After coming under the spotlight for the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, US President Joe Biden is now facing the wrath of France after the declaration of the defense alliance of Australia, UK and the United States, (AUKUS). This alliance also has an impact on the emergence of the European Union's anger, because France, as one of its members, has been disadvantaged regarding the AUKUS agreement which was formed on September 15, 2021.
The tension in Washington-Paris relations was marked by France's decision to cancel a series of meetings with the US on the sidelines of the ongoing UN General Assembly in New York. French President Macron had decided not be present at the 2021 UN General Assembly. Meanwhile, the French Foreign Minister also confirmed the cancellation of the meeting with US Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken.
What angered France was the AUKUS agreement that supports the procurement of 12 Australian nuclear submarines. As a result, Australia has delayed or canceled a previously agreed contract with France for the procurement of 12 diesel submarines. The decision made the French government feel very offended and financially harmed, so that it took diplomatic steps as a form of anger. France also decided to withdraw its ambassadors from Washington and Canberra.
This deteriorating Franco-United States relationship marked the beginning of the Joe Biden administration. Previously, Biden had come under scrutiny both at home and among European countries for hastening the withdrawal of his troops from Afghanistan. The decline in good relations between the United States and the European Union was also due to Joe Biden's decision to ban the export of Covid-19 vaccines, including to the European Union, whose members require vaccines. The policy of banning the export of vaccines has hurt the longstanding good relations between the United States and Europe.
In the case of the AUKUS agreement supporting Australia to procure 12 nuclear submarines, it is very likely due to Washington's consideration to offset China's maneuvering with its nuclear submarines in the Pacific.
In his speech at the UN General Assembly yesterday (21/9) Joe Biden conveyed various things related to his decisions and policies. Biden did not address the submarine issue in his speech, but defended his decision to leave Afghanistan. He made absolutely no mention of the AUKUS issue and US relations with France or the European Union.
Joe Biden and his administration will certainly try to convince their allies of some policies that appear to be degrading their good relationship. Diplomatic strategies and steps will be needed to improve relations or defuse anger and tension.
The residents of Terusan Lama village, Tebing Tinggi district, Empat Lawang regency, have a unique annual tradition at the Terusan Sungai Musi beach. That unique tradition is Lumpatan. In the local language, Lumpatan means jump. Lumpatan is actually a gotong royong or mutual cooperation that is done together to catch fish in the Musi River. This tradition is done once a year usually in the rainy season when the Musi River water debit is fast.
Lumpatan itself is a building made of bamboo and rattan which was then erected in the middle of the Musi River to make fish jump and be trapped if the Musi river water overflows. Lumpatan has a length of about 15 to 20 meters with a width of 8 meters, where the pole is planted at the bottom of the river. To make Lumpatan, it costs a lot of money. Therefore, a Lumpatan is not owned by one family, but a group of villagers. Each group ranges from 10 to 15 people. The making process of Lumpatan also takes a long time, about 1 month. In Terusan Lama village, there are about 10 Lumpatan installed on the Musi River.
Lumpatan begins to be installed in the rainy season, namely in September. Lumpatan tradition begins with the ritual of burning incense, reading prayers and Surah Yasin in the hope that God will give abundant fortune and keep them away from calamities. Lumpatan is then installed and left for some time to wait for the fish go into it. There are many types of fish that enter the Lumpatan, such as white baung, semah, gegali, coang idung, lanpam, patin, baong, cengkak, sengarat, mutal, and dengi itam. The types of fish that people usually get are white baung fish and semah. However, the most commonly found are semah fish. Semah fish is known in Sunda as kancra fish, tambra in Java, and sapan in Kalimantan. After the fish are caught, some of the fish will be cooked and enjoyed together by the local people.
Today, September 21st is commemorated by the world community as the International Day of Peace. This year, the commemoration of the International Day of Peace is in a situation where every country is struggling hard to shake off from the Covid-19 pandemic. United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres said that the Covid-19 had turned the world upside down. Conflict is out of control. The climate emergency is also getting worse. Inequality and poverty are deepening. Badly, distrust and split are tearing people apart at a time when solidarity and collaboration are needed more than ever. In his statement, Antonio Guterres also expressed his belief that by working in solidarity for lasting and sustainable peace every day, the world can overcome the problems it faces.
The theme of the International Day of Peace in 2021 is “Recovering better for a just and sustainable world”. Shaking off the pandemic, rising and recovering in peace are being carried out by all nations in the world. Every country has its own strategies and steps without the exception of Indonesia.
One of them is that Indonesia calls for nuclear disarmament at the World Atomic Energy Agency. The call was conveyed by Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Indonesia, Retno Marsudi in the General debate and Annual Report for 2020 at a virtual meeting of the World Atomic Energy Agencies on Monday (20/9). She affirmed that the potential for peaceful use of nuclear energy is unlimited, including to address today's global challenges. Minister Retno Marsudi also called on the world community to accelerate and enlarge the contribution of atomic energy to peace and prosperity.
With the spirit to rise and recover, Indonesia will also prove through the G20 Presidency in 2022. During the G20 presidency, Indonesia through the theme "Recover Together, Recover Stronger" reflects the spirit of recovering with the world. Of course, with the support of all Indonesian people, creating and maintaining peace will continue. The little actions of the Indonesian people to maintain domestic peace will be a great step to participate in creating the world’s peace. Because Indonesia believes that the world’s peace is not just a dream. As UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres put it “peace is not a naive dream”.
Happy International Day of Peace!
The Indonesian Central Statistics Agency recorded Indonesia's export value of US$21.42 billion in August 2021. This achievement is the highest record in Indonesia's history. Head of the Agency Margo Yuwono in a virtual press conference last Wednesday, September 15, explained that the positive export performance during the last month could not be separated from the increase in commodity prices in the global market. Price increases occurred in coal, palm oil (CPO), kernels, aluminum, tin, rubber and nickel. However, the highest increases in terms of prices and export volumes were CPO and coal. On a monthly basis, coal prices in August 2021 rose 11.04 percent compared to July 2021, as well as CPO prices which rose 6.85 percent.
Separately, Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto said that the high rate of exports in August 2021 showed Indonesia's economic recovery, which was accompanied by an improvement in the level of Indonesian Manufacturing Purchasing Managers' Index (PMI). In a written statement, Thursday, September 16, Airlangga Hartarto revealed, Indonesia's Manufacturing PMI in August 2021 increased to 43.7 from the previous level of 40.1 in July 2021. Indonesia's PMI level is better than several countries in ASEAN, such as Myanmar, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
This achievement, according to Airlangga, indicates that Indonesia's economic recovery will continue in line with the recovery in global demand. This is indicated by the continued increase in export volume and prices for Indonesia's mainstay commodities such as coal and CPO. For information, the realization of the export value in August 2021 increased by 20.95 percent compared to the export rate in July 2021. Meanwhile, non-oil and gas export destinations that experienced the largest increase compared to the previous month included China, India and Japan.