VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia logged total transactions amounting to Rp13.8 billion during the Sales Mission Adventure held in Violet Oon, Clarke Quay, Singapore, on May 8.

Assistant Deputy for Market Development Region I of the Tourism Ministry Dessy Ruhati said here on Thursday that Indonesia's participation in the event is important to promote the country's adventure tourism potential.

"Indonesia has more than 100 remarkable destinations for adventure tourism, which can turn Indonesia into a world class adventure tourism destination," Ruhati said.

At the event, the ministry facilitated 11 industries in accommodation, travel agents/tour operators, as well as operators of special tours from North Sumatra, South Sumatra, West Java, Jakarta, Banten, Yogyakarta and Bali.

During the event, they met 31 buyers from Singapore who wanted to bring Singaporean adventure tourists to Indonesia.

"Each year, some 100 thousand adventure tourists from all over the world visit Indonesia. According to the Adventure Travel Trade Association (ATTA), the tourists spend 67 percent of their money in destination areas. This has shown that adventure tourism has played a significant role in improving the economy of the local people," she elaborated.

Ruhati saw the event as an effective opportunity to match Indonesian sellers and buyers in Singapore.

"The event was designed with table top or B-to-B with a mingle concept, as this concept would be far more effective to reach the target of tourist visits," she added.

Singapore was chosen as a location for the sales mission considering that it has become the main market for foreign tourists to Indonesia, especially from ASEAN countries.

The number of foreign tourists from Singapore visiting Indonesia in 2018 (January-December) reached 1.7 million, or an increase of 16 percent compared to 1.5 million tourists in 2017.

Indonesia, she said, could benefit from its proximity to Singapore. As the two countries have two cross borders in Batam and Bintan, Singapore could become the best international hub to be explored.

"In 2019, the Tourism Ministry has targeted to attract 2.12 million foreign tourists from Singapore out of the total target of 20 million foreign tourists. Therefore, we should be more active in exploring the Singapore market," she said.  (ant)

Regarding the issue of human resource development, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that this was a problem that had to be resolved. The latest data, according to the President, is that 51 percent of Indonesian workers are elementary school graduates.

"This is a problem that we have to solve, how they have to do upscaling or rescaling must be done massively. We can't do it for only ten thousand, one hundred thousand, we need millions that we upgrade, not hundreds of thousands, not tens of thousands, millions, "said President Jokowi while giving a speech at the Opening of the 2019 National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas), in Jakarta, Thursday (9/5) morning.

Therefore, according to the President, the central government, the provincial government, the regency / city government, all must be in droves together to resolve this. He gave examples such as trainings, so that the skills / skills of children, so that the workforce would be better.

"We continue to get this so that we can really give scholarships not only tens of thousands or hundreds of thousands, to students, our children to be able to go to school, both domestically and abroad as much as possible. So in the field of science, in the fields of technology, mathematics, we can all pursue other countries, "said President Jokowi.

The region, the President continued, could also do the same. He added that there was a budget, giving scholarships, for example from Papua Province, giving as many scholarships as possible to the children of eastern Indonesia, both domestically and abroad.

Other provinces can also do the same thing, districts and cities can do the same. " Don't get caught up in routine budgets, "said the President.

In the health sector, President Jokowi stressed that we should not hear the next five years, stunting, malnutrition, still high maternal and child mortality. "This is also a big problem that we have to solve together," he said.

Back in education, President Jokowi hoped that the Vocational High School (SMK) would be linked and matched with existing industries. He asserted that not to allow Vocational Schools to move on their own, link with the industry so that it fits the needs in the field.

" Now is digital economics era, vocational schools are still majoring in building. It's been building for 50 years, "said the President.

On that occasion, the President also reminded the need to prepare HR for new things. He gave the example of the Philippines which developed Business Process Outsourcing (BPO), so that services, both related to finance and others could be done in the Philippines, but the owners were in many countries.

"It is now the biggest income in the Philippines. Our children are also smart like that, smart. Business Process Outsourcing. Don't be the same for 50 years is still majoring in building, majoring in machinery. Which machine, "said the President. '

Even though some Vocational Schools have started to change, President Jokowi stressed, he wants everything to change. He reminded, the world of change has been so fast like this, Artificial intelligence, Big Data, Internet of Things, Virtual Reality, 3D Printing. While we are still majoring in building, majoring in machinery.

Attending the occasion included Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Minister of PPN / Head of Bappenas Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo, and governors, regents and mayors from all over the country. (setkab)

 "The continued development of illegal settlements by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories cannot be accepted," said Minister of Foreign Affairs Retno L. P. Marsudi stressed before the UN Security Council members when leading an informal meeting in the Arria Formula format with the theme "Israeli Settlements and Illegal Settlers: The Core of Occupation, the Crisis of Protection, and Barriers to Peace," at the UN Headquarters, New York, May 9, 2019.

