VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Since the Indonesian government has implemented restrictions on community activities –PPKM to prevent the spread of Covid-19, the community has been waiting for something at the beginning of the week. That is the announcement of the PPKM period. On Monday (15/11), the Government announced that the PPKM for Java and Bali is extended for the next two weeks. This means that community activities in districts and cities are still limited.

Take for example, Jakarta whose status is at level 1. At this level, 75 percent of non-essential jobs work from the office if they have been vaccinated. Shops or markets for daily needs, traditional markets in addition to daily needs, shopping centers, such as malls and plazas can be opened with a capacity of 75 percent. The mall has been allowed to close at 9 pm. Restaurants in closed spaces are allowed to open with a capacity of 75 percent of visitors. Meanwhile, 50 percent of teaching and learning activities are online and 50 percent face-to-face.

For more than one year and a half of being limited by the Covid-19 pandemic, it is very natural for many people to hope to be able to carry out their daily activities without restrictions. Moreover, knowing the number of Covid-19 cases is also decreasing.

During a press conference in evaluating the implementation of restrictions on online community activities, Monday (15/11), Coordinating Minister for the Economy, Airlangga Hartarto stated that the current Covid-19 reproduction number is below one. He also stated that the current Covid-19 case in Indonesia is 1 per 100,000 people. This is far below neighboring countries, such as Thailand with 89 cases and Singapore, which is still 454 per hundred thousand inhabitants. Minister Airlangga Hartarto also said that the overall decline compared to the peak of cases fell between 89% to 98%.

Although it has decreased significantly, fear of a spike in Covid-19 cases still remains. As quoted from the official website of presidentri.go.id, President Joko Widodo asked a number of regions to be closely monitored to avoid a spike in cases, especially before Christmas and New Year 2022. The president also directed strict supervision of schools that conduct face-to-face learning. So, if there are indications of cases, they can be handled immediately. 

Concerns also arise because people start slacking off wearing masks, maintaining physical distance and avoiding crowds. In addition, in some places, supervision and enforcement of discipline to comply with health protocols has also begun to loosen.

Of course, Indonesia hopes that it will not face the next wave of Covid-19 attacks. This hope must be shared by all Indonesian people. Expectations must be accompanied by strict adherence to health protocols. In line with the government's efforts to achieve the target, 78 percent of the population has received the first injection and 60 percent has fully got vaccinated by the end of the year. Although there may be people who are tired of complying with the health protocols, they should not be ignorant. Because apart from vaccination, compliance with the health protocols remains the key to preventing Covid-19.

Voice of Indonesia presents Let’s Speak Indonesian, a program that introduces the Indonesian vocabulary and guides you to speak in the language. “Mari Berbahasa Indonesia” or “Let’s Speak Indonesian”is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology.  Today’s topic is about “Menanyakan Waktu Luang” which means “Asking Free Time”. 

Here is the conversation entitled “Apakah kamu punya acara malam ini?” (2x) which means “Do you have any appointment tonight?”. This conversation happens between Kevin and Mela. Kevin asks Mela’s free time on the phone. Let’s read to the conversation.

After reading to the conversation, now I am going to introduce some vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of the day.

In the dialog, you hear a question “Apakah kamu punya acara malam ini?” (2x) which means “Do you have any appointment tonight?” Before making an appointment with someone, you should as his free time. You can use a question “Apakah kamu ada acara......?” (2x) which means “Do you have any appointment…?”

Other examples

Let’s read to the other examples of asking free time.

Apakah kamu ada acara malam ini? (2x) which means Do you have any appointment tonight?

Tidak. Ada apa? (2x) which means No, I don’t. What’s wrong?

Aku mau mengajak kamu nonton bioskop (2x) which means I want to take you to the cinema

Apakah kamu ada di rumah malam ini? (2x) which means Are you at home tonight?

Iya, aku ada di rumah (2x) which means Yes, I am

That was “Let’s Speak Indonesian” for today. Hopefully, this edition can be useful for those of you who want to know more about Indonesian language. 

The Indonesian government participated in the country's largest tourism exhibition, namely the Travel News Market 2021 in Stockholm. In a written statement from the Indonesian Embassy in Stockholm received in Jakarta, Friday, it was explained that Indonesia carries the theme "Sustainable and Quality Tourism." This exhibition aims to disseminate information regarding the entry of Sweden as one of the 19 countries where tourists are allowed to enter Indonesia, as well as to strengthen the branding of Swedish tourists’ visits to Indonesia. According to the Indonesian Embassy in Stockholm, prior to the pandemic, Swedish tourists’ visits to Indonesia continued to increase, from 51,000 people in 2018, to 56,000 in 2019. This year's Travel News Market exhibition was attended by more than 120 tourism sector business players and various countries from all over the world.

Jalan Sukarno or Sukarno Caddesi in Ankara has been inaugurated. This can be seen in the upload on the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara's Instagram account @indonesiankara. Jalan Sukarno replaces Jalan Holland or Hollanda Caddesi. The Indonesian Embassy in Ankara also thanked the Turkish government which gave the name Jalan Sukarno. The Indonesian Embassy considers it as an honor for the Indonesian people. The change of the street name, which is located in front of the new building of the Indonesian Embassy in Ankara, was carried out before the Indonesian Embassy moved to a new building.

Indonesian Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita officially opened the 2021 Gaikindo Indonesia International Motor Show (GIIAS) at ICE Bumi Serpong Damai, Tangerang, Banten Thursday (11/11). In his remarks, Minister Agus said that the automotive industry is one of the fastest growing industries. This was seen from the growth of the transportation equipment industry which reached 27.84 percent in the third quarter of 2021. This double-digit growth was printed by the transportation equipment industry for two consecutive quarters.

Minister Agus Gumiwang also said that sales figures from the automotive industry also increased. In the January-September 2021 period, retail sales reached 600 thousand 344 units, a sharp increase compared to the same period in  the previous year of 407 thousand 390 units. This surge  indicated an economic recovery on the right track.

Minister Agus Gumiwang further stated that the automotive industry is able to make a significant contribution to the national economy so that it becomes a priority sector for development according to the Making Indonesia 4.0 road map. The potential of the automotive industry is currently supported by 21 four-wheeled motor vehicle industry companies. The total production capacity is 2.35 million units per year, absorbing 38 thousand direct labors and more than 1.5 million people work along the value chain in the industrial sector. In  addition, Indonesia is the largest market for automotive products in ASEAN. This is an opportunity for the development and industrialization of motor vehicles, including those that are energy efficient and environmentally friendly in accordance with the growing global trend. Export performance in the January-September 2021 period was recorded at 207 thousand Completely Built Up (CBU) vehicles.

On this occasion, Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita appreciated the granting of relaxation of sales tax on luxury goods borne by the government. It has a significant impact on the recovery of the automotive industry sector and increases the confidence of industry players. This can be seen from the value of Indonesia's manufacturing purchasing managers' index (PMI) in October 2021 which reached 57.2 or the highest since the Covid-19 pandemic. This is a strong indicator that the industrial sector has entered an expansive stage.