VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

The Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Ministry has won an OpenGov Recognition Award during Indonesia Leadership Forum 2018 organized by the OpenGov Asia.

The award will hopefully encourage the ministry to become smarter in taking advantage of information and communication technology to improve its performance in pursuit of transparency, accountability, efficiency and better public services, the ministry`s secretary general, Rifky Effendi Hardijanto said in a press statement released on Sunday.

OpenGov is digital platform media which pays attention to good governance in Asia and the Pacific particularly the use of information and communication technology to make government system more efficient, transparent and secure.

OpenGov Asia`s group managing director and editor-in-chief, Mohit Sagar said the ministry has successfully taken advantage of information and communication technology and made innovations particularly to eradicate illegal fishing.

In addition, the ministry is also considered capable of developing cooperation in the use of information and communication technology with other ministries and institutions.

Earlier, Maritime Affairs and Fisheries Minister Susi Pudjiastuti introduced the so-called susinisasi concept which has been applied to the ministry and hoped the concept could be applied to other ministries and government agencies.

"Susinisasi is a simple point," he said on Wednesday (March 23).

The minister said she invented the concept after she got confused to understand a number of words such as strengthening, empowerment and harmonization in various programs to formulate budget for the ministry.

Hence, susinisasi is the simplification of budget nomenclatures so that it is easily understood, she said. (ANTARA)

Indonesian Ambassador to New Zealand Tantowi Yahya issued a clarification on NZ Herald`s Political Editor Audrey Young`s opinion that Indonesian President Joko Widodo had "implicitly disrespected" New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern and the country.

"We have lodged a strong protest with the writer and urged her to tender a clarification for what she has written is not rooted in the reality," Yahya noted in a statement received in Jakarta on Monday.

Young’s opinion titled "Visiting leaders show disrespect by failing to share platforms with Jacinda Ardern" was published on the NZ Herald website on Sunday (Mar 25).

Young wrote that it was shameful that on a state visit, President Widodo had failed to conduct himself in a manner expected of him while interacting with the public of New Zealand.

Young remarked that after conducting a bilateral meeting with the New Zealand prime minister on Mar 19, the Indonesian delegate declined to hold a joint press conference alongside Prime Minister Ardern; hence, declining to do so was implicitly disrespectful to Ardern and New Zealand.

"The write-up stating President Joko Widodo declined to communicate with the media is Audrey Young`s personal opinion, which is not supported by evidence and fact," Yahya wrote.

"The decision to not hold a press conference was the suggestion of the New Zealand Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade that was then adopted as a joint decision," Ambassador Yahya clarified.

For the public, the result of the meeting will be incorporated in a joint statement to be published on the official websites of both countries, Yahya revealed.

"As a guest, we respect the position taken by the host. We fully supported (the decision) for there was nothing wrong with such an approach," he noted.

President Widodo paid a state visit to New Zealand on Mar 18-19 to commemorate the 60th anniversary of the diplomatic relations between Indonesia and New Zealand. (ANTARA)

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani has said that the government`s debts are used prudently in line with the principles of good budget management so far.

"To those who have called on the government to be careful in using debts, I can assure that their demand has been what the government has always done so far," she said in a press statement received here on Friday evening.

She said debts were used as part of budget management in stages and very carefully with regard to preventing possible shock on the economic engine that may slow it down. Debts and tax revenues are fiscal policy instruments used by the government to improve infrastructure, education, health or social security, she said. Sri Mulyani said there is nothing to worry about with regard to current debt because it is well managed to remain below the level allowed by the law.

"Mere focusing on its amount while neglecting the big context and the government`s policy would be incomplete and even misleading," she said.

Sri Mulyani said it was important to put the issue in the right context so that people or political elites would not become hysteric and worry too much to make them unproductive.

"It would be different if it is what they have intended to always raise the issue to make people uneasy, threatened and panic for certain political gains," she said.

Sri Mulyani said the destructive political efforts really ran counter to the spirit of building a good democracy. ( antara ) 

Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP), Erik Solheim, praised Indonesia`s efforts in restoring its peat ecosystems, saying it should serve as an example for other countries.

"The destruction of peatlands around the world will be a major blow to the Paris Treaty and for younger generations," Solheim said in a press release issued by the Ministry of Environment and Forestry (KLHK) on Friday.

Solheim says the international community is paying attention to Indonesia as one of the world`s largest peatlands with over 15 million hectares (ha). After the great forest and land fires in 2015, particularly peatland fires which are highly difficult to put out, the Administration of President Joko Widodo made peat improvement and governance a national priority.

After a meeting on Thursday of the Peatland Global Initiative Partners (GPI) in Brazzaville, Republic of the Congo, Solheim requested the Republic of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo to learn from Indonesia`s experience in the recovery of peat ecosystems. "The Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo must learn from Indonesia," he said.

Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar was the event`s keynote speaker. Also present was Prime Minister of the Republic of Congo, Clement Mouamba, Minister of Environment of the Democratic Republic of Congo, Amy Ambatobe Nyongolo and Minister of the Environment of the Republic of Congo, Arlette Soudan-Nonau. Bakar explained the great land and forest fire in 2015, especially the peat fire, was a valuable lesson for the Indonesian Government which it responded to through policies to improve peat governance and prevention of peat fires.

"Indonesia managed to reduce the fires as much as 93.6 percent. This success is a testament to the seriousness of President Joko Widodo to make the most common land and forest fire prevention in peatlands as a national priority," Bakar said.

One of the key successes of Indonesia is the ability to effectively engage all parties across the board, including encouraging the involvement of the private sector to meet its legal obligation on peatland management. The real efforts of President Joko Widodo in managing the peatland saved millions of Indonesians from forest and land fires in the 2016-2017 period, after occurring annually for almost two decades. Strong and thorough peat governance undertaken by the Indonesian government is an exact example for all countries in the world who have similar problems.

This achievement is in line with President Joko Widodo and Vice President Jusuf Kalla`s instructions in November 2015 which should be recognised internationally.

"Because the majority of land and forest fire problems in peatlands are universally applicable," Bakar said, during her visit to the 3rd Peatland Initiative Global Partner (GPI) meeting in Brazzaville, the Republic of Congo.

In the future, two countries with the largest peat in the world, the Republic of Congo and Democratic Republic of Congo will soon undertake a study in Indonesia. "Indonesia will lead south-south cooperation to tackle the Congo Basin peat for the world," Bakar said.

The Congo Basin covers three countries that have the second largest peatland in the world. The three countries are Republic of Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo and Gabon. In addition to Indonesia and the two Congos, the other largest peat country in the world is Peru. ( antara )