The meeting was held by Indonesia together with Kuwait and South Africa, and was attended by Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Maliki.

In a statement initiating the meeting, the Indonesian Foreign Minister said that Israeli illegal settlements continued to increase from around 110 thousand in 1993 to around 620 thousand in 2017. This shows that the continued increase in illegal Israeli settlements is a major obstacle to achieving peace between Israel and Palestine. However, even though the current situation is very difficult, all parties cannot be discouraged. "Although the current situation is very bleak, the international community must not lose hope of being able to resolve the Palestinian-Israeli conflict through negotiations and dialogue," Foreign Minister Retno said.

Furthermore, the Indonesian Foreign Minister conveyed 3 things as follows:

First, that the construction of illegal settlements in the Palestinian territories including in East Jerusalem further diminishes the hopes of the 2-state solution.

Second, the construction of illegal settlements is a source of various violations of law and human rights against the Palestinian people.

Third, the international community has a responsibility to stop Israeli illegal settlement policies. For this reason, there needs to be great pressure from the international community to stop illegal Israeli settlements in Palestine. One effort that can be considered is by establishing the International Solidarity Day for Victims of Illegal Settlements.

The meeting presented a number of prominent speakers, namely the Palestinian peaceful resistance movement activist, Mohammed Khatib, who conveyed his views through video messages; Ohio University international law expert, Professor John Quigley; lawyer and human rights activist Emily Schaeffer Omer-Man and Chair of the Arab Institute - America, Dr. James Zogbi.

The "Arria Formula" meeting is one form of informal UN Security Council meeting aimed at examining an issue that is considered complicated and requires a breakthrough by presenting resource experts through interactive dialogue.

The holding of a special meeting on Palestine in the Arria Formula format under the Indonesian Presidency is one form of Indonesia's special attention to the Palestinian issue, which is also one of Indonesia's priorities as a UNSC membership. The meeting was attended by all UN Security Council member states and other UN member states as well as representatives of international organizations and UN agencies.

The Arria Meeting Formula is part of the series of activities of the Indonesian Presidency on the UN Security Council in May 2019. Some other activities are the Open Debate on the UN Peace Mission, May 7, 2019, Open Debate on the Protection of Civilians during Armed Conflict, May 23, 2019, The photo exhibition that carries the theme "Investing in Peace", May 6-17 2019, as well as the DIplomatic Reception and Indonesian Cultural Show, May 30, 2019. (kemenlu)

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) stated that Indonesia has a great opportunity to become the strongest economic country, could enter the world's top 5 strongest economies, and could enter the world's top 4 strongest economies in 2045.

"It has a great opportunity to get there," said President Jokowi when giving a speech at the Opening of the National Development Planning Conference (Musrenbangnas) in 2019, at Shangri-La, BNI City, Central Jakarta, Thursday (9/5) morning.

But to get there, according to the President, is also not easy, there are many challenges that must be solved, many challenges that must be faced.

He reminded, many countries are trapped into middle income traps / countries with middle income, trapped there because they cannot solve the big problems that exist in their country. Therefore, President Jokowi stressed, we must be able to solve the existing problems, which will be faced towards 2045, 100 years of independent Indonesia.

President Jokowi explained, the problem was the first, infrastructure. According to the President, this equal distribution of infrastructure must be resolved, and without this, do not think we are in the fifth, the fourth strongest economy in the world.

Therefore, the President asked the governor, regent, mayor, after the completion of some infrastructure that had been built, be it roads, toll roads, ports, airports, immediately the provinces, districts and cities connected with production points in their respective regions -one.

"Connect with industrial estates, connect with tourist areas, connect with small industrial centers, connect with production centers both agricultural and plantation. That is the duty of the region, "said the President.

The second, continued the President, structural reform. According to the President, bureaucratic reform must be truly implemented. Institution must be simplified. All licensing matters from the center to the regions must be cut off.

"Without it, don't also dream of becoming the top four, the world's top five strongest economies," the President said

On that occasion, President Jokowi claimed that he had talked about licensing. But the hatch can be said to be very small.

"The people come, come, come, want, want, want, but not net, because we cannot execute and realize," the President said while pointing to examples of power plants, both steam, wind, geothermal which he said were all complicated.

Attending the occasion included Vice President Jusuf Kalla, Minister of PPN / Head of Bappenas Bambang Brodjonegoro, Minister of Home Affairs Tjahjo Kumolo, and governors, regents and mayors from all over the country. (DND / HIM / RAH / ES)