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Screenshot of Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Ilham Saputra at the Voting Simulation and Vote Counting on Simplification of Ballot Design and Election Forms for 2024 Election in North Sulawesi, November 20, 2021. (ANTARA/Tri Meilani A/rst)

Chairman of the General Elections Commission (KPU), Ilham Saputra, affirmed that the KPU will simplify the 2024 general election ballot after an evaluation of the 2019 general election.

"This is our effort to simplify voting and vote counting," Saputra noted on Saturday.

The KPU chairman conveyed the plan during the Voting Simulation and Vote Counting on Simplification of Ballot Design and Election Forms for 2024 at the North Sulawesi KPU office that was monitored here.

During the 2019 General Election, with regard to the five ballots, difficulties and confusion were experienced by the voters and the organizing staff to count the votes, he pointed out.

Voters also encountered difficulties in rechecking their voted ballots in accordance with the provisions imposed by the KPU.

Saputra noted that the policy of simplifying the ballot design is expected to improve the implementation of the 2024 General Election.

The Commission chairman remarked that the earlier simulation process had been conducted internally by KPU.

The ballot design was simplified through a research process, discussion forums, and inputs from experts in pursuit of a better voting system and mechanism, Saputra stated.

However, he believes that there were logical and political consequences that the KPU must accept in the form of the consequences of revisions in law.

"There are consequences if we want to simplify the ballot design. There will be law revisions on our plans," he remarked.

However, he emphasized that the KPU had done its best to facilitate the implementation of the 2024 General Election.

Saputra is optimistic that all respondents during the simulation would be actively involved in providing inputs.

"I hope everyone, who attended today's event, as voters, voting place (TPS) guards, and observers during today's simulation, would be actively involved in helping us to provide evaluations and inputs, so that we can redesign the ballot," he concluded//ANT

A screenshot of member of the Indonesian Olympic Committee delegation, Desra Firza Ghazfan (second from left), with the president of the International Esports Federation (IESF), Vlad Marinescu (third from left), at a press conference on Friday (November 19, 2021). (ANTARA/Arindra Meodia)

Indonesia has been officially chosen as the host of the 14th Esports World Championship in Bali in 2022 from among seven countries that lined up a bid to host the tournament.

Indonesia's selection was announced by the president of the International Esports Federation (IESF), Vlad Marinescu, at the IESF Ordinary General Meeting in Eliat on Friday.

The meeting was attended by member of the Indonesian Olympic Committee (KOI) delegation, Desra Firza Ghazfan.

Indonesia's successful bid for hosting the tournament was the result of sports diplomacy carried out by KOI and the synergy of national federations, officials said.

In September, KOI chairman Raja Sapta Oktohari met Marinescu in Budapest, which resulted in Tommy Hermawan Lo's appointment to the IESF board.

Oktohari enthusiastically welcomed the IESF's decision.

"Since the beginning, we have been instructed by President Joko Widodo to bring more international events to Indonesia, and one of them is esports," he remarked.

He then expressed the hope that the implementation of the IESF 14th Esports World Championship in Indonesia would encourage the development of the domestic esports industry.

Moreover, the event will be held in Bali, which is famous for its past and modern cultural traditions, he said.

"The scope of esports is very broad. Thus, through the world championship, we can reach more audiences to promote and prove that Indonesia can host an international tournament well," the KOI chairman added.

The same sentiment was conveyed by the daily head of the Indonesian Esports Executive Board (PBESI), Bambang Sunarwibowo.

The convening of the tournament in Bali will be a driving force for the development of the esports industry as well as a milestone for Indonesia’s history in esports, he said.

"The global competition will be participated by more than 100 countries, which are members of the IESF,” he added.

Meanwhile, Marinescu said Bali is ideal for hosting the IESF 14th Esports World Championship as Indonesia has extraordinary esports teams, which have been growing for a long time.

In addition, the professionalism of KOI and its team, as well as the PBESI is also one of the reasons Indonesia was chosen to host the tournament, he said.

