VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian President Joko Widodo said Riau province will be benefited the most if the Trans Sumatra toll road is completed in 2024. When attending the Riau Community Cultural Show at the Pekanbaru Youth Center, Saturday (15/12), President Jokowi said that this was because the Trans Sumatra toll road will not only go through Riau, but also it will also connect Riau with the surrounding areas.

“Riau Province is very strategically located. If the Trans Sumatra toll road from Lampung to Aceh, in 2024 is completed, the most benefited from the existence of this toll road is Riau Province, especially Pekanbaru. Because the Trans Sumatra toll road not only connects Pekanbaru to Dumai, but also Pekanbaru to West Sumatra. This means that this area will grow rapidly. But be careful, this work is not easy without the support of the community,” said Joko Widodo.

The total length of the Trans Sumatra toll road from Lampung to Aceh reaches 2,700 kilometers. A number of toll road construction projects that are part of Trans Sumatra are in the process of finishing. One of the toll roadsto be inaugurated is the 140.8 kilometer toll road that connects Bakauheni to Tembanggi Besar. President Jokowi said that the construction of toll roads and other infrastructure is a prerequisite for a country to be able to compete with other countries. He said the construction of infrastructure in all corners of Indonesia will open access to the economic development of the regions where the infrastructure is built. (VOI/Ndy/trans by PUTRI/AHM)

The African continent has been one of the regions that has been the target of strengthening Indonesia's economic diplomacy in the past year. Following the instruction of the Indonesian president, Joko Widodo, at the beginning of 2018, who emphasized Indonesian representatives abroad, especially in the African region, to expand economic cooperation. Senegal and Ivory Coast, are two countries currently opening opportunities for Indonesia in that regard. Charge de Affaires of business authority of the Indonesian Embassy in Dakar, Senegal, Didik Trimardjono, said recently, Senegal was a potential "Entrance Gate" for Africa for various Indonesian export products both non-traditional and non-strategic industries, such as food to textiles.

"I was summoned by the minister of Senegal's National Development Planning Board recently, he said that he wanted to explore a possibility of becoming an agent or distributor of what is called here, the Jakarta motorbike," said Didik Trimardjono.

Didik explained that for strategic products, for example, Senegal was recorded to have purchased CN235 type aircraft which are produced by PT Dirgantara Indonesia and it has committed to purchase ships, 10 locomotive train units and plans to purchase around 50 tank units. (KRBN / RETNO / AHM)

President Joko Widodo was present at the Riau Malay Customary Institution Hall, Saturday (15/12), in the city of Pekanbaru, to receive the customary title Datuk Seri Setia Amanah Negara from the Riau Malay Customary Society. The title was given to Jokowi based on Decree Number 33 / LAM RIAU / XII / 2018.

In his remarks, the President said tradition and culture are big capitals owned by the Indonesian people to achieve progress. All of these resources according to Jokowi, if put together, will become a source of energy for the progress of the nation.

He hoped, the progress of the era marked by technological advances in various fields, did not shift the cultural values ​​of the Indonesian people.

“We need that strength because our nation's greatest asset is unity in making leaps of progress.We need unity to advance our nation's great culture and civilization. With the unity and native culture of Indonesia, let us continue to move forward and not to move backwards. Continue to instill a love of indigenous Indonesian culture in the hearts of future generations. Do not let them forget the original identity of Indonesia. Do not lose their love for the traditions and culture of the nation,” said the president.

Previously, when the customary title was held at the Jakarta Presidential Palace, the Chairperson of the Riau LAM Daily Leadership Council Datuk Seri Syahril Abubakar conveyed the reason for giving Jokowi's customary title. One of them is because the Jokowi government have managed to deal with forest and land fires that have lasted for 17 years in Riau. Another reason is due to the success of the Jokowi government in returning the Rokan Block in six districts and cities in Riau that belong to Indonesia.

Not only that, the government has also decided the management of the Coastal Plains and Pekanbaru (CPP) blocks to be handed over 100 percent to the regions throughPPT Bumi Siak Pusako (BSP).

LAM Riau also respects the government policy that issued Presidential Regulation Number 86 Year 2018 concerning the Land of Objects for Agrarian Reform. Through this policy, the joint land is recognized and at the same time the certificate is issued. (VOI / Ndy / AHM)

Vice President Jusuf Kalla held a limited meeting to discuss report and evaluation of accountability of the national committee  of the 18th Asian Games 2018 in Jakarta and Palembang. He said in Jakarta on Friday that the achievement and success of the Asian Games have achieved the target by having “A Plus“ grade, namely success of building venue facilities, the success of organizing the event, and having the 5^th-rank achievement.

“The facility, the organizing, and achievement, all three aspects go beyond what was planned. All parties, both the inside and outside the country, appreciate it What is the criticism? One of the criticisms is that this Asian Games is too short, only 2 weeks, why not a month? This ABC, we got A plus. how this implementation is successful from all sides!,” said Jusuf Kalla.

Vice President Jusuf Kala further stated that the success of building a number of venues can be seen after the event in which a number of world-class venues, such as the Velodrome, Gelora Bung Karno Sports Stadium, and Aquatic Stadiums, have been hired by several countries to become the arena of world matches. The success of building venues has an economic value, in addition to being able to provide revenue for the venue maintenance. (Rizky)