VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Cooperatives in general have given a positive contribution to Indonesian economy. Based on Cooperatives and MSMEs Ministry's data as per December 2020, 127,124 active cooperative units in Indonesia contributed 5.2 percent of the Gross Domestic Products (GDP) and absorbed 0.45 percent of total national workforce. 

In Indonesian's five-year economic development plan, the government targets 5.5% national GDP contribution from the cooperatives and 500 modern cooperatives units development by the end of 2024.

The Covid-19 pandemic becomes a great challenge to achieve the 5.5% GDP contribution target. Minister of Cooperatives and MSMEs, Teten Masduki said that 1,785 units of cooperatives were affected by the pandemic. He further mentioned that the main issues faced by cooperatives amid the pandemic are capital (47%), sales decline (35%), and production decline (8%).

With those issues, cooperatives must be creative to make more sales online amid the pandemic. In addition, the cooperatives can stay productive and achieve the GDP contribution target. 

The Indonesian government, as stated by Coordinating Minister for Economy, Airlangga Hartarto on Wednesday (28/7), is encouraging cooperatives modernization to improve their quality in order to stay productive and be able to compete offline and online. With Good Cooperative Governance (GCG), the cooperatives will be able to improve their competitiveness values because of being adaptive towards changes in marketing and technology.

The government also needs to involve the millennials since they are very familiar with technology. This will help in accelerating the modern cooperatives’ growth, which are ready to compete nationally and internationally.

Voice of Indonesia presents Let’s Speak Indonesian, a program that introduces the Indonesian vocabulary and guides you to speak in the language. Mari Berbahasa Indonesia or Let’s Speak Indonesian is a joint initiative of Voice of Indonesia and the Language Development Agency of the Indonesian Ministry of Education and Culture.  Today’s topic is still about Transportasi which means Transportation.

Here is the conversation entitled Aku biasanya Naik Transportasi Umum which means I Usually Take Public Transportation. This dialog is between Kevin and Mela at Transjakarta bus stop. They are waiting for Transjakarta bus. Let’s read to the conversation.

After reading to the conversation, now I am going to introduce some vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of the day.

In the dialog, you hear Kevin say Aku biasanya naik transportasi umum (2x) which means I usually take public transportation. In the expression, there is the word biasanya (2x)which means usually. It is used to state habit. It can be said before or after pronoun. For example, Biasanya aku naik transportasi umum (2x) which means Usually I take public transportation or Aku biasanya naik transportasi umum (2x) which means I usually take public transportation.

Let’s read to the other examples to state habit.

Kevin   : Kamu biasanya naik apa ke kantor? which means How do you usually go to the office?

Mela    : Biasanya aku pakai kendaraan pribadi which means Usually I go by private vehicle.

Kevin   : Kamu biasanya naik apa ke kantor? which means How do you usually go to the office?

Mela    : Biasanya aku bawa motor which means Usually I go by motorcycle

In the example, Mela says Biasanya aku bawa motor (2x) which means Usually I go by motorcycle. The word bawa which means take in the sentence means she rides the bike to go to the office.

That was “Let’s Speak Indonesian” for today. Hopefully, this edition can be useful for those of you who want to know more about Indonesian language. 

Porridge, a food with a slightly sticky and thick characteristic is made of various ingredients, such as rice, green beans, or glutinous rice flour. The taste, of course, varies; some are savory or sweet, depending on the ingredients. However, in Singkawang City, West Kalimantan, you will find a type of porridge that is not like porridge in general, namely GuntingPorridge. This porridge consists of chunks of Cakwe, served in a small bowl and doused with thick gravy filled with green beans. Cakwe itself is made from glutinous rice flour, salt, whiting water and Suji leaf water. All these ingredients are mixed well, until it becomes dough which is then shaped into a long round.

Gunting porridge is a hereditary food from residents of Chinese descent in Singkawang. Its name is also often called ‘Liuk Theu San’, which means green bean porridge tastes like diamond. It was named Bubur Gunting, because one of the main ingredients, Cakwe was long, so traders usually cut it with scissors. Gunting porridge sauce comes from soaked soybeans or green beans whose skin has been peeled, mixed with starch, Pandan leaf water, and sugar. After processing, the gravy becomes thick and clear. When served, the Cakwe is usually cut into small pieces with scissors.  

Warm Gunting porridge is very delicious to eat. The taste is so sweet. During Ramadan, this porridge will be very easy to find, because the people of Banjar almost enjoy it every day as a meal for breaking the fast. To taste it, it is not difficult to find Gunting Porridge in Singkawang, because there are many Gunting Porridge sellers who sell it with carts all over Singkawang City. However, because it is usually enjoyed for breakfast, porridge traders only sell it in the morning. The price is very cheap, around Rp 5,000 to Rp 10,000 per serving.

To welcome the 76th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, Indonesian people in the United States crossed the iconic Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco City on July 24. As many as one hundred participants from several major cities in the U.S., such as Houston, Los Angeles and cities around San Francisco, such as Richmond, Palo Alto, West Covina, were enthusiastic in the joint cycling activity organized by the Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia in San Francisco.

With the spirit of "Resilient Indonesia, Growing Indonesia" which is the theme of Indonesia's 76th Anniversary, the participants could choose the August 17 route, namely cycling for a distance of 17 miles (23 km) or Maju Tak Gentar route, which is cycling for 34 miles (50 km). They eagerly explored the uphill and challenging cities of San Francisco, Sausalito and Tiburon. The participants on the August 17 route crossed the Golden Gate bridge to the town of Mill Valey and returned by Sausalito ferry to San Francisco. Meanwhile, the participants of the Maju Tak Gentar route covered a distance of 34 miles with a bicycle path that crossed the hills up and down with strong wind gusts along the bay.

The activity was held in collaboration with the Gowes Indo-SF and Gowes Indo-US and Gowes Merdeka communities. This event is the first major bicycle sport event in the U.S. which was held for the Indonesian people in commemoration of the Independence Day of the Republic of Indonesia. The Indonesian Consul General in San Francisco, Simon D.I Soekarno expressed his appreciation for the enthusiasm of the Indonesian riding community in the U.S., which reflects the cohesiveness of the Indonesian people in the country.

In addition to welcoming the 76th Anniversary of the Republic of Indonesia, this event was also carried out to strengthen the sense of unity and integrity among the Indonesian people. Simon D.I. Soekarno also invited the community and the Indonesian Diasporas to jointly carry out activities that could promote Indonesia in the United States.

In addition, as a form of concern for the situation in Indonesia, the participants were also invited to lend a hand to help deal with Covid-19 in Indonesia through a fundraising activity by the Gowes community which was held on July 25, 2021. During the activity, even though the pandemic situation in the United States had improved, the participants were still asked to apply health protocols, namely wearing masks and keeping a distance.