VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Ramadan, which is the holy month for Muslims around the world and this year falls from April 13 to May 13, closes with escalating conflicts between Israel and Palestine. Bloody clashes took place at the Al-Aqsa Mosque compound, Jerusalem on Friday evening local time (7/5/2021) after Israeli police fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinians armed with stones. This incident is related to the threat of expulsion of Palestinians from their territory which is claimed by the Israeli settlers. The situation in Jerusalem has heated up following clashes between Palestinian residents and Israeli security forces in recent days.

The clashes were triggered by a police blockade of places where residents gathered after fasting, which is an obligation of Muslims to be carried out every day during the month of Ramadan. In addition, Israel also threatened to expel dozens of Palestinians in the Sheikh Jarrah area.

Refering to history, the Palestinian - Israeli conflict, especially in relation to the Seikh Jarrah area in East Jerusalem, began when 28 Palestinian families who were expelled by Israel from their hometowns in 1948 settled in that neighborhood. The expulsion is widely known as the Nakba (disaster) which resulted in hundreds of thousands of Palestinians fleeing their homes.

Various tug-of-war processes continue between Israel and Palestine regarding the Sheikh Jarrah area. However, what is in the world spotlight is the violence that often occurs to the point of casualties. Since Friday last week, Israeli forces have continued to launch relentless attacks and injured hundreds of Palestinians praying at the Al-Aqsa Mosque - the third holiest site for Muslims - as well as in Sheikh Jarrah, a settlement in the East of Jerusalem. This has certainly sparked global concern that the unrest could spread further. The violence around the Al-Aqsa mosque complex, which was generally at night, was declared the worst violence since 2017.

It is hoped that the Organization for Islamic Cooperation countries -OIC, as well as the United Nations -UN can act immediately to find the best solution for resolving the open conflict between Israel and Palestine, which is feared to worsen. The most important thing to do now is to stop acts of violence of both sides. Because the most disadvantaged and often become victims are civilians, especially women and children.

Hopefully, peace in this region can be achieved sooner.

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 Sakit which means Sick. 

Here is the conversation entitled Nomor Ponsel which means Phone Number. This dialog is between Kevin and a clinic registration staff. The staff asks Kevin’s phone number. Let’s read to the conversation.

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

In the dialog, you listen to Kevin who mentions his phone number, nol delapan satu dua dua lima ribu sembilan satu. When mentioning phone number, some Indonesians often say kosong instead of nol which means zero. However, the right one isnol like Kevin says. Then, Kevin says 5000, which means five zero zero zero, with lima ribu, not lima nol nol nol which means five zero zero zero. It is usually said when there are three same zero numbers in a row.For example, nol delapan satu dua dua lima ribu sembilan satu.

Let’s read to another example to mention phone number.

Clinic staff : Berapa nomor ponsel Anda? which means What is your phone number?

Kevin                   : 0812000531. (nol delapan satu dua ribu lima tiga satu) which means zero eight one two thousands five three one

Ponsel stands for telepon seluler which means cell phone. However, Indonesians usually the word handphone or shortened to HP. Therefore, an expression which is often used the most to ask someone’s phone number is Berapa nomor HP Anda? which means What is your phone number?

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. 

Depok M Block - 

The Covid-19 pandemic situation has limited people's mobility. For the people of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang and Bekasi, activities in and out of Jakarta have begun to decrease. To avoid going farther to Jakarta, now Depok residents have an alternative "Instagrammable",  a local hangout with the concept of one stop shopping, namely ’M District’ area.At this location, there is a restaurant with an Indonesian menu where you can enjoy a number of traditional food menus with special natural ingredients at affordable prices, a Muslim shop for Hajj souvenirs and a coffee shop.

There are many menus offered in the M District area, such as Penyet ribs, carp fillets, traditional rice-bowl, various herbs, and fruit juices at affordable prices, starting from Rp. 6,000 to Rp. 90,000. While enjoying your meal, you can take pictures in the area with beautiful lighting decorations, views of greenery, and an outdoor atmosphere. The decoration of this area is inspired by the beauty of Santorini, Greece. This restaurant, which can accommodate up to 400 visitors, can also be a location for breaking the fast or other meetings which, of course, still have to apply the Covid-19 health protocols.

M District which is located Jl Margonda Raya No. 488, Depok, West Java, can also be used to organize weddings with wedding package prices starting from Rp 19.5 million. To get to this location, you can use train transportation from Jakarta to the University of Indonesia Station. Then, the journey continues on foot through the pedestrian bridge towards the Evenciio Apartments. The implementation of strict health protocols must also be carried out at the District M to prevent the spread of the Covid-19 virus. Let's explore the M District.

Indonesian Minister of Investment, Bahlil Lahadalia is optimistic that Lebak Regency in Banten Province can be a new economic growth area. He said that Lebak shares similar potential with Batang Integrated Industrial Area in Central Java. Another reason is that there is a toll road connecting Jakarta and Lebak with three segments. That was affirmed  by Minister Bahlil Lahadalia when visiting Lebak last Saturday (8/5). He visited the Cileles Toll Gate plan of the Serang-Panimbang Toll Road as well as the potential area for an integrated industrial area in Lebak.

Lebak has 3,000 hectares in Cileles Industrial Area with clean and clear status, so it is ready for development to attract investors.

Minister Bahlil further stated that his ministry's duty is not only to facilitate investors in doing business in Indonesia, but also to develop investment-supporting infrastructures and facilities. He also remarked that many industrial areas in Indonesia will provide more choices for investors and increase the country's competitiveness.

Banten Province ranks 4th as the greatest investment destination in the first quarter of 2021 with investment value reaching Rp14.8 trillion. Meanwhile, during 2016 until the first quarter of 2021, the investment realization in Lebak was Rp7.5 trillion.

Minister Bahlil Lahadalia said the industrial area in Lebak will be developed with a master plan prepared by the Investment Ministry. In addition, his side will support in bringing more investors to Lebak. He added that one of the promising sectors in Lebak is fishery, especially fish cultivation. Therefore, he will cooperate with IPB University to support developing the fish cultivation business.

Meanwhile, Head of Banten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN), Mulyadi Jayabaya who accompanied Minister Bahlil Lahadalia's visit to Lebak said that he will guarantee cooperation with farmers in pangasius (large catfish) cultivation development. The Banten KADIN aims in two to three months, Lebak can be a pangasius cultivation business center and produce 700 ton of pangasius per month.