VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Mohamad Nasir has issued Minister Regulation No. 55/2018 concerning the Development of National Ideology in Student Activities in the Campus Environment. Later, each campus is obliged to establish a National Ideology Guards Student Activity Unit (UKM-PIB). This unit will bring back the extra-Pancasila-based organization in campus to help strengthen efforts to prevent radicalism in campus.

The unit will also be a forum for student organizations to contest in strengthening the fading national ideology in the campus environment with the spread of radicalism. As quoted by suarapembaruan.com, Director of Communication and Information of the State Intelligence Agency, Wawan Purwanto said in Jakarta (16/11) that however, the ideology of the Pancasila must be instilled both in campuses and in schools. Indonesian people must be aware that the post-reform, Pancasila has been absent in the realm of educational material. He perceived that if Pancasila in campus is not strengthened, of course it will be dangerous and eventually, foreign ideology will enter and it is also tending to be violent, radical and even will be attacking and undermining the government.

In addition, Wawan remarked that so far, President Joko Widodo has launched Pancasila education in both schools and universities. According to Wawan Purwanto, this is a revitalization effort so that finally, all elements of this educated society can again understand how the life of the nation and state based on the Pancasila. He added that by deepening Pancasila in campus, the Indonesian nation again carves out the noble values of the Indonesian people which were indeed born from the roots that had been initiated by the founding fathers of Indonesia.

Wawan Purwanto also emphasized that with the existence of the National Ideology Guards Student Activity Unit (UKM-PIB), students are free from and able to prevent the radicalism in campus. Being sufficient with understanding of Pancasila ideology, students will directly or indirectly be able to fortify themselves.

That’sMy Indonesia!

The government has just launched the 16th Economic Policy Package on relaxation of policies for economic resilience. In this package, there are three points that are renewed, namely expansion of facilities for reducing corporate income tax (tax holiday), relaxation of negative investment list (DNI) and optimizing utilization of export proceeds (DHE). Of the 16 sectors, there are now 18 industrial sectors that get tax incentives. What's special about this policy package? Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs, Darmin Nasution in his announcement at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta last Friday (11/16) explained that the policy is interconnected. He added that this policy is also connected with the Online Single Submission system –OSS. With this system, once investors meet the criteria, they can immediately get incentives.

The main objective of the policy is to improve current account deficit -CAD. Two weeks ago, Bank Indonesia -BI announced that CAD in the third quarter of 2018 had increased, namely US$ 8.8 billion dollars equivalent to 3.37 percent of Gross Domestic Product -GDP. This value is higher than the first quarter period which reached US$ 5.7 billion dollars. Minister Darmin Nasution believed that the CAD will not exceed 3 percent after the adoption of this new policy package.

Minister Darmin perceived that the 16th economic policy package is medium and long term. However, there are short-term elements to strengthen the self-confidence of fund owners. He acknowledged that the problem of the Current Transaction Deficit could not be completed in 1-2 quarters. For decades, the Current Transaction Deficit was indeed a deficit.

Businesspeople welcomed the new economic policy package. Chairman of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Roesan Perkasa Roeslani said that the government is regarded appropriate to take the right time to release the policy package in a bid to respond to current economic conditions.

By issuing a series of economic policy packages, the government is working hard to improve economic conditions amid global uncertainty and a trade war between two super-powerful countries: China and the United States. However, this positive effort must be accompanied by comprehensive implementation in the field. Cooperation is needed, especially with regions. Regional regulations may not hinder the realization of various central economic policies. In this case, good coordination is needed between the center and the region. If not, good policies will be ineffective and it will bring about distrust among investors.

That’s Commentary! 

RRI World Service Voice of Indonesia with Diplomatic Corner, a program which presents information about activities and progress of Indonesian Diplomacy in the international world.

First information is from New Delhi, India. Indonesia has many historical archives about Indonesia's efforts to create a more just and peaceful world. These archives deserve to be the collective memory of the world. Therefore, Indonesia has sought several years of important archives to become the Memory of the World from UNESCO. Indonesia is currently nominating the archival record of the First Non-Aligned Movement Conference and the archives of first President Soekarno's speech, entitled To Build the World Anew in the UNESCO Memory of the World. India is an important partner to realize this desire. Thus, Deputy for Information and Filing Systems Studies at the National Archives of the Republic of Indonesia, Imam Gunarto, National Archives Ambassador, Rieke Dyah Pitaloka, and Indonesian Ambassador to New Delhi, Sidharto R. Suryodipuro met with Director General of National Archives of India (NAI), Shri Shravan Kumar in New Delhi, India last Friday (16/11). The National Archives Ambassador, Rieke Dyah Pitaloka expressed the desire of the Indonesian Government to obtain support from member countries of the Non-Aligned Movement to nominate together to record the archives of the First Non-Aligned Movement Conference as the UNESCO Memory of the World. This nomination will begin in the upcoming June 2019.