"We have carried out a four-month bidding process with strict paperwork to ensure the implementation of the world championship will run safely for the athletes," he informed.

The IESF 14th Esports World Championship will be held in Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia, from November 20–27, 2022//ANT

National Development Planning Minister and head of the National Development Planning Board, Suharso Monoarfa, at the opening of the Research and Innovation Communication Forum 2021 on  Friday (November 19, 2021). (ANTARA/Martha Herlinawati Simanjuntak/uyu)

Sustainable triple helix synergy is crucial to generate inventions and innovations to advance Indonesia, National Development Planning (PPN) Minister and Head of the National Development Planning Board (Bappenas) Suharso Monoarfa has said.

This synergy would involve the government as a policymaker, academics and researchers, as well as industry players, he added.

"The triple helix synergy must be implemented in the innovation ecosystem, which can support national development," he stated at the opening of the Research and Innovation Communication Forum 2021, accessed from here on Friday.

The synergy could be realized by inviting open and active contributions from all stakeholders, both from the government and private sectors, he added.

Various inventions and innovations can be generated by mobilizing and building the capacity of Indonesia’s science and technology human resources (HR), Monoarfa said.

Hence, the government, as a regulator, can issue laws that can encourage the development of prominent development programs, he added.

Furthermore, as a facilitator, it can provide fiscal incentives or funding to support the implementation of advanced education or joint research, he noted.

The government can also serve as an end-user of its own science-based policies, he opined.

Meanwhile, industry and business actors can become independent initiators of research, development, and innovation, he said.

They can also enrich Indonesian science and technology products and innovations to make them competitive globally, he added.

In addition, they can fund advanced research to manufacture products that can meet the demand of the community, industry itself, and the government, the minister informed.

Meanwhile, researchers or academics can conduct research on resolving various problems of the industry, society, and government, he added.

Hence, through triple helix synergy, it is expected that there will be an increase in innovation and technology capacity, he remarked.

It is also hoped that research resources -- including human, infrastructure, and budget -- can be managed and utilized more optimally and effectively to produce various prominent products, innovations, and inventions, he said.

"Hence, it is very crucial for policymakers in all ministries/institutions to understand the importance of synergy, thus, along with industry players, they can create quality products needed by the community," the minister added//ANT

Vice President Ma'ruf Amin inaugurates the VI National Conference on Religious Harmony Forum in Manado city, North Sulawesi province on Friday (November 19, 2021). (ANTARA/Fransiska Ninditya/uyu)

Intensive countermeasure will be carried out to check terrorism and radicalism in all Indonesian regions by involving religious figures, Vice President Ma'ruf Amin has said.

“We have already had the institution to conduct the attempt, which is the National Counter-Terrorism Agency (BNPT). Hence, we will strengthen the attempt by involving religious figures," he informed here on Friday.

The countermeasures will prioritize counter-radicalization and deradicalization attempts, he said.

“Since they have gone through a radicalization process, hence, we will have to do counter-radicalization,” he said.

Furthermore, the Vice President said that deradicalization measures would be applied to people who have been exposed to radicalism.

“If the radicalism is caused by their false religious understanding, then their religious views must be corrected,” he remarked.

In addition, a wrong perception of injustice can lead to radicalism, he noted.

“We must straighten out the misunderstanding -- which injustice they refer to, so we can improve it," he stated.

According to Amin, the countermeasures will require cooperation with various parties -- from the education, social, religious and economic sectors -- and involvement of the related ministries/institutions and non-ministries/institutions.

Coordination between all ministries/institutions involved in countering terrorism will be conducted by BNPT, he said.

The Vice President also urged that counter-radicalism and deradicalization be handled massively as soon as possible to avoid widespread "wrong understanding".

"Hence, it has been agreed that the countermeasure will be conducted massively -- and as early as possible if the exposed person is a youngster, thus they will not be provoked with the misunderstanding," he added//ANT