VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo says that electric vehicles are the future of automobiles in Indonesia, because Indonesia has nickel and other raw materials. He made the remark when opening the Indonesia International Motor Show (IIMS) 2024 in Jakarta, Thursday (15/2).

Although the government is yet to give more incentive for electric vehicles, the head of state said that the government had given some incentives to boost EV production in the country. This incentive includes reduction of added-value tax. With this, President Joko Widodo expects the Indonesian EV industry to compete with other countries, especially when Indonesia has the potential and strength to develop EV batteries.

Further, the president remarked that the incentive is given to all EV producers, including the electric public transportation. All are encouraged to do the production in Indonesia. The president also wished for all branded EV to be produced in Indonesia, because as stated before, Indonesia has the power in EV batteries.

On a related note, the Indonesia International Motor Show 2024 is held from 15 until 25 of February, 2024. This year's theme was "IIMS Infinite Live", with various world automobile brands.

An Indonesian youth got an award for cruise design. The Young Designer of the Year 2024 was given in Kitzbühel, Austria to Pradipta Rahman Hakim. Pradipta got the prestigious award in the Boat International Design and Innovation Awards 2024. With an amazing design, Pradipta even caught the eye of Feadship, a high-end ship design and industry that was the main sponsor of the awards.

In the design named Blueminance, the graduate of Marine Engineering at Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) Surabaya, East Java focused on functionality that does not ignore the aesthetics. The futuristic design was represented vividly with a robust art, supported by careful planning and attractive interior design. The centerpiece of this concept is a wide open relaxation area, with a swimming pool at its center point.

Pradipta said the competition was quite lengthy with a tight judging process by the superyacht industry. In five months of progressing, Pradipta actively raised the bar by learning rendering systems, interior design, and getting a mentor from the internet. Later, Pradipta was committed to contributing to the advancement in ship design, both in Indonesia and the world.

For those of you who like to travel to museums, during February 2024, several exciting events are being held at Indonesian museums. The first is the God Bless 50 Years Masterpiece Collection Exhibition at the National Gallery of Indonesia in Central Jakarta. It is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of an Indonesian music band, God Bless. The exhibition, which runs from February 16 to March 1, 2024, presents a large number of historical collections of the band, including clothes, guitars, basses, keyboards, mixers, cassettes, CDs, vinyl records, and other items that bear witness to their journey in Indonesian rock music.

The Indonesian Batik Museum in East Jakarta also presents a temporary exhibition entitled "Upstream to Downstream: Batik Ecosystem". This exhibition focuses on education to provide an in-depth look at the values behind a piece of batik cloth. The values are shown starting from providing raw materials to the manufacturing process, to becoming a complete work of batik used by the people. This exhibition runs until February 29, 2024. The Indonesian Batik Museum invites the public to experience an educational and interactive experience at the museum for free.

There is also an Al-Banjari U-19 Students Festival at the K.H. Hasyim Asyari Indonesian Islamic Museum in Jombang, East Java. This festival was organized by KUBAHIRENG (Tebuireng Banjari and Hadrah Group) in collaboration with the museum in celebration of the 8th anniversary of KUBAHIRENG. The event is an opportunity for Islamic students who are interested and talented in Al-Banjari Islamic art to participate in competitions at the national level.

Indonesia participated in the Nguyen Hue Flower Street Festival which took place in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnamfrom 7 to 14 February 2024. With the theme "Beloved Spring- Tet Reunion," this festival attracted the attention of tens of thousands of Vietnamese people and tourists from various countries.

The Indonesian Consul General in Ho Chi Minh City, Agustaviano Sofjan, stated that Indonesia's participation in the Ho Chi Minh City Flower Festival was an important step to introduce Indonesia’s beautiful panorama and natural wealth. He hopes that this pavilion can become a means of expanding cultural aspects, tourism and economic cooperation between Indonesia and Vietnam.

The Indonesian pavilion at this festival carried the theme of the Angklung, a traditional musical instrument recognized by UNESCO as a world cultural heritage, and it became the main attraction. Angklung is a symbol of cooperation and mutual respect between nations. The pavilion was also decorated with various flowers which symbolize the richness of Indonesian culture.

Visitors could not only enjoy the beautiful visuals of the pavilion, but also have the opportunity to interact directly with the Angklung musical instrument. At the opening of the festival, VIP guests, including Indonesian representatives, were invited to play the Angklung, creating an unforgettable moment of togetherness.

Indonesia's presence in this festival aims not only to promote natural beauty, but also to strengthen diplomatic relations between the two countries. Besides, it is a golden opportunity to introduce various aspects of Indonesian culture to the Vietnamese people.

In the previous year, the Indonesian Consulate General in Ho Chi Minh City successfully invited the Saung Udjo arts team to perform at the Saigon Opera House, adding to the cultural diversity introduced to Vietnamese society. Initiatives like this continue to strengthen people-to-people diplomacy, and to open the door to cultural aspects, tourism and economic cooperation of both countries.