VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Deputy for Library Resources Development at the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas RI), Adin Bondar at an interview  -

Voinews, Jakarta - President Joko Widodo is committed to realizing an advanced and competitive Indonesian society through the 2020-2024 National Medium Term Development Plan (RPJMN), and the issue of literacy was specifically mentioned.

Deputy for Library Resources Development at the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas RI), Adin Bondar, said that we should be grateful if the government's commitment has provided a very strong legacy in improving human resources (HR). It can be seen that the 2020-2024 RPJMN is a national priority.

"In the concept of strengthening literacy culture, a knowledgeable, innovative, creative and characterful society will be created. If you look closely at the RPJMN, this is achieved through developing a love of reading culture, strengthening literacy book content and increasing access," said the deputy in a talk show with the theme Libraries, Literacy, and Inclusion at the Antara news agency, Tuesday (19/12/2023).

Adin explained that the love of reading in educational units has developed through schools and universities. Then in the community there is the Social Inclusion Based Library Transformation (TPBIS) program, where the library becomes an open space for the community. It has been carried out in 3,262 villages that have been transformed and involving 3 million marginalized residents. "So the concept of libraries reaching the community has been maximized, if you look at the loci that we have built," he said.

"As of December, 2,494 villages had been replicated through TPBIS. "Many residents were initially unemployed, but once this program was introduced, they gained new knowledge accompanied by the facilitators we trained," continued Adin.

Adin stated that there are several parameters of change, namely from an economic perspective. Marginal communities gain new abilities. Like initially selling food, but not knowing how to market the product well. Through the Social Inclusion Based Library Transformation (TPBIS) program, it has been upgraded and developed into a catering business. In terms of other aspects, social relations increase, because we both meet in the library.

Adin said the idea for creating TPBIS started from the principle of inclusive development. Because, all over the world it relies on strengthening human resources. Where everyone has the right to create, access and utilize sources of information and knowledge. “The dual impact of a literate person on a person and the welfare of the country. So, the higher the public literacy index, the more advanced and prosperous the country will be."

“It is very different from countries where literacy is low. "This also has an impact on high poverty, poor health and large unemployment," stressed Adin.

Therefore, in line with Law (UU) Number 43 of 2007 concerning Libraries, efforts to foster a reading culture have three pillars, namely family, educational unit and community,

"For the first pillar, it is clear that the family is the initial foundation for improving literacy culture in the digital era. Because, the family is the first madrasah for children. Then for educational units where the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology has developed books that support literacy skills. "There are 15 million books that have been distributed to schools. Then the third pillar is about community participation in taking part in the TPBIS program," explained Adin.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Tuesday, this family-based digital literacy begins when we look at the weaknesses of students in achieving PISA scores carried out by Unesco, through the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology, which are not optimal. There is an increase of five points but in other literacies it is not yet profitable.

National Library sees this as not having properly prepared literacy in the family aspect. Thus developing expanded access to information and knowledge to build the three pillars of the family.

“The first is the pre-marriage group. Education will be provided to have good awareness, how to build harmonious family relationships, understand reproduction and so on. So that they become a happy family after marriage."

“Second are families who will have children. There needs to be education through accessible literacy content. And the third is the child stage at the golden age of 0-6 years. "Through the stimulation of various activities carried out by the family," he said.

The government through the National Library, continued Adin, will send chain messages via the WhatsApp application to the devices of all of Indonesia's young generation. The chain message contains access to reading channels. “For example, there is pre-marital literacy for those who want to get married. "Just click, so you can easily get reading materials. So you don't need to come to the library," he explained.

To support this, National Library has developed digital channels such as Bintang Pusnas Edu which is accessed via gadgets. 1.5 million copies of digital books have been prepared. Then there is i Pusnas which is a mobile digital platform that the public can enjoy with 1.2 million digital books.

"In the future, we will develop the Reading Point application, and will include reading books as needed. "Including collaborating with the Ministry of Education and Culture, Research and Technology, which produces quality books in order to improve literacy skills," he said.

The National Library's successes in the 2020-2024 RPJMN include developing the TPBIS program. Then expand library access through mobile library services.

Then develop digital reading corners in public spaces. With the concept of conventional and digital libraries. As well as coaching and development of literacy activists.

“We have 2,045 community reading park forum partners throughout Indonesia. Then there is a mobile library that reaches 3,000 points so that people have access to reading. For literacy activists in the community. "Everyone moves and becomes a social model to be close to the community," explained Adin.

