VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Roah Segare Tradition is a form of gratitude to the God for the fishing community at Kuranji Dalang Village due to  abundant marine products. The Roah Segare is held every Muharram month in the Hijri calendar. They have carried out this tradition from generation to generation until now in a bid to avoid all kinds of calamities.

The Roah Segare procession begins with the recitation of Barzanji, Selakaran (doing dhikr and sholawat of the Prophet Muhammad together, while standing, and forming a circle), and also a prayer to Allah. Then, it is continued by praying for Dulang Penamat (offerings) to be taken to the beach. The Dulang is then thrown into the sea. The floating process is a symbol of the fishing community's gratitude for the abundant marine products. In this tradition, there are several customary provisions that must be carried out. For example, fishermen are not allowed to go to sea to look for fish for three days after the Roah Segare ritual takes place. This is intended to give the sea time to recover for a moment, after all this time being taken by fishermen. If this rule is violated, the local community believes, fishermen will get into trouble. After three days, fishermen can go to sea with new hope and enthusiasm, namely to get an abundant catch.

After the procession is completed, the community and guests are served with the food that has been prayed for. They do the Begibung tradition or eat together in one large container or tray. Eating together is a form of togetherness and kinship for the fishermen on Kuranji Beach. Roah Segare is now not just a tradition. This tradition of Lombok people continues to be carried out and developed as one of the tourism icons in West Lombok.

A total of 250 participants competed to become batik ambassadors for Indonesia and the United States in the final batik design competition which was held late December. The competition with the theme “The Best of Both Worlds: Batik as Bridge Between Two Nations” was held by the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago to celebrate National Batik Day 2021. The participants were required to combine design elements from Indonesia and the United States into a cohesive design equipped with an interesting narrative. To ensure the quality of the competition and invite the right participants, the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago collaborated with the Center for Crafts and Batik as partners.

The Indonesian Consul General in Chicago, Meri Binsar Simorangkir in a written statement received in Jakarta on Friday (31/12) explained that the meaning of this competition is to strengthen the relationship between the two nations through cultural acculturation. According to the record of UNESCO, batik is closely related to life in Indonesia, both in terms of technique, symbol, and culture. In 2021, the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago raised batik as one of the main themes of public diplomacy in the United States. He said that the winning batik would be produced in a limited way and given to a number of US figures.

Head of the Center for Crafts and Batik, Hendra Yetty said that the theme adopted by the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago was very unique and different from the themes of batik design competitions in general. Of the 250 entries that were submitted, three works were determined as the winners and another one became the favorite winner of the netizens' choice. The best work was won by I Made Murjaya, entitled "Ceplok Mitra Jagad", which depicts an eagle and a bald eagle facing each other between the globe. The design symbolizes the balanced relationship between Indonesia and the United States of America, respecting and appreciating each other. The second and third winners were achieved by Agung Sulistyo with his work, "Harmony of Nationality" and Wahono S with "Cakra Asih Pinager Lung".

The diplomatic steps of the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago did not stop at this competition. Currently, the Indonesian Consulate General is also preparing a batik gallery which will take place at the Indonesian Cultural Center (ICC) of the Indonesian Consulate General in Chicago in collaboration with the Yogyakarta Batik and Crafts Center. The gallery will display beautiful and attractive batik fabrics and feature narratives about the batik-making process and the equipment to make them, such as canting, mori cloth and malam.

Throughout 2021, even entering 2022,  Indonesia has been struggling with two major jobs, namely breaking the Covid-19 chain and keeping the economy growing.

President Joko Widodo, through his upload on the official Instagram account @jokowi in Jakarta, one day before the turn of 2022, stated that efforts to overcome the Covid-19 pandemic and economic slowdown must be balanced, even though the pandemic has so far been increasingly sloping.

Meanwhile, on the first day of 2022, the President stated that over the last two years, like other countries in the world, the Indonesian people have also experienced various problems, such as the Covid-19 pandemic, an economic recession or a situation of high uncertainty. He remarked that Indonesia has passed various tough tests that have forged this nation to be stronger. With this forging, he urged all parties to have new spirit and work for Indonesia Forward. It is believed that all the tests in 2021 would strengthen and unite the Indonesian nation.

What the president said should have received attention from all parties, and then it is implemented in everyday life, considering that in 2022, Indonesia has a lot of major duties, such as economic recovery, health problems and Indonesian presidency of  G-20.

With the G-20 Presidency, Indonesia is fully responsible for organizing the entire series of the group activities this year. G-20 activities in each presidency normally include 3-4 meetings at the working group level, 3-4 at the deputy level, 2-4 at the Ministerial level and end with a high-level conference attended by the Heads of State of the G20 members.

In addition to readiness as the G-20 presidency holder, Indonesia also still has to continue to struggle to encourage economic growth and contain the spread of Covid-19. The spread of Covid-19 cases in the world has set a high record recently due to the Omicron variant. The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned of a Covid 'tsunami' that will burden the global health system.

Therefore, President Joko Widodo's appeal for all parties across Indonesia to have new spirit and work for Indonesia Forward  in 2022 should be followed.

President Joko Widodo in Denpasar, Bali on Monday laid the first stone of construction of Bali international hospital. In his remarks, President Joko Widodo hopes that Bali will become a health tourism destination. He also hopes if Bali International Hospital starts operating, there will not be another Indonesian who would look for treatment abroad, since health services in the country are complete enough.

He further stated that every year, some 2 million Indonesians seek health treatment in Singapore, Malaysia, Japan, USA, and other countries. Therefore, the president said, Indonesia lost Rp 97 trillion potential.

On the same occasion, Minister of State-owned Enterprises, Erick Thohir said that the international standard hospital project will finish in May 2023. He explained that the hospital construction uses the state-owned enterprises’ fund and a government bank.

Minister Erick Thohir further remarked that his side is attempting to consolidate hospitals to have a high service standard. This international hospital will also help Bali through health tourism.