Voice of Indonesia presents Let’s Speak Indonesian, a program that introduces the Indonesianvocabulary 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“Pemilu” which means “General Elections”. Stay tuned.

Read to this conversation about“Pemilu” which means “General Elections”.

In a sidewalk shop, Kevin and Rama are enjoying cold drink amid the scorching heat.

Having listened to the conversation, now I am going to introduce somevocabulary andexpressions related to the topic of the day.

If you want to ask how to do something, you can use a question word bagaimana (2x) which means how. In the dialog, Kevin asks Rama how to participate in the general elections. Bagaimana cara kamu berpartisipasi dalam Pemilu ? (2x) which means How do you participate in the general elections? Additionally, you can also use the question word Seperti apa (2X) which means how do you? to ask how to do something. For example: Seperti apa cara kamu berpartisipasi dalam Pemilu? (2X) which means How do you participate in the general elections?

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 Indonesian government is considering allowing private companies to carry out Covid-19 vaccinations independently. Previously, the government had decided to provide free vaccinations to all citizens. President Joko Widodo said that independent or paid vaccination can be applied to accelerate the vaccination program for all people in Indonesia. According to President Joko Widodo, this will help the government speed up the formation of herd immunity in the community in order to prevent wider spread of the Covid-19 pandemic. The President also said that independent vaccinations could be carried out with different vaccine brands and carried out in different places. Indonesian private companies will be allowed to buy their own vaccines from the Covid-19 vaccine manufacturer. The condition is that the vaccine must be in accordance with the World Health Organization (WHO) standard. Vaccine recipient data must also be reported to the government so that there is no overlapping vaccination.

Commission IX of the House of Representatives –DPR dealing with Health and Manpower has also given a green light for the possibility of implementing independent vaccination, especially for the companies. Chairman of the Commission, Felly Estelita Runtuwene, stated that she is considering supporting the plan for the Covid-19 independent vaccine program.

Indonesia has around 30 thousand vaccinators, 10 thousand Community Health Centers, and three thousand hospitals that can be mobilized to speed up the vaccination program. Based on calculations, if each vaccinator can vaccinate 30 people a day, the vaccination is targeted to be done to nearly 1 million people a day. This means that the vaccination program in all regions in Indonesia will be completed in fewer than one year. Meanwhile, the number of positive infections in Indonesia is still high; it has even exceeded 14,000 positive cases in one day.

The option to implement the independent vaccination is being discussed by the government. If this is actually implemented, the vaccination program in Indonesia will return to the government's original plan, namely free-of-charge and paid vaccinations.

Traveling to the Dewata  island, Bali, please don't forget to enjoy its various   culinary specialties.  One of them is Pesan Be Pasih culinary. The main raw stuff of this culinary are some kinds of sea fish, such as skipjack, mahi-mahi, tuna, and others. The sea fish is processed in many ways, then it is wrapped in banana leaves.

The process of making  “Pesan Be Pasih" is not  too difficult.  To make seasonings, namely garlic, cayenne pepper, shallot, turmeric, shrimp paste, and salt are crushed. Then, this is added with Salam leaves to make the food taste more fragrant. The fish meat must first be cleaned, then cut it into cubes. After that, the pieces of fish meat can be mixed with the ground spices. The spice mixture that has been mixed with fish meat is wrapped in banana leaves, with an elongated round shape. Then, it is baked until well-cooked.

Pesan Be Pasih culinary is eaten more deliciously with warm rice. But, a long time ago, Balinese people used to eat the Pesan Be Pasih with boiled cassava or Moran rice. It's not difficult to find this culinary. The price is relatively affordable around Rp. 10,000 to Rp. 30,000 per serving.

Finally, Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. or Joe Biden was officially appointed as the 46th President of the United States on January 21, 2021, replacing Donald Trump. At the age of 78, Joe Biden is also the oldest president of the United States in history and the only one who was sworn in wearing a mask because of the still unsettling Covid-19 pandemic. Shortly after being sworn in, Biden immediately cleared the White House of Trump loyalists. In his speech as president, Biden spoke about unity, environment, Covid-19, and white supremacy. He praised Kamala Harris as a minority figure who becomes the vice president of the US and is considered a symbol of change. Regarding environmental issues, Biden said that America was in need of help. He also criticized divisive people, including extremist groups.

The American people and the international world as well have been waiting for Joe Biden's stance  and leadership, even from his first days as President. The role that Donald Trump played in international relations has positioned America in several difficult conditions in terms of international trade, foreign policy and international defense and security.

Of course, it takes time and process to handle all of that. In addition, Joe Biden must find people with the same vision in running his government. On his first day as President of the United States, Joe Biden seemed to want to convey a specific message that in the next five years, American policies will be completely different from the ones before. Of course, what everyone hopes is for a better condition, especially with regard to policies, both at home and abroad.