VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Illustration of metaverse in real life. (ANTARA/Pexels/rst) - 

Communication and Informatics Minister Johnny G. Plate supports domestic companies to forge multi-sectoral collaboration in order to develop and realize a metaverse ecosystem in Indonesia.

On account of the fact that the metaverse universe has come under the global spotlight, the minister is optimistic of Indonesia partaking in future technology and economic development.

"Metaverse in Indonesia has begun, especially in the user sector, which is the most adaptive to adopt digital innovation," Plate noted in a press statement received here, Saturday.

In future, the metaverse landscape will continue to evolve and be enjoyed by members of the wider community, he noted.

"Metaverse development in Indonesia will utilize domestic resources, connectivity, and all informatics elements from Indonesia. It will also involve many companies focusing on metaverse development," he remarked.

One of Indonesia's companies interested in developing metaverse in the country is the WIR Group that will introduce the Metaverse Indonesia prototype to the global community through the G20 Summit in Bali on November 2022.

In expanding its business to develop metaverse in Indonesia, the company invites collaborations with global and national companies to participate in the partnership, including with Meta and Microsoft, for the development of hardware for Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality glasses.

The company also collaborates across sectors to join the metaverse ecosystem, starting from the financial sector with Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).

Chief Marketing Officer of WIR Global Gupta Sitorus affirmed that the development phase of the metaverse platform in Indonesia by WIR had been prepared for Jakarta, Bali, and the New Capital City (IKN) Nusantara under the supervision of the Ministry of Communications and Informatics and the Ministry of Investment/Investment Coordinating Board (BKPM) in line with Indonesia's vision and goals.

"The metaverse universe is unlimited, but it requires a special way to navigate and interact in the metaverse. We participate in building the metaverse with our expertise in developing the latest augmented reality that can respond to the needs of metaverse in future," he noted//ANT

Tourism installation at the Indonesian Pavillion, Dubai Expo 2020, United Arab Emirates on Friday (March 11, 2020). ANTARA PHOTO/M Agung Rajasa/aww - 

More than 1.5 million people have visited the Indonesian Pavilion at the 2020 Dubai Expo since it opened on October 1, 2021.

As of March 10, 2022, the Indonesian Pavilion has recorded 1,527,823 visitors, accounting for 8–9 percent of the total visitors at the expo, where hundreds of countries have set up their own pavilions, Indonesian Consul General in Dubai, Kartika Candra Negara, said.

The total number of visitors at the expo has been pegged at 17 million people.

"Indonesia’s Pavilion is one of the independent pavilions that has piqued the interest of many visitors at the expo […] the number, that almost reached 9 percent; this is a significant number," he said in an interview with ANTARA at the Indonesian Pavilion in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates.

The number of visitors to the pavilion has been fluctuating due to the rise in COVID-19 cases on account of the Omicron outbreak, he informed.

"The dynamics are rather interesting as the expo is being held amid the COVID pandemic, so the fluctuation in the number of visitors is very much apparent," he said.

Negara said he believes that thus far, the Indonesian Pavilion has succeeded in projecting a national brand that presents a sophisticated Indonesia before the international community, without leaving out its rich history, especially how the nation became part of the global trade chain hundreds of years ago through the spice trade.

In addition, the Indonesian Pavilion has also promoted the Indonesia 2045 vision as a picture of what the future looks like.

The sophisticated and futuristic installations displayed at the pavilion are complemented by Indonesian food and coffee that can be enjoyed by visitors.

"We try to invite visitors to experience Indonesia from our point of view, to listen, and even have a taste of it. That is why we have an Indonesian restaurant on the bottom floor," Negara explained.

Various ministries and institutions involved in the pavilion have also showcased investment opportunities in various fields, including infrastructure, education, and tourism, through business matching and business forums.

According to the Consul General, it is evident from the business that entrepreneurs from the Gulf countries, beyond the United Arab Emirates, are showing a keen interest in the high investment potential in Indonesia//ANT

Voters for the Johor state election queueing to enter a polling centre on Mar 12, 2022. (Photo: CNA/Amir Yusof) - 

They have been standing in lines, spaced apart before they slowly made their way to the polling centres.  

With face masks on and sanitisers pumped on their hands, they soon entered the centres to exercise their constitutional duty of electing Johor’s new state government. 

