VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) have a role and strategy in building the nation's economy. In addition, they also play a role in economic growth and employment. This was said by the Vice President of the Republic of Indonesia, Maruf Amin, at the peak of the commemoration of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Day, Thursday, August 12. He also conveyed, during the pandemic which has lasted for almost 1.5 years, MSME players are increasingly integrated in all aspects of the national economy. The pandemic that has hit most of their businesses, in fact still has a positive impact, one of which is accelerating the digitization of MSMEs. In this era of disruption, digitalization is increasingly relevant and strategic for MSMEs to survive and play a role as the main driver of national economic recovery. Therefore, the Vice President hopes that MSMEs, as the frontline of economic revival, can achieve success in achieving economic growth and achieving social welfare in a fair and equitable manner.

However, Ma'ruf Amin also advised that the digitization must be balanced with two things. First, increasing the capacity of human resources for MSME business actors. Second, support for market access policies for the products. For this reason, he invites all parties to continue to increase their commitment, namely, in coaching and mentoring, to encourage productivity. In addition, the assistance and development of MSMEs, especially those with export potential, must be supported by easy financing facilities, as well as collaboration with large businesses.

At the same event, the Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki said that the COVID-19 pandemic still poses challenges for business activities, even though the economic growth rate improved in the second quarter of this year. According to Teten, the implementation of emergency Community Activity Restrictions (PPKM) in the second quarter certainly presents challenges for business activities. However, he also hopes that the commemoration of National MSME Day 2021 will be an opportunity to revive MSME transformation efforts for the future. He hopes that this opportunity is used to prepare for the rise of Indonesian MSMEs to dominate and expand while adapting in the midst of a pandemic disruption.

Ponorogo is one of regencies in the East Java Province of Indonesia. There are many tourism attractions that are well known and less popular here. One of the tourism attractions that is less popular is Mlaten Waterfall. It is named Mlaten Waterfall because it is located in Mlaten Hamlet, Temon Village, Sawoo District. Besides being known as Mlaten Waterfall, the local people also call this waterfall by the name of Kali Kokok Waterfall, because it is located in the Kokok River flow.

The water flow at Mlaten Falls depends on the rainfall. If the rainfall is high, the water discharge will be heavy and makes the waterfall beautiful. But in the dry season, the flow of water is very small so that the water discharge is small and of course, makes the waterfall less beautiful. This waterfall has a height of only about 20 meters. However, this Kokok waterfall has its own characteristics. The shape and texture of the rocks flowing with water and the layout of the rocks are so interesting. Visitors can enjoy the sound of the waterfall gurgling, the view of the green hills and the expanse of rice fields like a green rug while sitting on the rocks around this waterfall. In addition to the beautiful scenery, the Kokok or Mlaten waterfall is unique. There is a small cave above where water flows from downstream.

To get to the location of the Kokok waterfall is not too difficult. From Ponorogo, visitors just follow the directions. They have to pay attention if they want to visit Kokok Waterfall. It is recommended to come during the rainy season where the intensity of the rain is rare.  In addition, they also have to be careful if it rains suddenly. Because, landslides may occur during the rain.

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 and Culture.  Today’s topic is about “Kerja dari Rumah” which means“Work from Home”.

Here is the conversation entitled “Kerja dari Rumah” which means“Work from Home”. This dialog happens when Kevin and Mela are in the office. They are talking about the number of Covid - 19 cases. 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 Mela say Tidak sebanyak kemarin (2X) which means As not many as yesterday. In the expression, there is the word sebanyak (2X) which means as many as. It consists of a prefix se- and banyak. The prefix se means satu (2X) which means one and same. It depends on the context.In the dialog context betweenKevin and Mela, the meaning of prefix se – in the word sebanyak is sama (2X) which means same. So, the word sebanyak means ‘sama banyak’ (2X) or in Englishmeans as much. The prefix se- means ‘sama’ (2X) which means same if it is followed by adjective. Theprefix se- means ‘banyak’ (2X) which means many if it is used for comparison. For example, Semoga kasus Covid-19 hari ini tidak sebanyak kemarin (2X) which means Hopefully Covid-19 cases today is not as many as yesterday.

Other examples:

Let’s read to the other examples of using the prefix se- which has the meaning of ‘same’.

- Ruangan ini sebesar kamar saya (2X) which means This room is as big as my bedroom

- Oh, begitu (2X) which means Oh, I see

- Kamu setinggi kakakku (2X) which means You are as tall as my brother

- Oh, begitu (2X) which means Oh, I see

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 Ministry of Trade through the Indonesian Trade Promotion Center (ITPC) Los Angeles has successfully promoted fashion products from Indonesian small and medium enterprises (SMEs) at the MAGIC Fashion Trade Show 2021 exhibition. In this exhibition, Indonesia managed to achieve a potential transaction worth around Rp. 1 billion as well as the opportunity to meet potential buyers. MAGIC Fashion Trade Show is the largest and most prestigious fashion exhibition in the USA. The exhibition took place at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Nevada, United States, on August 9 - 11, 2021. Attended by 65 thousand visitors, the MAGIC Fashion Trade Show 2021 showcased a wide range of products and the latest trends, ranging from clothing, footwear, and accessories.  At this exhibition, Indonesia featured three women's clothing brands, namely HEXI Los Angeles, Zoe Label, and Wastu; and one brand for women's handbags, namely EVERINA.

The Embassy of the Republic of Indonesia in London promoted Indonesian culinary and cultural arts to residents of Bristol City and its surroundings, last Sunday (8/8). The activity was part of an event entitled ‘Pasar Indonesia’ in Bristol which was attended by more than 500 visitors.  The Indonesian Market in Bristol is the first public event to promote Indonesian culinary and cultural arts to the British public after the easing of Covid-19. Various Nusantara foods were served at the event and were divided into three groups, namely appetizers, main courses, and desserts. Indonesian foods that are included in the starter group included chicken porridge, Semarang spring rolls, and fried tofu. Meanwhile, the food served as the main course includes Padang rice, tofu rendang, and pecel rice. The series of dishes was closed by desserts, including black sticky rice porridge, cendol, and sumsum porridge. In addition to tasting Indonesian food, visitors could also witness traditional arts; one of which is Balinese gamelan played by students participating in the Darmasiswa program. Besides, there was also a Lila Bhawa dance group that presented several dances, namely the Balian Enggang Dance, Oray Welang Dance, and Ngibing Jaipongan.