Until December 2023, National Library has confirmed 535 literacy mothers in various regions. Starting from the provincial, district/city to sub-district level. “The National Library cannot move alone to develop a literacy culture. "The presence of these literate mothers is a kind of role model for how important literacy is to change lives for the better," said Adin//VOI

FILE PHOTO: The Galaxy Leader cargo ship is escorted by Houthi boats in the Red Sea in this photo released November 20, 2023. Houthi Military Media/Handout via REUTERS/File Photo - 

DUBAI: Mounting attacks by the Iran-aligned Yemeni Houthi militant group on ships in the Red Sea are disrupting maritime trade as leading global freight firms reroute around the Cape of Good Hope to avoid the Suez Canal.

Multiple "projectiles" were fired from Houthi-controlled territory on Monday (Dec 18) at a vessel in the southern Red Sea, US officials said. The Houthi movement has launched a series of missile and drone attacks on ships in the area, which it says are a response to Israel's assault on the Gaza Strip.

There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the latest attack. Several major freight companies - including MSC and Maersk - have begun to sail around Africa, adding costs and delays which are expected to be compounded over the coming weeks, according to industry analysts. About 15 per cent of world shipping traffic transits via the Suez Canal, the shortest shipping route between Europe and Asia.

Combined, the companies that have diverted vessels "control around half of the global container shipping market", ABN Amro analyst Albert Jan Swart told Reuters.

"Avoiding the Red Sea will lead to higher costs due to longer travel time."

British energy giant BP on Monday said it had joined other companies in suspending transits through the Red Sea.

"In light of the deteriorating security situation for shipping in the Red Sea, BP has decided to temporarily pause all transits," a statement said.

"We will keep this precautionary pause under ongoing review, subject to circumstances as they evolve in the region," it added.

BP said "safety and security" of staff was "priority".

The war between Israel and Hamas, which began on Oct 7, has sent shockwaves through the region and drawn in the United States and its allies on one side and Iran-backed paramilitary groups in the Middle East on the other, threatening to cause a broader conflict.

The shipping attacks have prompted the United States and its allies to discuss a task force that would protect Red Sea routes, a move that US and Israeli arch-foe Tehran has warned would be a mistake.

US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin on Monday arrived for talks in the region. Rico Luman, an analyst at ING, said the diversions were adding at least a week of sailing time for container liners. Typically, shipping goods from Shanghai to Rotterdam takes around 27 days via the Suez Canal.

"This will at least lead to delays in late December, with knock-on effects in January and probably February as the next round will also be delayed," Luman said.

While freight rates will likely increase on these longer voyages too, carriers at the moment are seeking ways to utilize excess capacity, said Zvi Schreiber, CEO of global freight platform Freightos.

"It is unlikely that rates will spike to levels experienced during the pandemic," said Schreiber, referring to the economic effects of COVID-19 from 2020.

Shipping stocks rose across European exchanges in morning trading on Monday after a jump on Friday on bets the shift away from the Suez Canal could boost rates. Maersk rose 3.5 per cent in early trade in Copenhagen, before paring some of those gains.

The Suez Canal is an important source of foreign currency for Egypt. About 90 per cent of world trade is transported by sea.

The International Chamber of Shipping said on Friday that the Houthi assault on shipping lanes, which began last month, was an "extremely serious threat to international trade" and urged naval forces in the area to do all they can to stop the attacks//CNA-VOI

People watch as the night sky is illuminated caused by the eruption of a volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula of south-west Iceland seen from the capital city of Reykjavik on Dec 18, 2023. (Photo: AP/Brynjar Gunnarsson) - 

REYKJAVIK: A volcanic eruption began on Monday (Dec 18) night in Iceland, south of the capital Reykjavik, following an earthquake swarm, Iceland's Meteorological Office said. For weeks, the Nordic country has been on high alert for a potential eruption at any moment after a period of intense seismic activity on the southwest peninsula, which last month prompted evacuation orders.

"At 22.17 this evening, a volcanic eruption began north of Grindavik on the Reykjanes peninsula," the IMO said, adding that it could be seen from nearby webcams.

The live-streamed footage of the eruption showed large jets of glowing orange lava spewing into the night sky, surrounded by billowing red smoke.

