VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesia has been named the most generous country in the world according to the World Giving Index (WGI) 2022. The annual report on global generosity, released by the Charity Aid Foundation (CAF) on Friday (21/10), confirmed Indonesia in first place with a score of 68 percent. According to the Chief Executive of the Public Interest Research and Advocacy Center, Hamid Abidin in his statement on Saturday ( 22/10), this shows the strong tradition of donating to the Indonesian people, which is inspired by religious teachings and local traditions that have been practiced for decades. The pandemic condition also did not affect the interest and enthusiasm for donating to the Indonesian people and only had an impact on the amount and form of donations donated.

Hamid also assessed that Indonesia's achievement as the most generous country in the world was influenced by religious history. In addition to the influence of religious teachings, he views this is also the success of philanthropic activists, especially Islamic philanthropy in raising, managing and utilizing religious donations as well as contributing to this achievement. Islamic philanthropic institutions, especially ZISWAF management bodies and institutions (Zakat, Infaq, Alms and Waqf) have metamorphosed into modern philanthropic institutions. According to Hamid, Islamic philanthropy has developed a strategy of raising conventional and digital religious donations, as well as implementing transparent and accountable donation management standards. In addition, he also remarked that the use of ICT is also a milestone for philanthropic institutions to be able to continue operating during the pandemic and facilitate the distribution of donations from the public.

Based on the 2022 World Giving Index (WGI) data index, Indonesia has a total presentation of 68 percent, 3 percent lower than the score in the previous year. This achievement places Indonesia as the most generous country for 5 consecutive years. CAF's research results show that 84 percent of Indonesians donated money in 2021, much higher than the global average score (35 percent). The percentage of Indonesians who participate in volunteer activities is also high (63 percent), almost 3 (three) times higher than the global average (23 percent). Meanwhile, the percentage of citizens who donated to foreigners was 58 percent, slightly lower than the global average (62 percent).

The Indonesian Embassy in London in collaboration with Bank Mandiri, BNI and Bank Indonesia is going to hold the "Experience Indonesia" event  in London, England from 6 until 8 of November 2022.  The embassy in London in  its  statement on Monday (24 /20) mentioned that  the theme "Discover Invaluable Stories", Experience Indonesia will be a gathering place for the community, diaspora, Indonesian and British students as well as foreign tourists to undergo the firsthand unique Indonesian experience through cultural arts performances, tourism promotion, strategic commodities, culinary and Indonesia's creative economy.

Indonesian Ambassador to the UK, Desra Percaya conveyed that the “Experience Indonesia” is a good opportunity to put Indonesia on the map so that Indonesia is increasingly known and loved by the British people. Because at the government level, the relationship of both countries is very good and strong. Ambassador Desra also  emphasized that the momentum of relaxation in post-pandemic England needs to be used to promote Indonesian tourism, since the British people have been tired and they want to have new experiences after years at home. He also affirmed  Indonesia is one of the most attractive options for them.

The Indonesian Embassy in London  has further pointed out that the “Experience Indonesia” event will feature a number of talented Indonesian talents, such as Dewi Gita, Lea Simanjuntak, Paguyuban Citra and Banyuwangi Heritage. Moreover, leading Indonesian fashion brands, such as Alleira Batik and Wearing Klamby will also participate. A series of activities at "Experience Indonesia '' will begin with Indonesian Day on November 6 and have the theme of the people's market to display Micro Small and Medium Entreprises (MSMEs),  street food,  fashion,  display of Indonesian cultural arts and tourism.

On November 7, there will be an "Indonesian Workshop: Discover Batik" event in which the British people can learn and try out batik techniques directly. Besides the batik workshop in November, there will also be a parallel Indonesian Coffee Day activity. It will bring together industry players to promote Indonesian specialty coffee  which also prioritizes aspects of sustainability and empowerment of women and MSMEs. The peak of the Experience Indonesia event on November 8 is enlivened with the "Indonesian Night" activity, namely an Indonesian cultural arts performance as the result of collaboration between Indonesian artists and a batik fashion show of a number of MSMEs assisted by Bank Indonesia.

The Indonesian  Ministry of Trade facilitated the signing of 24 memorandums of understanding (MoU) and Single Purchasing Statements between Indonesian business actors and trading partners from Malaysia worth US$175.9 million. Minister of Trade Zulkifli Hasan in Tangerang, Banten, Thursday (20/10) appreciated the Indonesian representatives in Malaysia and business actors who have made various efforts to increase exports and promotion of Indonesian products to Malaysia. The signing of the trade contract according to the Trade Minister shows the trade performance of Indonesia and Malaysia which continues to increase after the COVID-19 pandemic. 

The signing includes on  food and beverage commodities, tea, herbal drinks, coconut milk seasoning flour, coconut flour and electric motorcycles. The Minister of Trade explained in the period of January-August 2022 the total non-oil and gas trade between Indonesia and Malaysia has reached 13.78 billion US dollars. When compared to the same period last year, this value has increased significantly, namely 32.3 percent.

Meanwhile, the Director General of National Export Development Didi Sumedi who was also present to witness the signing said the increase in the total value of non-oil and gas trade between Indonesia and Malaysia shows that in the midst of unfavorable global economic conditions, product demand from both countries is still quite high. This is also supported by the economic conditions of the two countries which are still quite well maintained. In addition, geographical proximity and demographic similarities are also one of the supporting factors. Didi Sumedi explained the characteristics and culture of people of the two neighboring countries have a direct effect on the increasing demand for various products, especially from Indonesia. He expects this condition to continue to develop so that trade performance continue to increase.

Indonesian Trade Attache in Kuala Lumpur, Deden Muhammad F S added in January–August 2022 Indonesia recorded a non-oil and gas trade surplus of 5.36 billion US dollars. When compared to the same period in 2021, the increase this year reached 77.4 percent. This is something to be grateful for and must also be maintained. According to Deden, various efforts to promote Indonesian products in Malaysia continues.

Indonesia plans to hold a world-class race again. This time, it's the Formula One Powerboat World Championship aka F1 H2O, a prestigious speedboat racing event. The location to be the venue for the F1 H20 is Lake Toba, North Sumatra. The race will be held from 24 until 26 of February, 2023. The preparations for F1 H20 have been started by the Ministry of Public Works and Public Housing (PUPR) and the Toba regency government. Now, the process has entered the stage of structuring the Lake Toba area. Until now, there are still a few things which are considered to need improvement, including the availability of water, access to the race location and other facilities. Thereby, the Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Panjaitan has encouraged the Toba regency government to immediately acquire the required land and organize the Balige Port area at the end of this November.

Meanwhile, the Regional Secretary of Toba Regency, Augus Sitorus said that along with the team from the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy has collected data and arranged the location of the competition as well as accommodation facilities to support the event. He hopes that F1 H20 would be successful and be the first successful international sports event on Lake Toba. This can be possibly done in stages in 10 years and becomes an international event.

The F1 H20 race is a speed-boats race with one passenger to compete against each other on the water circuit. It is claimed to be competitive, challenging, full of risk and entertaining. In each match, there are 20 riders who participate. When they race on the circuit, they are required to go through various challenges like racing on a paved circuit, devouring sharp turns and speeding up maximum speed in a straight line.

In the 2022 F1 H20 season, six races will be held. There are four cities lined up as the host of the race, namely Macon (France), San Nazzaro (Italy), Olbia (Italy), and Sharjah (United Arab Emirates). For next year's season, the organizer of the F1 H20 has officially announced the appointment of Lake Toba as the location of the race. It will become the opening of the 2023 season.