Next information is from Minsk, Belarus. Commemorating 25 years of Indonesia-Belarus relations, Indonesian Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education, Mohamad Nasir visited Belarus on November 13 and 14. The visit was intended to enhance research, technology, innovation and higher education cooperation between Indonesia and Belarus. While in the Belarusian capital, Minsk, Minister Mohamad Nasir conducted a series of meetings and visits, such as opening the second meeting of Indonesia-Belarus Joint Working Group on Science, Technology and Higher Education, bilateral meetings, and witnessing the signing of a memorandum of understanding between the Ministry of Research, Technology and Higher Education of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Education of Belarus. Both countries have the same interest in preparing the militant generation to master science and technology and innovation for a nation that is able to face global challenges. Higher education cooperation includes, such as developing contacts between universities, exchanging information on various higher education programs, designing curriculum programs, conducting dialogue, and joint conferences, as well as teaching and student mobility programs.

Last information is from Stockholm, Sweden. Six students of Pelita Harapan University and seven from Gadjah Mada University participated in a debate competition at the Global Rounds of Foreign Direct Investment Moot Court at Stockholm University, Stockholm. They routinely participate in debate competitions at the international level representing their respective universities, hoping to increase their insight and knowledge about arbitration issues between investors and the state. Moot Court's Global Rounds of Foreign Direct Investment provides opportunities for Indonesian students to compete against representatives from top universities around the world, such as Harvard Law School, King's College of London, and National University of Singapore. Foreign Direct Investment Moot Court has a very high standard and has an organized program. Around 280 participants along with their mentors and around 90 arbitration experts from around the world attended. In 2018, the University of Pelita Harapan team ranked second in the Asia-Pacific arena, while the UGM team was the overall champion of Foreign Direct Investment Moot in Argentina in 2016. The Indonesian Embassy in Stockholm will continue to encourage students to join in various international competitions in Sweden.

That was Diplomatic Corner.

This is RRI World Service, Voice of Indonesia with Indonesian Wonder, a program which presents information about arts, culinary, culture, and tourism. In today's edition, we will present you information about Gancik Selo Hilltop. 

Boyolali is one of the regencies in Indonesia. It shares borders with Solo and Semarang. This regency is famous for its featured milk and beef production. In addition, Boyolali has a number of attractive tourism destinations to visit. One of them is Gancik Selo Hilltop. Gancik Selo Hilltop offers the panorama of Mount Merbabu's slope and the majestic Mount Merapi. By paying only Rp 5,000, you can enjoy the spectacular panorama. Gancik Selo Hilltop is located in Dukuh Selo Nduwur, Selo Village, Selo Sub-district, Boyolali Regency, Central Java Province. It is located 36 kilometers away from the center of Boyolali Regency which takes around 1 hour. When you arrive there, you will feel the cool temperature. This is because the hill is located on a highland whose height reaches 1,850 meters above the sea level. Furthermore, the atmosphere in this object is very enchanting because of the lush trees surrounding the object. The main attraction of this object is a place called Gardu Pandang, namely a place to witness the beauty of the hill from above. Besides, from this place, you can also take a look at the rice field, local people's houses, and plantations. The view is a suitable choice for your photo/selfie background.  Gancik Selo Hilltop has a number of Gardu Pandangs which are connected with bamboo bridges to help visitors get around the object. if you would like to take photos on Gancik Hilltop, you can capture not only the surrounding panorama but also the beauty of sunrise and sunset from the hill. The wonder of sunrise from the hill is undoubtedly gorgeous. But, you must come on time to be able to see the sunrise. Besides taking photos, you can also do hiking on Gancik Selo hilltop. Gancik Selo Hilltop also offers a new hiking track in Mount Berbabu. If you want to hike from Gancik Route, you will arrive at Post 3 of the Merbabu Hiking Track via Selo Lama. Both routes are connected to Post 3 Watu Tulis.

That was Indonesian Wonder.