VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOINews, Jakarta - Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini has lauded the Indonesian Defense Forces (TNI) for their crucial role in distributing humanitarian aid to those affected by drought and extreme weather in Puncak Regency, Central Papua.

"The air force provided us with meaningful support, especially in terms of transportation," she said in Jakarta on Thursday.

The minister recalled that when she first received information about the extreme weather condition about two weeks ago,she was unable to find transportation modes for delivering aid to victims in Agandugume and Lambewi Subdistricts.

According to her, the ministry planned to send the first batch of assistance on July 23, 2023, but the process was hindered by transportation-related constraints as no planes were operating on Sundays.

Therefore, Minister Rismaharini decided to seek help from TNI Commander Admiral Yudo Margono.

"I called Mr. Commander for help. I informed him that the residents were starving," she said, adding that he welcomed the request and expressed his willingness to provide immediate support.

Eventually, the first batch of aid weighing six tons was delivered on the same day from the ministry's food barn in Jayapura to Timika on a cargo plane.

Furthermore, in the following days, TNI dispatched a Hercules aircraft to carry and deliver 17 tons of aid from Halim Perdana Kusuma Airport, Jakarta.

"Transporting 10 tons from here (Jakarta) to Timika was definitely not an easy task. Fortunately, the commander was willing to deploy his ranks in the air force to help us, so the aid could be delivered very quickly," the minister said.

TNI also distributed 3.6 tons of aid. Thus, a total of 26.7 tons of aid was distributed.

The minister further informed that the aid distribution was carried out in coordination with Pastor Delius Wenda, a religious leader who represents the two affected subdistricts. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - The use of the Malaysian ringgit by people living on the Sebatik Island border has become a challenge that needs to be addressed, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said.

"The use of ringgit on the Sebatik Island border is one of our challenges," he highlighted during a groundbreaking ceremony for the As'adiyah Islamic Boarding School Flats on Sebatik Island, North Kalimantan, on Thursday.

He said that the government must also strengthen the national economy at the border to prevent the community from becoming consumers of neighboring countries.

"We should be the ones selling our products to neighboring countries. This is a matter of competitiveness," he emphasized.

However, if a cheaper price is the reason the border community is buying products from neighboring countries, that is another problem that must be overcome, the Vice President said.

"This is a challenge that must be solved. We hope that our halal-certified products will attract the community to buy Indonesian products," he added.

He informed that Indonesia has been exporting large volumes of products, ranging from fishery products to seaweed. However, it needs to improve the quality of daily necessities to ensure export competitiveness.

"We cannot just complain about this problem. If the quality is better and cheaper, of course, our people at the border tend to buy products from neighboring countries. We hope that the Regional Sharia Economic and Finance Committee can encourage the procurement of halal products at the border," he said.

Meanwhile, regarding the use of the Malaysian ringgit for transactions in Sebatik, North Kalimantan Governor Zainal Arifin Paliwang said that his administration and Bank Indonesia have worked together several times to promote pride in using the Indonesian rupiah among the people of Sebatik Island.

Regarding the report on the use of the ringgit currency on Sebatik Island, Paliwang will conduct a check with the police and Bank Indonesia.

"We emphasize that all transactions must use the rupiah. This is the Indonesian state that we must respect," he said.

Based on monitoring, there are several grocery stores in Sebatik that use the Malaysian ringgit for transactions. Some also quote prices in both ringgit and rupiah. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has reiterated that President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) will evaluate the performance of ministers found neglecting their duties to focus on their own political campaigns during the upcoming political year.

"The President has affirmed that he will evaluate ministers who neglect their duties," he said on the sidelines of a working visit to Sebatik Island, Nunukan district, North Kalimantan, on Thursday.

According to the VP, President Widodo has not found any minister neglecting duties due to the 2024 General Elections so far.

Nevertheless, he affirmed that the head of state will definitely continue monitoring the performance of every minister in the cabinet.

"As of today, we have not found such a minister. After all, the elections have not started. We are still in the 'warming up' phase," he said.

On Thursday, Amin made a working visit to Sebatik Island to attend the inauguration ceremony of the Regional Committee for Islamic Economy and Finance (KDEKS) of North Kalimantan province.

He also laid the first stone for the development of flats for students of As'adiyah Islamic Boarding School there.

Earlier in May 2023, President Widodo had warned that ministers and deputy ministers could be replaced if they do not perform well, saying, "I always evaluate their work. If their performance declines, they may be replaced. It is that simple."

He affirmed that he will allow ministers to participate in the elections under one condition: That they do not neglect their duties as ministers.

"We should know that the regulation permits this. For me, ministers may participate in the elections as long as they do not lose focus of their daily duties," Widodo said at the "People’s Forum (Musra) of Indonesia" event in Jakarta on May 14, 2023. (antaranews)

VOINews, Jakarta - Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions, and Transmigration (Mendes PDTT), Abdul Halim Iskandar, discussed increasing cooperation with the Saudi Arabian Ambassador to Indonesia, Faisal Abdullah Al-Amudi, on Thursday.

"Indonesia has investments in several countries, but investment in Saudi Arabia is still lacking. We see our investment more often in sending workers, both skilled and unskilled workers," the minister said here on Thursday.

While welcoming Ambassador Al-Amudi's visit, Minister Halim said he supported increased cooperation between the two countries.

He added that there must be fundamental reform so that the pattern of economic cooperation, including environmental cooperation, becomes something that the governments of Saudi Arabia and Indonesia can engage in.

He said the ideas and suggestions they discussed would become an important part of the formulation of the 2024–2045 long-term development strategy.

Meanwhile, Ambassador Al-Amudi noted that Indonesia-Saudi Arabia relations have been focused on Hajj and Umrah for more than 70 years.

He said that cooperation regarding Hajj and Umrah is indeed necessary and important, but there needs to be a breakthrough to pursue a more strategic relationship between the two countries.

"We continue to improve relations related to Hajj and Umrah. However, we also open up other opportunities to improve relations between the two countries, so that the relations between Indonesia and Saudi Arabia can be more comprehensive," he added.

Ambassador Al-Amudi said that the number of Indonesian investors investing in Saudi Arabia is still low.

Therefore, he expressed the hope that Indonesia will increase its investment in Saudi Arabia. Currently, there are only Indonesian instant noodle factories in Saudi Arabia.

"As the representative of the government of Saudi Arabia, I will open the door for the Ministry of Villages. Whatever the cooperation initiative, we will follow up on it and it will be our concern as much as possible," the ambassador said. (antaranews)