The Indonesian Government has set a target that this year’s parliamentary and presidential elections, due to be held simultaneously throughout the country on April 17, will be participated in by at least 77.5 percent of the total number of voters.

"The key to success of the upcoming general elections lies in people`s participation rate. This issue really matters in this year`s elections," Home Minister Tjahjo Kumolo told the attendees of the police and military`s coordinated meeting in Jakarta on Monday.

The 2004 general elections’ participation rate was recorded at 84 percent, while the participation rates of the 2009 and 2014 general elections reached 71 and 74 percents, respectively, Kumolo stated.

"The participation rate of this year`s general elections is expected to reach 77.5 percent," he noted, adding that the Ministry of Home Affairs had prepared strategies to ensure that first-time voters who had not received their electronic identification cards could cast their votes in ballot booths.

However, Kumolo did not elaborate the strategies that his ministry had prepared for ensuring that first-time voters would be able to cast their votes on April 17.

According to the Home Affairs Ministry`s Directorate General of Population and Civil Registration Agency, there are 5,035,887 first-time voters who would be 17 years old on Jan 1, 2018, up to April 17, 2019, he explained.

To make sure that these first-time voters were able to participate in the upcoming elections, the ministry`s officials had make various efforts, including approaching schools, university campuses, and Islamic boarding schools to register them for ID cards.

"We have initiated to help register these first-time voters` ID cards by approaching their schools. We do this as an effort to ensure that their votes will be cast, and the participation rate will be increased," he remarked.

The efforts to increase the participation rate were also made through strategies such as voter education and media campaigns, as well as proclaiming holiday on voting day, he added.

In connection with the 2019 presidential election, the General Election Commissions (KPU) has prepared five rounds of presidential debates for the pairs of President Joko Widodo (Jokowi)-Ma`ruf Amin and Prabowo Subianto-Sandiaga Uno pairs.

The presidential debates, broadcast live by several television channels, are expected to help some 192 million eligible voters, who will participate in this democratic process, to become well-informed on the two pairs` capacity and capability.

Empowered with sufficient information about the candidates, they will be able to vote rationally. Whoever wins the upcoming presidential election, Indonesia will have a new pair of capable president and vice president. (ANTARA)

State-owned port operator PT Pelindo III is ready to welcome the arrivals of at least 153 cruise ships at several seaports under its management in 2019.

The 153 cruise ships had informed about their plans to visit Indonesia, Director for Operational and Commercial Affairs of Pelindo III Putut Sri Muljanto stated here on Monday.

Benoa Port in Bali is expected to receive the largest number, with 75 cruise ships; followed by 17 cruise ships at Lembar Port in West Nusa Tenggara; 16 cruise ships at the Tanjung Emas Port in Central Java; 16 cruise ships at the Tanjung Perak Port in East Java; 12 cruise ships at Probolinggo Port; six cruise ships at the Celukan Bawang Port in Bali; three cruise ships at Kalabahi Port in West Nusa Tenggara; three cruise ships at Badas; two cruise ships at Ende Port; and one cruise ship each at Maumere, Banyuwangi, and Kupang.

Last year, 149 cruise ships had planned to visit Indonesia through the Pelindo III ports though only 136 had arrived.

The number of cruise ship arrivals in Indonesia has increased from year to year. In 2017, some 125 cruise ships had arrived.

Pelindo III has revitalized and expanded seaport facilities across Indonesia to provide better services.

Corporate Secretary of Pelindo III Faruq Hidayat highlighted the commitment of Pelindo III to supporting the government's target of receiving 20 million foreign tourists.

At least 88,778 foreign tourists had entered Indonesia through Pelindo III`s seaports in 2017, and the number increased to 125,218 foreign tourists in 2018, he noted.

More than 15.81 million tourists had visited Indonesia last year, up 12.58 percent, from 14.04 million a year earlier, Tourism Minister Arief Yahya noted while quoting data from the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

The five countries listed as the top five sources of tourist arrivals in Indonesia last year by the Tourism Ministry were Malaysia, with 2.50 million, or 15.83 percent; China, with 2.14 million, or 13.52 percent; Singapore, with 1.77 million, or 11.19 percent; Timor Leste, with 1.76 million, or 11.15 percent; and Australia, with 1.30 million, or 8.23 percent. (ANTARA)

Indonesian Minister of Environment and Forestry Siti Nurbaya Bakar opened the Clean Up activity with the community on the Sendang Sikucing beach in Kendal, Central Java. The activities carried out in the context of the National Waste Care Day were held simultaneously in 8 cities in Indonesia, namely Kendal, Tegal, Brebes, Pemalang, Batang, Rembang, Jepara, and Kebumen on Sunday (24/2). After carrying out these activities, Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar continued her visit to Jatibarang landfill, Semarang, to implement waste to energy program. The Minister explained, the program was supported by the Danish government which disbursed more than 40 million US dollar funds to make waste into electricity.

“What is important in today's event in the Jatibarang landfill is that there are many examples from the landfill we are handling and the examples like this in Indonesia. There are 55 percent of all landfill sites in Indonesia in each City and Regency, 500 more in City Districts. This landfills receive support from Denmark with a value of 40 million US dollars to make waste into electricity. So we will continue to improve it. The Mayor has a very good area. There are 57 hectares and if we look at the view, we will explore again that we can tidy up a garbage like this,” said Siti Nurbaya.

Representative of the Danish Embassy in Indonesia, Morten Holm Van Donk, said that the Danish Government supports all activities related to the environment in Indonesia, especially in Semarang, so that it can become an example for other cities in Indonesia. The Indonesian government is targeting, by 2025 waste will be reduced by 30 percent and handled by 70 percent. The waste reduction of 30 percent means that waste management is done through 3R, reducing, reusing, and recycling. (VOI/NK/AHM)

Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs Luhut B. Pandjaitan introduced the concept of maritime diplomacy through a white paper on Indonesian maritime policy which was also released in the Public Lecture titled Indonesia's Maritime Diplomacy: the Current Challenges. The event was attended by policy makers, diplomats from friendly countries, academics, and the media in the Jakarta Center for Strategic and International Studies building, Friday, February 22, 2019. In his presentation Minister Luhut explained, lithium battery raw material factories in Morowali Indonesia region Industrial Park (IMIP), Central Sulawesi, will be the largest battery raw material factory in the world, because the entire process will be integrated in the region. He said, the initial investment reached 720 million dollars.

“There has been 8 billion dollars of investment in Morowali, 16 billion dollars in the next five years from the nickel, stainless steel, carbon steel to lithium battery industries. We do not know that so far Indonesia is so powerful that lithium batteries are the material in Indonesia. There are 65 to 70 percent so why don't we make lithium batteries here. Now it's ground breaking, I did that in January, investing 720 million dollars. And in one and a half years it will be. From there, we will export the material, the product is approximately 800 million dollars, you can imagine in last, two years. But I don't want to stop there. Now it's cooperation from China and Korea to make this battery,” said Luhut.

In the event, the Polish ambassador Beata Stoczynska who was present also expressed his interest in investing in the mining sector, especially in Morowali. Luhut welcomed this and suggested the Ambassador of the Republic of Indonesia to arrange investment licensing documents online in one stop service service. (VOI/NK/AHM)