VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOI, Jakarta - Culinary festivals in Indonesia can encourage the country's culinary micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) to play a role as prominent players and attract foreign tourists, the Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Ministry stated.

Deputy for Small and Medium Enterprises at the ministry Hanung Harimba Rachman opined that the holding of culinary festivals constitute part of the efforts to showcase and introduce Indonesia's typical spices to people, including foreign tourists.

"We possess richness in flavors. All Indonesian regions have varied flavors that we can explore," he remarked in Jakarta on Friday.

He then noted that Indonesia could export its spices to European countries in the form of food products.

Furthermore, he underscored the high value of Indonesian spices, saying that in the past, European nations went as far as risking their lives to traverse the oceans in order to buy spices in the Southeast Asian country.

"Today, we can simply deliver our spices to them (Europeans), but in the form of food products," he stated.

Rachman then told MSME players that his ministry had devised the Free Halal Certification (SEHATI) program in an effort to assist them in obtaining halal certificates for their culinary products.

By implementing the program, the ministry is also facilitating MSME actors to acquire business identification numbers (NIB) and other related certificates.

"You can register to our program. We will help you get the certificates," he told MSME players.

The official made the statements while attending a culinary festival held by a soy sauce producer.

Over 100 culinary MSME players are participating in the annual culinary festival that showcases Indonesian foods from various regions, from Sabang in the west to Merauke in the east.

The number of participants taking part in this year's festival increased, from 90 MSME players recorded in the festival's previous edition. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Deputy Governor of Bank Indonesia (BI) Aida S. Budiman stated that Indonesia has been able to maintain the momentum of economic recovery amid global uncertainty and economic turmoil.

"Amid those various challenges, Indonesia is still able to maintain good economic recovery," she remarked at the 7th Indonesia Risk Management Outlook 2024 event themed "Beyond Uncertainty and Opportunity: Technology and Leadership as Key Elements" monitored online here on Friday.

Budiman drew attention to several main challenges faced by the global economy, such as economic growth that is projected to slow down, escalation of geopolitical tensions, and interest rate policies in developed countries, including the federal funds rate (FFR), which has remained high for a long time.

She noted that Indonesia's gross domestic product (GDP) in the second quarter of 2023 grew 5.17 percent, and this achievement marked economic growth above five percent for seven consecutive quarters.

The economic growth was driven primarily by domestic demand and consumer confidence that remained high.

Meanwhile, the latest economic indicators also continue to show good development. The strong resilience of the Indonesian economy is also supported by the economic stability that remained maintained.

In September 2023, inflation was recorded at 2.28 percent, which is below the target of three percent, give or take one percent.

The stability of the financial system was also maintained, with credit growth of 8.96 percent in September 2023, and banking liquidity conditions are good, with the ratio of liquid assets to third-party funds at 25.83 percent as of September 2023.

The quality of credits has also been maintained, as reflected by the Non-Performing Loan (NPL), which stood at 2.5 percent (gross) and 0.79 percent (net), while the capital adequacy ratio was also at a high level of 27.62 percent.

In addition, she noted that the performance of digital economic and financial transactions remained strong, supported by safe, smooth, and reliable payment systems.

BI still projects that Indonesia's GDP overall will grow by around 4.5 to 5.3 percent in 2023 and will increase in 2024. Meanwhile, inflation is projected to remain at the target of three percent, give or take one percent in 2023 and 2.5 percent, give or take one percent in 2024. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Indonesia urged the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) to establish an independent commission to investigate Israeli attacks on Gaza.

Indonesian Foreign Affairs Minister Retno Marsudi also urged the UN to demand an immediate ceasefire to prevent more civilian casualties while speaking at an emergency session of the UNGA, which discussed Israel's illegal actions in the occupied Palestinian territories held in New York on Thursday (October 26).

According to a statement, she noted that the UNGA must hold Israel accountable, including by forming an independent commission of inquiry to investigate Israeli attacks on hospitals and places of worship, as well as the mass expulsion of civilians in Gaza.

Furthermore, Indonesia urged the UNGA and other relevant UN agencies to increase efforts to provide humanitarian assistance for the people of Gaza.

Marsudi assessed that the aid currently going to Gaza is still far from sufficient, so humanitarian aid efforts carried out by the UN Secretary General and key countries must be supported.

Hence, the minister emphasized that the UNGA must call for an immediate delivery of humanitarian aid that is unrestricted and sustained.

The minister highlighted that Indonesia will triple its voluntary contribution to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and call on the international community to support UNRWA.

"Indonesia is also committed to send humanitarian assistance," she remarked.

Related news: Need immediate end to Gaza violence: President Widodo

Indonesia has also called on the UN to reject the forced displacement of civilians in Gaza. Israel's call to vacate the areas of North Gaza worsened the condition of people whose homes have been bombarded, while access to electricity, gas, fuel, and water has been limited.

"This is a crime against humanity," she stressed.

She underlined that civilians, in particular children, must be protected, and their safe movement must be allowed.

Marsudi ended her statement by underscoring the importance of efforts to address the root causes of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. She highlighted that peace would not be created until the roots of conflict were solved.

Thus, Indonesia assessed that the peace process to realize the two-state solution must be resumed. Israel's systematic efforts to make negotiations become irrelevant must be stopped, according to the statement.

"We must not allow the Palestinians to have no other choice but to accept injustice for the rest of their lives. It is our duty to stop the injustice," Marsudi stated.

"Indonesia is ready and will play its role. Indonesia will continue to stand with the people of Palestine," she added.

The minister also invited all participants in the UNGA to adopt the draft resolution on Palestine. (Antaranews)

VOI, Jakarta - Iraq's Shi'ite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr called on the Iraqi government and lawmakers on Friday to close the U.S. embassy in Baghdad in response to Washington's "unfettered support" for Israel.

"If the government and parliament do not abide by this demand, we will go for further actions which we will later announce," the statement said.

The populist leader counts millions of Iraqis among his followers and has shown in the past he can stir up gatherings by hundreds of thousands of supporters, mostly working-class Shi'ite Muslims, if he wishes to exert political pressure.

Sadr has opposed Iranian influence in Iraq, setting him apart from other Shi'ite leaders who have close ties to Tehran. He has also opposed the U.S. and called for the departure of the last remaining U.S. troops in Iraq.

In June, his followers stormed and set fire to the Swedish embassy in Baghdad in connection with the burning of a Koran in Sweden. The demonstration was called by Sadr's supporters.

Last year, he commanded his followers to storm Baghdad's heavily secured Green Zone - which houses government buildings and embassies - and occupy parliament.(Reuters)