"A Coast Guard helicopter will take off shortly to confirm the exact location and size of the eruption," the IMO said.

In November, thousands of small earthquakes rattled the region south of Reykjavik. The roughly 4,000 residents of Grindavik, a fishing port around 40km from the capital, were evacuated on Nov 11 after officials determined a tunnel of magma was shifting beneath them, considered a precursor to an eruption.

Residents told AFP the seismic activity had damaged roads and buildings. Since then, they have only been allowed to visit their homes during certain daylight hours. Authorities have organised occasional trips into the village, escorting those with homes in the most perilous parts to rescue everything from cherished pets to photo albums, furniture and clothing.

Volcanic eruptions are not uncommon in Iceland, which is home to 33 active volcano systems, the highest number in Europe. But the Reykjanes peninsula had not experienced an eruption for eight centuries until 2021.

Since then, three eruptions have struck - all in remote, uninhabited areas - and volcanologists say this could be the start of a new era of activity in the region. Previous eruptions near the Fagradalsfjall volcano on the Reykjanes peninsula took place in 2021, 2022 and earlier this year.

In 2010, the eruption of Iceland's long-dormant Eyjafjallajokull volcano - an ice-capped volcano more than 1,660 metres tall - shot huge amounts of ash into the atmosphere. That massive, explosive eruption was not fatal, but forced the cancellation of around 100,000 flights and left more than 10 million travellers stranded.

Situated in the North Atlantic, Iceland straddles the Mid-Atlantic Ridge, a crack in the ocean floor separating the Eurasian and North American tectonic plates//CNA-VOI

Bank Indonesia's logo is seen at Bank Indonesia headquarters in Jakarta, Indonesia, September 2, 2020. REUTERS/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana/file photo - 

Voinews, Jakarta - Bank Indonesia will maintain its key policy rate for a second month on Thursday as inflation is within its target range and the rupiah has stabilised, showed a Reuters poll of economists who forecast the first cut to be in the third quarter of 2024.

Inflation has stayed within the central bank's 2023 2 per cent to 4 per cent target range for sixth consecutive months despite an uptick in inflation last month.

The rupiah has gained nearly 2 per cent since a surprise rate hike in October, easing pressure on imported prices.

Governor Perry Warjiyo recently said the policy rate would be on hold into next year as it was restrictive enough to keep inflation within the bank's 1.5 per cent to 3.5 per cent target for 2024 and the rupiah would become more stable as the U.S. Federal Reserve was widely expected to start policy easing next year.

All 28 economists in the Dec. 11-18 poll expected Bank Indonesia (BI) to hold its benchmark seven-day reverse repurchase rate at 6.00 per cent at the conclusion of its Dec. 20-21 meeting.

"Bank Indonesia will likely remain on hold ... given manageable inflation and currency movement. Although we expect inflation to remain comfortably within the bank's new inflation target next year, risks are tilted to the upside," said economist Makoto Tsuchiya at Oxford Economics.

"We expect the rupiah strength to partly reverse towards the end of the year, (but) we think another hike is unlikely. The next move will likely be a cut. BI will likely shift its focus to a growth picture gradually towards the middle of the year."

Median forecasts showed the key interest rate unchanged until at least the end of the second quarter of 2024, followed by a 50 basis-point cut in the third quarter to end the year at 5.50 per cent.

For the second quarter next year, 10 of 22 respondents saw rates at 5.75 per cent or lower. Only eight had that view in a November poll.

Nearly all economists said the next move from BI would be a cut. Among those who provided third-quarter forecasts, 15 of 19, or over 75 per cent, expected the rate to be 5.75 per cent or lower, while four saw it at 6.00 per cent.

"The dovish tone emerging from the recent Fed meeting should be good news for BI. We expect the central bank to remain on hold for the next few months rather than opt to reverse the unexpected October hike and we do not rule out the bank opting for a rate cut earlier than we have been expecting," said economist Kunal Kundu at Societe Generale.

"What above-target inflation might mean is a shallow easing trajectory. In fact, with growth yet to be on a strong footing and a national election looming next year, there is every case for monetary policy to be supportive of the economy. Hence, the next policy rate change will be a cut."

Warjiyo put Indonesia's GDP growth outlook within a range of 4.7 per cent to 5.5 per cent for 2024 and 4.8 per cent to 5.6 per cent for 2025. However, headwind was still expected from weakening global economic growth//VOI