VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

President elect, Joko Widodo met his competitors in the 2019 presidential election, Prabowo Subianto on Saturday (7/13/2019). The two met at Lebak Bulus MRT Station, South Jakarta. The meeting was warmly welcomed by excited citizens who shouted their names. In his remarks, President Jokowi conveyed that he urged all components of the nation to strengthen unity for the advancement of the nation and state.

“We also hope that the supporters also do the same thing because we are compatriots of the same country. There is no longer number 1 or number 02. What we have is Garuda Pancasila. Let us knit back our unity as a nation because of global competitions, competitions among  countries are now getting tougher so it requires a unity  in advancing this country, in building the country we love,” Jokowi said.

Meanwhile on that occasion, Prabowo congratulated Joko Widodo on being  elected President. During a meeting with Prabowo, Jokowi was accompanied by Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung and Head of the State Intelligence Agency Budi Gunawan. Meanwhile, Prabowo was accompanied by Gerindra Party Secretary General Ahmad Muzani. (AHM/PUTRI)

Head of East Nusa Tenggara's (NTT's) Village Community Empowerment Service Sinun Petrus Manuk confirmed receiving a demand from Japan for 40 tons moringa flour produced by the village enterprise of M'rian, Kufeu, Malaka, per week.

"Moringa flour produced by the village enterprises of M'rian in Kufeu has attracted Japanese companies that are demanding a supply of 40 tons of the commodity per week," he told Antara here on Monday.

Manuk noted that a team from Japan, during a visit to Kufeu Village to closely observe the condition of soil, water, and moringa stems and leaves, found that organic moringa could meet Japan's market demand.

He expounded that the provincial government had coordinated with the Malaka district administration, village administration, and manager of the M'rian Village Enterprise to boost production to meet export demands.

"Since moringa production at Kufeu is good, it has been processed into various products, such as moringa flour, soap, and body moisturizers, but its production capacity is yet small," he pointed out.

Currently, the land area for moringa production in Io Kufeu District reaches some 80 hectares, he noted, adding that it will be expanded in five more villages, with 20 hectares each, in the sub-districts.

"Thus, the total land area can reach almost 200 hectares, and this is what we are pushing together in order to meet the foreign market demand," he remarked.

However, Manuk pointed to existing shortages in management facilities for moringa, including drying houses, as currently, the district only has one drying house and one storage machine, with a production capacity of 10 kilograms per hour.

To this end, Manuk confirmed that his side, along with several local village administrations, had agreed to build drying houses in five villages.

"Currently, drying houses are being built, and hopefully, by the end of July, they would have been used," he stated.

Manuk confirmed that his side had also added one storage machine, with an hourly production capacity of 10 kilograms, for the M'rian village enterprise in Kufeu Village as a production center.

"The number of machines will increase since the governor (NTT Governor Viktor Bungtilu Laiskodat) has promised to help provide 10 machines of higher capacity," he added

Governor of Jakarta Anies Baswedan will speak at the 2019 World Cities Summit and Mayors Forum (WCSMF) to be held in Medellin, Colombia, on July 10-12, 2019.

Baswedan, who will be present at the summit at the invitation of Medellin Mayor Federico Gutierrez, will speak on "Enhancing Economic and Environmental Security" during the second session.

Baswedan noted in a statement here on Tuesday that the 10th Summit will be themed "Liveable and Sustainable Cities: Building a High Trust City."

Moreover, the Jakarta governor is scheduled to speak during a roundtable discussion of the C40 High-Level Event themed "How to make low carbon mobility in cities a bigger movement?"

"This forum is organized annually and has been held 10 times. At present, we live in an era where competition among cities and regions is growing fast," he stated.

Jakarta has directed its focus and efforts to recruit the finest human resources and develop sophisticated infrastructure to make the capital city a model not only for other regions in Indonesia but also at the global level.

Attendees at the WCSMF will comprise 74 selected governors and mayors, who will share their views and experiences in responding to urban challenges and bringing about improvements in urban living conditions.

The summit will be enlivened by an exhibition on urban infrastructure development, the latest urban planning methods to be presented by international organizations and private companies.

At the meeting, Jakarta will shed light on its best practices including in building public trust and dealing with urbanization.

"Moreover, this forum is a highly valuable platform to gain insights on ideas of other city leaders from all over the world on their understanding of sustainable cities," Baswedan stated.

On the sidelines of the summit, the governor planned to hold meetings with Singapore's National Development Minister Lawrence Wong, Medellin Mayor Federico Gutiérrez, and Seoul Mayor Park Won-soon. The 2018 World Cities Summit was held in Singapore on July 7-10.

The World Cities Summit is an international conference series on effective public governance and sustainable development of cities. It brings together practitioners and policy makers with leading experts in their fields to identify innovative solutions to the toughest challenges facing cities (ANTARA)

Indonesian Consulate General in Kuching, Malaysia, Yonny Tri Prayitno undertook a work visit with Sarawak Chamber of Commerce Head Augustine Chi to Singkawang, West Kalimantan, to explore partnership opportunities with the local government and Chambers.

“We went to Singkawang to meet members of the local Chamber of Commerce as a follow up to our initial meeting during the Sarawak Expo, in which Singkawang City’s participation was big,” Consulate General Prayitno stated on Tuesday.

During the initial meeting, talks were ongoing on visiting Singkawang in order to strengthen the relationship with local chambers.

Prayitno further noted that the meeting in Singkawang had surpassed the expectations, as the entourage was greeted by the Singkawang mayor. He then seized the opportunity to highlight his aspirations for stronger relations between Singkawang and Sarawak, in terms of trade and industry.

“Partnership in micro, small, and medium enterprises (MSMEs) will be heightened, and we also hope for Singkawang to continue participation in the next expo in Sarawak. We have also received an invitation from Madame Mayor of Singkawang for Sarawak to participate in the Singkawang Expo this coming August,” he stated.

Prayitno also affirmed that he will give confirmation in the next week or two on the products that will be brought from Sarawak and showcased in the expo.

He believed that Singkawang and Sarawak shared mutual interests. “For instance, some products might exist in Singkawang but not in Sarawak. Hence, we can bring these products for sale to Sarawak and the other way around,” he noted.

Moreover, tourism products and destinations in each area can be promoted in the other.

Meanwhile, Mayor of Singkawang Tjhai Chui Mie welcomed the partnership initiative on offer.

She is keen on exploring which specific items can be incorporated in the trade partnership and can ensure mutual benefits for both sides.

“Before signing the memorandum of understanding, however, we need to observe how the game plan is, considering this partnership will be between two countries, Indonesia and Malaysia. When it is agreed on, we can strengthen the partnership again and become Sister Cities,” she stated.

Once the partnership is established, she is optimistic that the revitalized roads, such as Aruk, would reduce the travel time from Singkawang to Kuching Sarawak and vice versa.

She believed that the works of President Joko Widodo for infrastructure development had provided opportunities that should be capitalized upon to boost the people’s welfare, especially the people of Singkawang. (ANTARA)