VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Vice Presidential candidate number 3 Mahfud Md assessed that the problem of rampant corruption is the main root of the inequality of economic growth in various parts of Indonesia to this day.

"Why is it still unequal now? Why has growth not yet touched six percent? The theory that can explain it all is because Indonesia has too much corruption," Mahfud said in the NTT Diaspora Dialogue with Prof. Mahfud MD in Jakarta, Tuesday (19/12/2023).

Mahfud believes that Indonesia's economy has the potential to grow more than six percent annually, but corruption cases that the government has not been able to overcome have created an imbalance between natural resources and human resource managers.

"For example, I noted that in the last four years the cases I handled alone involved Rp701 trillion in corruption," he said. This imbalance practically makes economic growth in Indonesia uneven.

He cited the contribution of the western region of Indonesia, which dominates 80 percent of economic growth. Even Java Island contributes 57 percent of the national economy, while eastern Indonesia only contributes 20 percent. Mahfud regretted this considering that eastern Indonesia, such as East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), has natural potential, very rich cultural diversity, but its condition is still below the national average because it has not maximally managed its existing potential.

"So I say, whatever theory you use if you are not able to eradicate corruption, at least stop the continuation of corruption from time to time, then economic growth will never reach its maximum," said the man who still serves as Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal and Security Affairs.(ANTARA)

VOInews, Jakarta: Indonesian Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi at the United Nations General Assembly on Tuesday (28/11/2023) in New York, the United States said that Indonesia cannot be silent seeing women and children become victims of the conflict in Gaza.

"Indonesia cannot be silent when thousands of innocent women and children die," Retno Marsudi said in a statement received by Indonesia Window here.

In addition, Retno Marsudi said Indonesia also cannot be silent seeing civilian facilities such as schools and hospitals razed to the ground by Israel in Gaza.

"And I ask whether the world countries will remain silent seeing this terrible situation," she continued.

Retno Marsudi said that if world countries want to defend justice and humanity, then a permanent ceasefire must occur. In addition, humanitarian assistance must also be ensured to arrive safely and without obstacles, prioritizing international humanitarian law and restarting the political and peace process.

"Only by using our hearts, we will be able to defend justice and humanity," she concluded.

VOINews.id, Jakarta: Indonesia won 4 trophies, 10 gold medals, 9 silver medals, and 10 bronze medals at the 31st ASEAN Armies Rifle Meet (AARM) on 16-25 November 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand.

"The ten gold medals came from three gold in individual competitions, four gold in team competitions, and three gold in team exhibitions," wrote the Indonesian Embassy in Bangkok in a statement received in Jakarta on Saturday (25/11/2023).

The competition was attended by 200 shooters from 10 countries in Southeast Asia: Brunei Darussalam, Philippines, Indonesia, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam. The branches being competed are rifle, carbine, automatic rifle, men's pistol, and women's pistol.

Aside from that, in the individual competition, positive results were achieved in the men's pistol which managed to sweep all three medals contested by the 40 shooters. The women's pistol also made achievements by winning 1 gold and 1 silver. In the rifle branch, Indonesia added 1 gold and 1 bronze medal.

"With these results, Indonesia confirmed itself as the overall champion and replaced Vietnam as the defending champion in last year's competition," wrote the embassy.

Meanwhile, Vietnam is chasing closely in second place with 1 trophy, 10 gold, 7 silver, and 7 bronze. The Philippines followed in third place with 1 trophy, 10 gold, 6 silver, and 7 bronze. Following the Philippines in sequence are Myanmar, Laos, the host Thailand, Brunei, Cambodia, Malaysia, and Singapore.

AARM is an Army shooting competition event between ASEAN countries which is held annually. At the 31st AARM, Indonesia fielded 45 participants from the army soldiers and 2 (two) supporters from the state-owned armament company Pindad.

In general, Indonesia has proven itself to be the hegemon among ASEAN countries by becoming the overall champion 14 times out of a total of 31 AARM events that have been held since 1991.

VOInews, Jakarta: Secretary-General of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology Suharti has invited all parties at UNESCO to promote peace that focuses on education, culture, science, and information technology.

"Indonesia will continue to build partnerships with UNESCO to achieve these common goals," Suharti said in an official statement from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology, Monday (13/11/2023).

Indonesia has been actively involved in Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) through the implementation of Merdeka Belajar policy. This policy, designed to improve the quality of education, emphasizes inclusivity, and seeks to provide high-quality education for all without exception.

The newly introduced Merdeka Curriculum allows for flexible adjustment of learning pace, prevents students from falling behind and integrates Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) related themes such as climate change and diversity into the education framework. Indonesia is also currently drafting a National Initiative that will be submitted to the ESD-Net 2030 Global Meeting in Tokyo, Japan in December.

Additionally, as a country of mega-biodiversity, Indonesia is responsible for maintaining its sustainability through various UNESCO programs. Indonesia is committed to conducting inclusive research and innovation for sustainable resource utilization in various sectors, supporting conservation, and initiating a green and blue economy. Therefore, Indonesia will host the World Water Forum in Bali next year, emphasizing global collaboration concerning water-related crises.

Concerning communication and information, Indonesia firmly stands with the Memory of the World initiative which has the purpose of sustaining documentary heritage and its accessibility. Indonesia also acknowledged the gravity of issues such as disinformation, cyber threats, and online harassment.

"Indonesia is firm in its commitment to facilitate a dignified free data flow, including the cross-border initiative," Suharti said.

During the meeting, Indonesia also announced that it's running as a member of the UNESCO Executive Boards and Governing Boards of The International Programme for the Development of Communication for the 2023-2027 period.

"We hope for the support from state members [of UNESCO] to ensure Indonesia's positive contribution to reach its national purpose to become part of the international community, and the mutual purpose to support UNESCO and its state members to prioritize peace," Suharti concluded.