VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Three cognate countries are a term that is often used to name Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam. All of them have Malay roots, speak Malay and have large followers of Islam in the Southeast Asian region. Recently, news has circulated that the three countries, which are known to always support Palestine and oppose Israel, actually attracted the attention of Israeli Ambassador to Singapore, Sagi Karni. On Thursday (17/6), he said that he wants to build relations with Muslim-majority countries in Southeast Asia.

In fact, Indonesia, Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam are consistent supporters of Palestine and condemned the Israeli airstrikes in Gaza last May. Ambassador Sagi Karni said the criticism from the leaders of the three countries was "dishonest" and ignored "the true nature of the conflict." He also remarked that the conflict was between Israel and Hamas, not the Palestinian people.

The three countries to date have absolutely no diplomatic relations with Israel. They are also the loudest in asking for United Nations intervention to stop Israel's attacks last May.

There is a reason why Israel, through its Ambassador in Singapore, dared to hope to approach the three ASEAN countries to explain its version of the background to the attacks on Palestinians last May. At the end of 2020, four Islamic countries in the Middle East; Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, Sudan and Morocco agreed to normalize relations with Israel.

So far, Indonesia does not want to have bilateral relations with Israel because of its solidarity with Palestine. Indonesian Minister of Foreign Affairs, Retno Marsudi in her statement said that Indonesia does not have diplomatic relations with Israel and will keep supporting Palestine to fight for and gain independence and its rights as a sovereign state. Meanwhile, Malaysia, since its independence in 1957, has refused diplomatic relations with Israel. As a Muslim-majority country, Malaysia has a desire to foster solidarity with Arab countries in opposing the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Israel's desire to get close to major Muslim countries in Southeast Asia must of course be based on a basic principle, namely, the recognition of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state in addition to respecting for universally applicable human rights enforcement.

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 about Kesehatan which means Health.

Here is the conversation entitled Ini Maskernya which means Here is the Mask. This dialog is between Kevin and a pharmacist in a pharmacy. Kevin wants to buy three-layered mask, then the pharmacist gives it to him. Let’s read to the conversation.

No I am going to introduce some vocabulary and expressions related to the topic of the day.

In the dialog, you listen to the pharmacist saying Ini maskernya (2x) which means Here is the mask. In the expression, there is the word maskernya (2x) which means the mask. The word maskernyaconsists of the word masker and the suffix -nya. The suffix -nyais a definite article. It refers to the mask that Kevin wants to buy. In a long sentence, the pharmacist may say Ini masker yang Anda inginkan (2x) which means Here is the mask that you want. To replace the long sentence, the pharmacist says Ini maskernya (2x) which means Here is the mask.

Let’s read to the other examples how to use the suffix -nyaas a definite article.

Kevin                   : Ada obat batuk? (2x) which means Any cough medicine?

Apoteker    : Oh, ada. Ini obatnya (2x) which means Oh yes. Here it is.

Kevin                   : Berapa harganya? (2x) which means How much is it?

Apoteker    : Dua puluh ribu rupiah (2x) which means Twenty thousand rupiah

To remind you again, another function of the suffix -nyais as a possessive pronounfor the singular object pronoun. For example, in the word rumahnya which means his house andnamanyawhich meanshis name. The different function can be identified in the dialog context.

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. 

The Austrian Government and the Central Java Provincial Government are exploring cooperation in the field of education and increasing Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The cooperation was discussed in a meeting between Austrian Ambassador to Indonesia, Johannes Peterlik and Governor of Central Java, Ganjar Pranowo in Semarang, Monday (14/6).

The meeting also discussed the potential for other collaborations in the field of art and exchange of artists which are expected to be realized soon.

Ambassador Johannes Peterlik explained that many Austrian companies are involved in vocational school training and they offer it to the Central Java provincial government. In addition to discussing the potential for cooperation, Ambassador Johannes also shared discussion with Governor Ganjar regarding the handling of COVID-19. He said Austria as a member of the European Union supports Indonesia which is a part of the COVAX initiative. European Union countries have recently increased the number of vaccines in the COVAX initiative to help Indonesia fight this deadly virus.

Meanwhile, Governor Ganjar Pranowo thanked the Austrian Ambassador for visiting. Governor Ganjar Pranowo also said he was happy; there were several sectors of cooperation that have been established, namely education and increasing MSMEs. According to the governor, this cooperation can bring about benefits in improving the economy.

Governor Ganjar Pranowo also hopes that cooperation in the field of vocational schools will soon be realized. He remarked that vocational schools are indeed being improved in Central Java, following the development of the industrial sector and fulfilling the skills and expertise of the workforce in Central Java. He added that in the near future, the Central Java provincial government could send some teachers to Austria to learn about vocational schools there or invite Austrian teachers to Central Java to share their knowledge with teachers in Central Java.

The Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy will hold international conference activities at the Five Super Priority Destinations (DSP). One of them will be held at Borobudur Temple on June 24 and 25. According to the Deputy for Tourism Products and Event Organizers of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Rizki Handayani Musatafa, this conference aims to introduce Borobudur Temple as a source of knowledge that contains values for all human beings.

“So if we look at it, actually, there are things that the Borobudur temple is a source of knowledge that has not been explored much. We will raise these values so that people see the Borobudur temple not only in its physical form but also the existing values of Buddhists. All of these may apply to all human beings.”

Rizki added that this event can also make tourists fell confident. This is important to revive the activities of meetings, incentives, conventions, and exhibitions or MICE, especially in the five Super-priority destinations. The theme of this conference is "Sound of Borobudur-Music Over Nations: Exploring Traces of Brotherhood Across Nations Through Music." Through the representation of musical instruments on the temple reliefs, Borobudur temple will be introduced more deeply to the world. According to Prof. Melani Budianta, Ph.D from the Faculty of Cultural Sciences, University of Indonesia, Borobudur is the oldest source of artifactual data that mostly describes diverse musical orchestrations. There are 44 panels in Borobudur Temple that show musical aspects. Then, there are 226 reliefs of aero-phones, chordophones, idiophones, membra-phones musical instruments and 45 ensemble reliefs. Purwa Caraka, an Indonesian artist stated that if these musical instruments are played simultaneously, they automatically foster a sense of tolerance between tribes, even between religions. Thereby, Borobudur is a masterpiece of the civilization of Indonesia.

This international conference will be filled by musicians from Indonesia and 10 countries in Asia. These musicians will collaborate to sound the musical instruments found on the reliefs of the Borobudur temple. Then, there are seminars with experts to explore collaborations together, mini exhibitions from 10 Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) in the Borobudur area to showcase and offer uniqueness, distinctiveness, and local superior products. This conference activity will be carried out in a hybrid manner. More participants are directed to go online and participants who attend follow strict health protocols, and are held following the CHSE MICE Guidelines, issued by the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy. The 100 offline participants consist of: central and local government elements, academics, domestic and foreign musicians, and tourism practitioners. Deputy for Tourism Products and Event Organizers of the Ministry of Tourism and Creative Economy, Rizki Handayani Musatafa further explained that the International Conference at Borobudur Super Priority Destination is the beginning for the implementation of International Conferences at other DSPs. Furthermore, it will be held in Toba, Likupang, Labuan Bajo, and Mandalika which will raise the theme with the peculiarities of each Super Priority Destination.

“Later in Toba, we will make it with a different theme. Toba, we will raise the theme of Geopark, because Toba has become a UNESCO Global Geopark. Then, there is Mandalika; there is Labuhan Bajo and there is Likupang, North Sulawesi. So, we will pick this up later according to the theme or then the uniqueness of the place, so that the branding can be stronger later.”