VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Former Head of the National Narcotics Agency Commissioner General of Police (Ret.) Anang Iskandar, Wednesday (03/07/2019), visited the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Leadership Selection Committee. Anang's arrival is to register to become one of the participants in the selection of candidates for the commission’s leadership for the period 2019-2023. To reporters, Anang Iskandar said that he had long experienced as a retired police officer who could be used to lead anti-corruption institution. Anang, who is also the former Head of the Indonesian Police Criminal Investigation Unit (Bareskrim) stated that he would emphasize efforts to balance the performance of the commission, starting from the prevention aspect to eradicating corruption.

“First, I will balance prevention and eradication and money laundering because these 3 major components must be strengthened in the KPK,” he said.

Furthermore Anang Iskandar explained that he registered as one of the candidates for the KPK Leader's selection on personal initiative. According to him this step was carried out to provide community service after serving in the police institution.

The Candidates for the KPK Leaders' Selection Committee open the registration for the KPK Team's selection until 4 July 2019. Until Wednesday morning, the committee has recorded that there were 156 Candidate Candidates for KPK Leaders from various backgrounds. (VOI / Ndy / AHM)

The government is confident of reducing the stunting rate to below 20 percent by 2024, Bambang Widianto, deputy in charge of human development and development equality at the Vice Presidential Secretariat, stated.

"Several success stories abound over the implementation of the stunting prevention program in various regions. This makes us optimistic that the government's target is achievable as planned," Widianto noted in a statement here on Wednesday.

The stunting prevention program has also yielded success in Banggai in Central Sulawesi and Sumenep in Madura Island, East Java Province.

The stunting prevention program is a national priority program, he affirmed while speaking at a coordination meeting on accelerated efforts to prevent stunning held on July 1-4, 2019.

Widianto highlighted the need for the central and regional governments to cooperate to help make the stunting program a success.

According to a study conducted by the National Development Planning Agency (Bappenas), a high stunting rate could inflict state losses worth some Rp250-300 trillion, or three percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) annually.

In the meantime, in 2015, world leaders charted a new set of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), of which the second aims to “end hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition, and promote sustainable agriculture” by 2030.

The World Health Organization (WHO) has indicated that stunting affects some 162 million children globally. The World Health Assembly, the WHO's decision-making body, drafted the resolution to reduce stunting in children under the age of five by 40 percent. The first thousand days, right from a mother’s pregnancy to the child’s second birthday, are deemed crucial to a child’s overall health and development. It is during this period that good nutrition sets up a child for a healthy life ahead.

Stunting in 20 percent of children occurs in the womb of expectant mothers, who are malnourished. The WHO lists several maternal contributors to stunting that comprise short stature, short birth spacing and adolescent pregnancy, breastfeeding complications, and severe infectious diseases. (ANTARA)

A professor of Islam in Southeast Asia from Leiden University, Netherlands, Nico J.G. Kaptein, had visited the Islamic school institution Al-Khairiyah at Citangkil, Cilegon District, Banten Province, on Wednesday. Kaptein is mastering Banten's Islamic history at Al-Khairiyah which claims to be the oldest Islamic school institution in Banten.

"I would like to say thank you as I am very pleased to be here and I hope to come again," Kaptein said.

Kaptein was welcomed by Vice Chairman of the Al-Khairiyah Executive Board, Alwiyan Q. Syam’un, and allowed access to Al-Khairiyah's three century-year- old Quran.

There has been good cooperation between Leiden University and Al-Khairiyah, and many of Banten's historical manuscripts were also placed in the Netherlands, Syam'un stated.

"I need those manuscripts to know more about Al-Khairiyah and Banten's history. Wish I can go there in the future," Syam'un said. (ANTARA)

At least 57 domestic and foreign tour package buyers who attended the 6th Bali and Beyond Travel Fair (BBTF) in Nusa Dua, Bali, on June 25-29, 2019 explored tourist sites in Indonesia's province of Maluku.

The head of the Maluku Tourism Office, Habiba Saimima, said in Maluku's provincial capital of Ambon, on Tuesday that 57 tour package buyers consisted of 12 people from China, 10 from India and Australia each, eight from the Netherlands, five from Malaysia, three from Singapore, two from France, and seven from Indonesia.

"The transaction that will be realized is predicted to reach Rp53 billion," she said.

However, according to Habiba, the buyers of tour packages require a decrease in the price of airline tickets.

"Thankfully the government has facilitated the reduction in airplane tickets which indeed affects arrivals of tourists, especially foreigners to Maluku," she said.

She pointed out that Maluku's involvement in the 6th BBTF was for the first time to promote Maluku's tourism to foreign markets.

Maluku at the event promoted a leading destination of North Seram, Central Maluku District which was part of the Sawai Bay marine conservation area and Manusela national park.

The provincial administration also promoted the Banda destination in Central Maluku District, which includes the marine conservation area of Ai and Run islands, and the Kei Islands that includes the Kei sea area in Southeast Maluku District.

"So the three destinations are reflected in the Maluku tourism booth wall representing North Seram, diving hammer shark in Banda and Ngurtavur beach on the Kei Islands," Habiba said.

She said this Maluku tourism promotion was part of Governor Murad Ismail's work and Deputy Governor Barnabas Orno's program.

"We also take part in the Nusantara Tourism and Culture Festival at the JCC (Jakarta Convention Center), Jakarta on June 27-30, 2019 by promoting the 2019 tourism event calendar of Maluku specialty handicrafts, tuna skipjack, eucalyptus oil, woven fabrics and Banda tour packages, Ora beach, Kei tourism and Ambon," Habiba said.

On the promotion abroad, she explained, Maluku attended diving resort travel in Guangzhou, China on June 27 - July 1, 2019, where visitors were interested in visiting Banda.

"I received a report that at this international event until June 28, 2019 there was a transaction of Rp106.80 million," Habiba noted. (ANTARA)