VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Opening of Yogyakarta Chinese Cultural Festival Week 2018 succedeed to attract many tourists. In his speech at the event, Yogyakarta Special Region Governor, Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono X (10th), said this activity proves if tolerance still exist in Yogyakarta. Chairman of the Yogyakarta Chinese Cultural Festival Week, Tri Kirana Muslidatun, in Yogyakarta, Saturday (24/2) said, based on data, the number of tourists who attended the opening held at Jalan Malioboro, Ketandan Village, and the North Square palace reached 50,000. He explained, the number wasin line with target. As reported by the Ministry of Tourism official website, although a part of the celebration of Chinese New Year and Cap Go Meh, the culture of the archipelago is featured in the festival. One of the attractions that attract attention is the action of dance group Praginagong Yogyakarta. According to the Head of Marketing Area I Java, Wawan Gunawan, it needs seriousness to work on this event to be a tourism event, by prioritizing the needed criteria in organizing an event. It aims to make the event as national or even international event. (Kemenpar)

President Director of Indonesia Tourism Development Corporation -ITDC, Abdulbar M. Mansoer, in Nusa Dua, Sunday (25/2) said that the corporation held Chinese New Year Festival 2569/2018 at Peninsula Island, Nusa Dua, Bali on 24 and 25 February to welcome Chinese tourists. This was stated by // As written by Antara, Abdulbar Mansoer explained, the festival is also held to appreciate Chinese tourists who have a significant number of occupancy in local hotel. According to him, the activity is also one of the efforts of the corporation to restore Chinese tourist’s visit to Bali after the eruption of Mount Agung. Abdulbar Mansoer added that so far, Chinese tourists are very enthusiastic to visit a number of tourist areas managed by PT Tourism Development Indonesia. (Antara)

In 2008, the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization –UNESCO used to say that if a language is extinct, the world loses its precious legacy and  a lot of legends, poetry and knowledge gathered from generation to generation will go extinct.

The language is so important so that since February 21, 1999, UNESCO has determined the International Mother Tongue Day. The date was chosen based on the historic event of the Language Movement Day in Bangladesh.

On February 21, 1952, students and communities in eastern Bengal (now Bangladesh) took to the streets to protest the marginalization of Bengali by the Pakistani central government which only recognizes Urdu. A number of students were killed as victims of violence in the language movement. For this reason, UNESCO selected February 21 as International Mother Tongue Day. Through its commemoration, this year UNESCO reiterates its commitment to the diversity of languages and invites its member countries to commemorate it as much as possible. It is also a reminder that language diversity and multilingualism are essential for sustainable development.

Then, how does Indonesia respond the International Mother  Tongue Day?  From 1992 to mid-2016, the Language Agency has documented 646 local languages throughout Indonesia. The number of languages that have been verified and mapped reaches as many as 617 local languages. Summer Institute of Linguistics, a non-profit scientific organization in the United States that studies, develops and documents lesser known languages, reports that the number of languages in Indonesia is 742 and 737 of which are still actively spoken. In the meantime, less than 10% or maybe only 5% of Indonesian languages have been researched by linguists to be concerned because there are no more their speakers.

One hundred and forty-five languages whose speakers are fewer than one million people continue to decline. It is estimated that 30 of the 58 local languages ​​in West Papua have been extinct over the past 20 years. In addition, around 15 local languages, such as Meyans, Mpur, Dunser, and Karondori ​​in West Papua are also confirmed to have been out of use by their speakers.

According to UNESCO, language is the center of social, economic and cultural life. It's not just the research of linguists. Language also determines social struggles in completing economic development in a global era by prioritizing knowledge and local wisdom.

In addition, the commemoration of International Mother Tongue Day in some regions is a venue for local language lovers with different backgrounds, professions and even ages to share. Mother tongue is about not only for artists, writers or local humanists, but also all the stakeholders of Indonesian nation to preserve the mother tongues.

On 17 February, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry -KLHK issued a press release to be aware of land and forest fire during the vulnerable period in 2018. Director of Forest and Land Fire Control at the Ministry, Raffles B. Panjaitan said that NOAA satellite monitored last Tuesday night  (February 16^th)  that there are 38 hotspots spreading 3 hotspots in Central Kalimantan, 31 West Kalimantan, 1 South Sulawesi, 2 West Java and 1 hotspot 1in Central Java. Meanwhile, the NASA Terra-Aqua Satellite recorded 10 hotspots: 1 in South Sumatra, 2 in Riau, 6 in West Kalimantan and 1 spot in Riau Islands.

It is estimated that the increase in the intensity of forest and land fires in Riau and Kalimantan occurs from February to March and June to October on which within both periods, the weather in these areas is very hot and dry. 

To respond the warning, the Ministry of Environment and Forestry along with the provincial governments continues to take anticipatory action through improved socialization and fire prevention patrols. Take for example, West Kalimantan and South Sumatra provinces have set the emergency alert status of forest and land fire disaster. This is aimed to rapidly, accurately and integrally anticipate the impact of smoke disaster caused by forest and land fires in accordance with applicable standards and procedures.

Fire Brigade at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry, Manggala Agni in collaboration with the Military -TNI, the National Police -Polri, Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency and the local community continues to extinguish several hotspots  of forest and land fires in Riau and West Kalimantan, 

The activities taken by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry to address forest and land fires are based on three strategic targets for environmental and forestry development for 2015-2019. First, the Ministry is to maintain the quality of the environment, including efforts to improve environmental capacity, water security and public health. The second point is that the Ministry has to pay attention to the potential of forest and environmental resources. The third one is to preserve the balance of ecosystem and biodiversity and the presence of natural resources, as a supporting system of life to support sustainable development.

It is expected that through the establishment of the emergency alert status of forest and land fires, the mobilization of resources in its control has to more optimal, especially in areas prone to fire.

In addition, the synergy among the institutions such as the National Disaster Mitigation Agency, the Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency, the Forest Service, the TNI, POLRI, and Manggala Agni at the Ministry of Environment and Forestry is expected to be stronger. They must cooperate to control the forest and land fires. Moreover, the participation of the local community is also important. People are encouraged to love their environment and not to take actions that can trigger forest and land fires.