VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Ambassador to Tunisia, Zuhairi Misrawi conveyed that after being ratified,  Indonesia-Tunisia Preferential Trade Agreement (IT PTA ) has the potential to increase the value of bilateral trade cooperation to US$1 billion or around 15,44 trillion rupiah. In his statement in Jakarta on Tuesday (10/9), Ambassador  Zuhairi mentioned that  IT PTA includes tariff reduction or dispensation on 250 items. According to the Ambassador, if the value of Indonesia's economic cooperation with Tunisia succeeds in reaching US$ 1 billion, Indonesia will become one of the largest exporters to the country located in  the crossroads of Europe namely Middle East  and  Africa.  

The Ministry of Trade stated that  the total trade of both  countries in 2023 reached US$ 217.6 million or around 3.36 trillion rupiah, and it rose up 1.09 percent compared to the previous year.  Ambassador Zuhairi  also pointed out that the IT PTA which has reached the finalization stage and is ready to be signed by the two countries, will spur Indonesia-Tunisia cooperation  because the absence of such an agreement is one of the significant obstacles in bilateral trade.  He also hopes  the agreement was signed during the momentum of the 2nd Indonesia-Africa Forum in Bali in early September, but it had to be postponed due to changes in the cabinet in Tunisia. 

The signing may be done later in Trade Expo Indonesia in October or waiting for the momentum of the visit of the minister of trade.  He believes  IT PTA will increase Indonesia's export opportunities to Europe, Middle East  and Africa through Tunisia as an intermediary point.  In other parts,  Ambassador Zuhairi explained  that his side is exploring coffee and paper exports to complement Indonesia's main export commodities to Tunisia  which consist of palm oil, furniture,  fishery products, fruits,  and vehicle spareparts.

Photo: RRI/Istimewa

If you are a culinary lover, the city of Makassar in South Sulawesi, Indonesia should be your travel destination, because the city is rebranding itself as the city of Eating Good. Makassar Mayor Danny Pomanto recommends a 24-hour culinary tour if you come to Makassar.

Danny further explained, in the morning around 5am to 6am is the time to eat songkolo. This dish is made from rice mixed with dried fish and roasted coconut. From 6 to 8 am is the time to eat Yellow rice. Then 8am-10am forcoto Makassar beef soup. Then 10am-12pm it's time for pallubasa (offal soup).

From 12-15pm, there are various seafood dishes for lunch. At 15 -17 pm it's time for konro rib soup. Then for dinner there are various dishes, such as sup saudara (spicy beef soup) and Mi Titi noodle. For those who like to stay up late and want to eat coto, there is coto Bagadang.

From the various food specialties of Makassar, this time we introduce one of them, namely sup konro or pallu konro (rib soup). It originates from Bugis and Makassar traditions.  The word konro itself in Makassar language means ribs. This soup is usually made with beef ribs or beef. The colour of the soup is blackish brown, because it uses kluwek (black nut) as a seasoning. Besides kluwek, konro soup also uses other spices, such as coriander, a little nutmeg, turmeric, kencur (kaempferia galangal), cinnamon, tamarind, lemon leaves, cloves and salam leaves.

When eaten, konro soup is savoury, herb-rich and spicy.  This Makassar culinary speciality is usually eaten with burasa and sliced ketupat rice cake.

Nowadays, you can find a dry variation of konro called konro bakar, which is grilled beef ribs with konro's signature spices. Konro bakar is usually served with a separate soup. Konro is easily found in many restaurants in Makassar. The price is relatively affordable, around 30 thousand to 50 thousand rupiah or 1.95 to 3.25 US dollars per serving.

The Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in Johor Bahru, Malaysia, promoted the Indonesian Golden Visa at the Majestic Johor Festival 2024 to attract foreign nationals in a bid  to invest and work in Indonesia.

Immigration Technical Staff of the Consulate General in Johor Bahru, Wahyu Kusumanegara in a written statement, Wednesday (4/9), said that the promotion of immigration facilities that provide convenience for foreign nationals was carried out in the exhibition, which took place from August 28 to September 1, 2024.

The Golden Visa Indonesia, which was officially launched by President Joko Widodo on July 25, 2024, according to Wahyu, aims to invite foreign nationals to invest and work so as to have a double effect on the Indonesian economy.

Golden Visa holders are entitled to enjoy several exclusive benefits of the visa type, including an extended stay of up to 10 years, priority immigration service lanes at international airports, and efficiency as they no longer need to apply for a limited stay permit at immigration offices.

The types of Golden Visa include individual investors, corporate investors, former Indonesian citizens, second homes, global talents, and world figures.

As a requirement, all Golden Visa applicants must state their commitment to invest directly in Indonesia. The form of investment is determined based on the profile of the Golden Visa applicant, namely individual investors or corporate investors, with the aim of establishing a new company or not.

Golden Visa is implemented in a digital system that is made as easy as possible through evisa.immigration.go.id. Bahru Wahyu hopes that potential investors will find it easy to invest in Indonesia quickly and safely.

There are many ways that people find their life partners. Nowadays, many people use social media to find their soulmate. But in the past, some indigenous people in Indonesia held various arts and traditions to find a life partner, such as the indigenous people in Central Buton Regency, Southeast Sulawesi. They held a Kamomose dance to find a life partner.

In the Buton language, 'Kamomose' comes from the words 'komomo' and 'poose ose'. 'Komomo' means a flower, which is about to bloom, while 'poose-ose' means lined up in an orderly fashion. So, the 'Kamomose' dance is a traditional dance where teenage girls sit in an orderly row, then young men come and look at the girls. If one of the young men is interested in one of the girls, then the young man will fill the tray, which is prepared in front of the girl with fried peanuts.

This unique tradition begins with a traditional Linda dance performed by a number of girls accompanied by traditional music. After the dance performance, a number of young men queue in an orderly line around dozens of the girls, who are already waiting with a container in front of them to collect the peanuts thrown by the young men. Apart from fried peanuts, young men may throw other objects, such as gold or silver coins. However, if a young man is not interested in any of the girls, he may not fill the tray.

Actually, the fried peanuts used in the Kamomose tradition are just a substitute. In the past, in this tradition, young men would put coins into a basin. The parents of the girl who already know the code will then follow up in a traditional manner.

Usually, the family would immediately communicate with the girl's family to hold a proposal, followed by marriage. Now, this local wisdom of the Central Buton community is being developed by the Central Buton Regency government so that it continues to be sustainable and becomes an interesting cultural attraction for tourists visiting there.