

"The productivity of food crops in the country must continue to be maximized and various strategies must be implemented so that there is no decrease in the quantity and quality of food, considering that food is one of the basic or primary needs of society," he added. (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - President of Timor Leste José Ramos-Horta has said that the current global geopolitical tensions have not affected the sustainability of democracy.

"Global tension didn't necessarily (have an) impact on democracy," he observed during the Democracy Dialogue held by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) and The Jakarta Post daily here on Monday.

He stressed that the current regional and global tensions have not affected the state of democracy in nations.

The future of a nation's democracy is determined by the situation within the country itself, he said.

Democracy is a social contract that the people of a nation enter into with their free will, he added.

"Because democracy (and) freedom are very much a part of us," he said.

When asked about the condition of democracy in Indonesia, he said that he has long been impressed with the democracy in the country.

"The vast majority of the Indonesian people are happy with the situation today in Indonesia. It is very peaceful, stable, can be prosperous, and the fourth best-performing economy in the world, and people also live in freedom. Now, what else (does it need)?" he said.  (Antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Deputy Speaker for Politics and Security of the House of Representatives (DPR) Lodewijk F. Paulus on Monday made some suggestions for achieving stability and prosperity for ASEAN communities.

Speaking at the 44th General Assembly of the ASEAN Inter-Parliamentary Assembly (AIPA) in Jakarta, he urged the parliaments of AIPA countries to lend full support to their respective governments and encourage them to affirm their commitment to strengthening democracy.

"We should be able to run a good governance, ensure the supremacy of law, as well as promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms, in accordance with the mandate laid down in the ASEAN Charter," he stressed during the general assembly's first plenary session.

He then urged AIPA members to make all-out efforts to carry out their responsibilities of protecting their people and providing those residing in the Southeast Asian region with a peaceful and prosperous life.

"In addition, we are also responsible for guaranteeing freedom and (the protection of) human rights for ASEAN communities," he added.

Paulus pushed member countries to make AIPA a leading institution that can expand cooperation by involving all related stakeholders in the region in efforts to realize the ASEAN 2045 vision.

"In order to reach this end, we should opt for a more adaptive and future-oriented approach, rather than keep following the same routine or merely sticking to business as usual," he said.

Lastly, he added, AIPA parliaments should act in a more responsive and adaptive manner during national law formulation processes in the hope of producing laws that are more relevant for overcoming regional and global challenges.

Paulus stressed that such laws are essential to help ASEAN overcome existing challenges in the region, such as the condition of democracy in Myanmar, disputes in the South China Sea, the impacts of the Ukraine crisis, the Quad Initiative, and the Australia-United Kingdom-United States (AUKUS) alliance.

"ASEAN has been criticized for its measures to handle the crisis in Myanmar. Our measures are deemed disappointing and led to an increased violence," he noted.

He then emphasized the importance of investing even greater efforts to promote the implementation of the principles of human rights, democracy, peace, security, and prosperity enshrined in the ASEAN Charter.

"AIPA must be able to take swift, accurate, and sustainable measures in order to ensure security and progress for our peoples, so they can keep living with hopes," he said.

President Joko Widodo officially inaugurated the 44th AIPA General Assembly at Fairmont Hotel in Jakarta on Monday.

Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi, People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Bambang Soesatyo, DPR Speaker Puan Maharani, and Chairperson of the DPR Inter-Parliamentary Cooperation Agency (BKSAP) Fadli Zon, and Paulus joined the opening ceremony.

The 44th AIPA General Assembly, which is taking place in Jakarta from Monday to Wednesday (August 9, 2023), has drawn participation from 568 delegates, including speakers of the parliaments of 9 ASEAN countries: Indonesia, Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

Representatives from 18 observer and guest countries as well as 9 international organizations have also joined the event.

The theme of the 44th edition of the general assembly is "Responsive Parliaments for a Stable and Prosperous ASEAN."

This year's AIPA General Assembly also marks DPR's seventh participation in the general assembly in the capacity of host and chair of AIPA, following Indonesia's chairmanship of ASEAN this year. (antaranews)