All across the state on Saturday (Mar 12), voters for the Johor state election cast their ballots amid tight health protocols to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The polls are being held amid high daily caseload in the country due to the spread of the Omicron variant. Malaysia’s health ministry reported 32,800 new COVID-19 cases on Friday,  taking the cumulative total to 3,774,786. 

Among the protocols put in place by the Election Commission (EC) is the online facility that enables voters to check their polling time via the “MySPR Semak” application. 

Besides wearing masks and applying hand sanitisers, voters were encouraged to come down at their allocated time slots to avoid overcrowding at peak hours. 

Voters with respiratory symptoms were still allowed to cast their ballots at designated areas within their polling stations, monitored by health officers. 

Despite the strict health measures, many voters were determined to cast their ballot papers. 

Besides Perikatan Nasional’s Zulkifli Bujang and Barisan Nasional’s (BN) Hairi Md Shah, the seat is also contested by Parti Keadilan Rakyat’s (PKR) Zamil Najwah Arbain, Rasid Abu Bakar of Malaysian United Democratic Alliance (MUDA), Parti Pejuang Tanah Air (Pejuang)’s Mohamad Riadz Mohamad Hashim and independent candidate Norramadan Buan.

Over at Dato Jaafar Secondary School, polling centre for the Stulang constituency, voter Mr Benjamin Ho told CNA that it was exciting as it was his first time casting a vote. 

The 19-year-old student said he felt "excited" that he could participate in selecting a candidate to represent his community. 

"I think the risk of COVID-19 is always there but it is important for us to do our duty as citizens," Mr Ho added. 

Stulang constituency is a five-cornered fight between incumbent PH’s  Andrew Chen, BN’s Ang Boon Heng, PN’s Yap Chiang Youis, Parti Bangsa Malaysia’s Saiful Bahari Sahari and independent candidate Moharam Baharom.   

The EC had earlier said that it expected about 70 per cent turnout among more than 2.59 million voters who were eligible to cast their ballots in this state election.

Johor’s state assembly was dissolved by Sultan Ibrahim Iskandar on Jan 22.

Prior to the dissolution, Johor’s chief minister Hasni Mohammad, who is from BN,  justified that his state government needed a fresh mandate as it only held a slim majority following the death of former chief minister Osman Sapian in December last year.

Mr Hasni said that the election was necessary as the stability of the Johor state government was a prerequisite for investors and businesses to expand their operations in the state.

This was the first time that Johor’s election was not held concurrently with the federal election//CNA

FILE PHOTO: Russian Navy vessels are anchored in a bay of the Black Sea port of Sevastopol in Crimea May 8, 2014. REUTERS/Stringer/File Photo - 

The UN's shipping agency will seek to create a safe maritime corridor to enable merchant ships and their crews stuck in the Black Sea and Sea of Azov to sail away without the risk of being hit, it said on Friday (Mar 11).

Russia's military took control of waterways when it invaded Ukraine on Feb 24, in what Moscow calls a "special operation".

Ukrainian maritime officials have told Reuters fighting has left around 100 foreign-flagged vessels and hundreds of mariners stranded in Ukrainian ports.

Last week a seafarer was killed at the Ukrainian port of Olvia after a missile struck his Bangladesh-flagged cargo ship. Projectiles have hit four other vessels in recent days with one sunk.

The UN's International Maritime Organization (IMO) convened a virtual meeting on Thursday and Friday to discuss the escalating situation.

A statement afterwards said the IMO's secretary-general Kitack Lim "indicated his commitment to take immediate action to realise the blue safe maritime corridor with the cooperation and collaboration of the relevant parties including littoral states".

It said a maritime corridor would "allow the safe evacuation of seafarers and ships from the high-risk and affected areas in the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov to a safe place".

Ukraine has accused the Russian military of targeting Olvia port facilities in a missile strike, while Russia’s embassy in Dhaka said last week the circumstances of the incident involving the Bangladesh ship were "being established". Russia denies deliberately targeting civilians.

The IMO meeting was held with its Council, which consists of 40 member countries who are elected for two years. Non-Council member states such as Ukraine were able to make statements.

The IMO statement said separately that the Council "deplored the attacks of the Russian Federation aimed at commercial vessels, their seizures, including search-and-rescue vessels".

The Council separately demanded that Russia "cease its unlawful activities to ensure the safety and welfare of seafarers and the security of international shipping and the marine environment in all affected areas".

Russia's IMO representatives could not be immediately reached for comment on Friday//CNA