President Joko Widodo held a Limited Cabinet Meeting to discuss the Pre-Work Card Program on Tuesday (12/11) at the Office of the President of Jakarta. Regarding this matter, the Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto said that the Indonesian government would prepare two million Pre-Work Cards for people who have not had work after finishing school. According to Airlangga, of the total 2 million Pre-Work Cards, the government will divide them into 500 thousand analog-based Pre-Work Cards and 1.5 million digital-based Cards. He said the system was put in place so that the government could track the number of people who needed Pre-Work Card assistance while ensuring that aid was received equally by the community.

"The President hopes that we will develop supply and demand in terms of employment needs. We all know, because the nature of this card is many to many, multi to multi, different from other cards, that are one-way, like government assistance cards. In this cards, there are many participants, many coachings. But we also make a mechanism for how to track and how to provide coachings for accredited training institutions and coachings that can be taken part by the community. With this online system, we actually try to arrange it based on quotas. So the opportunity to participate in the trainings is the same for the people who register in the big cities or in the small towns," said Airlangga.

Airlangga Hartarto further said, the government prepared 10 trillion Rupiah fund for the Pre-Employment Card program. At present his party claims they are still preparing a Presidential Regulation which will become the basis for the program. The Presidential Regulation prepared covers the person in charge of the Pre-Work Card program who will be under the Ministry of Economy office, as well as the criteria for potential beneficiaries to be determined later. According to Airlangga, the Presidential Regulations (Perpres) is planned to be called Perpres Cipta Karya. (VOI / Ndy / AHM)

Hundreds of Hindus across Indonesia performed the Abhiseka ritual of sanctification for the first time in 1,163 years, at the Prambanan Temple located between Sleman, Yogyakarta, and Klaten, Central Java, Tuesday.

"After we discovered the inscription written on the day the temple was established, which is November 12, 856 AD, along with rituals conducted, Hindus then prepared to perform the same ritual. So it is basically to commemorate temple's inauguration by Rakai Pikatan Dyah Seladu back in that year," Made Astra Tanaya, a member of the committee that performed the Abhiseka, said.

Abhiseka is also held to denote the golden era of the old Mataram Kingdom, which was not conducted earlier since Hindus usually performed the Tawur Agung ritual to sanctify human beings and the universe.

The ritual of Abhiseka is considered a turning point in returning the energy for both human beings and Mother Nature, said Tanaya, who officiates as the coordinator of the Indonesian Parisada Hindu Dharma (PDHI) Yogyakarta.

It was a series of rituals which began Saturday, November 9, opened by the Matur Piuning ritual as a way of requesting permission to the ancestors.

It continued with the pageantry of the eternal flame of Mrapen and holy water of eleven wellsprings around the area starting from the Boko Temple to the Prambanan temple where people then performed a prayer and pradaksina or circumambulation.

The main ritual was held today with such offerings mentioned in 25 inscriptions of Hinduism during the Mataram Kingdom era.

Another ritual performed was Manusuk Sima, based on the inscription, with the whole ritual ending with a traditional dance performance of Siwagraha which narrates stories of the Prambanan temple reconstruction. (ANTARA)

The Indonesian Military (TNI) and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) Armed Forces have resolved to forge military cooperation.

This was apparent when TNI Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto received a courtesy call from the Chief of the UAE Armed Forces, Lt. Gen. Hamad Mohamed Thani Al-Rumaithi at the TNI Headquarters in, Cilangkap, East Jakarta, on Tuesday.

This is the second visit of the UAE Armed Forces chief to the TNI Headquarters, Chief of Information and International Affairs of TNI Information Service Col. Aguis Cahyono said.

"The visit is aimed at forging defense and military cooperation between the two countries," he said. (ANTARA)

State-run explosive manufacturer PT Dahana (Persero) will construct an explosives plant in Timor Leste in 2020.

The company's President Director, Budi Antono, affirmed that development of the plant is part of its plan to expand business to ASEAN nations.

"Timor Leste has offered this to us. If we do not take the offer, then New Zealand and Australia will. This is a good opportunity for PT Dahana," Antono remarked at a discussion here on Tuesday.

In spite of its comparatively small investment of some Rp15 billion, development of the plant is an attractive expansion, as its products are open for export to New Zealand and Australia.

Timor Leste will build a port and open mines for which it will require explosives in its development.

Antono explained that for road construction, it would be more efficient to build a tunnel than cut along the face of hills, taking into account the country's mountainous geographical terrain.

The explosives plant is expected to have an annual production capacity of up to one thousand tons.

Construction of the plant will take at least a year to complete, he stated.

PT Dahana is a state-run company operating in the explosive industry as well as military equipment, such as rocket and bullets. (ANTARA)