VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Joe Biden officially assumes the duties of President after his inauguration today, January 20 in Washington. The beginning of his duties was marked by a process of transferring power that was unlike the previous tradition. The replaced president, Donald Trump, did not attend Joe Bidden's inauguration, and did not welcome the 46th President of the United States at the White House. Over the centuries, the process of transition has been marked by the tea banquet at the White House that the old President held for the New President. The 46th inauguration of the President and Vice President of the United States at the Capitol Hill building was also marked by a very tight security  by United States National Guard troops. They were deployed to anticipate the possibility of violence following the riots on Capitol Hill by Trump supporters. Joe Bidden's departure to Washington for the Inauguration ceremony also did not use military aircraft provided by the Government. Joe Bidden and his wife took a private plane from Delaware to Washington and landed at Andrew Military Airfield.

Starting his adminitration, Joe Bidden did face a tough task. He must fulfill his commitment and promise to reunite the people who were divided by the election. In addition, Bidden must also move quickly to overcome the Covid 19 pandemic which is increasingly widespread and has caused more than 400 thousand deaths of Americans. Economic recovery is also waiting to be realized in the first 100 days of his reign with Kamala Harris. Concentration in the country, of course, must be balanced with attention to foreign problems. Foreign policy carried out during the Trump Donad era requires a change. The deterioration of relations with Iran and China will certainly be Joe Bidden's policy priority. In a statement, Bidden acknowledged that both US  multilateral and bilateral relations went awry during the Trump administration. On the occasion of his campaign Joe Bidden had promised to fix it as soon as possible. Regarding relations with Iran, Joe Bidden said that he  would re-join the nuclear agreement initiated by President Barack Obama. The deal, called the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPoA),  fell apart because in 2018 Donald Trump declared leaving it. Since then, relations between Iran and the United States have continued to deteriorate. Tensions escalated.

Therefore, Iran and the international community are certainly waiting for Joe Bidden's breakthrough in foreign policy to start. Apart from Iran, there are still problems and territorial disputes in the South China Sea involving several ASEAN countries as well as China.

This is Voice of Indonesia with 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“Apa Bedanya?”which means “What’s The Difference?. Stay tuned.

Read to this conversation about “Apa Bedanya?”which means “What’s The Difference?”.

On Car Free Day.When Kevin is jogging, a young kid is crying because his balloon is burst. Kevin wants to buy him a new balloon. A balloon seller asks Kevin to choose which balloon he wants to buy.

I am going to introduce somevocabulary andexpressions related to the topic today, namely “Apa Bedanya?”(2x) which means “What’s The Difference?”.

In the dialog, there is an expression Balon yang hijau lebih besar dari pada yang merah (2x) which means The green balloon is bigger than the red one. The expression is used to compare two green and red balloons. Besides the expression lebih.......daripada(2x) which means more…….than, there is also another expression for comparison, namely kurang..........daripada (2X)whichmeans less……..than. The comparative expression is usually followed by adjective.

For example:

-Nilai bahasa Indonesiamu lebih bagus daripada nilaiku(2X)which means Your Indonesian score is better than mine

-Rumahmu lebih jauh daripada rumahku (2X) which means your house is further than mine

-Tulisanku kurang besar daripada tulisanmu (2X) which means my handwriting is less bigger than yours

Besides for comparing objects, the comparative expression is also used to compare people.

For example:

-Ari lebih tinggi daripada Andi (2X) which means Ari is taller than Andi

-Rambut Maya lebih lurus daripada Sarah (2X) which means Maya’s hair is straighter than Sarah’s

-Aku kurang gemuk daripada kamu (2X) which means I’m less fatter than you

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.  

Indonesia-Japan Collaboration to Build Capacity of Indonesian Seafarers

The Indonesian Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Fisheries is collaborating with the Japan Agency of Maritime Education and Training for Seafarers (JMETS) to build the capacity of Indonesian seafarers in the field of shipping safety.

Director of the Fisheries Business Expert Polytechnic (AUP) - Marine and Fisheries Research and Human Resources Agency, Ilham in a press release, Saturday (16/1) explained that the scope of this collaboration includes navigation research by the Fishing Technology Study Program (TPI) AUP Polytechnic which will be included in the J-Stage journal (Scopus index Q-2).

Currently, the cooperation, which was agreed to until March 31, 2022, is focusing on developing the navigation safety of fishing vessels in Indonesia by understanding radar and other navigation tools for the shipping safety.

The AUP Polytechnic provides data related to the topic of the cooperation, which will be jointly analyzed to become scientific recommendations as a study material in a bid to improve safety for fishing vessels. Later, the data and information as a result of this collaboration will become scientific publications that can be used as literature or educational and training materials to improve navigation safety for fishing and shipping operations for the crew members of fishing vessels on non-conventional vessels, not only in Indonesia but also in other countries.

Uwi is a kind of edible tuber. It is white and stringy. This plant is so popular in East Nusa Tenggara Province -NTT. Before getting to know rice, farmers throughout Manggarai Raya, NTT have already known the Uwi as a staple food. As a staple food, the local community initially cultivated the Uwi plant that grew in the forest. Now, the farmers have planted the Uwi plants that are scattered throughout the fields at the village of Manggarai Raya. Apart from being used as a staple food, the Uwi is also used as the main ingredient in the Kewur Uwi ritual.

The Kewur Uwi ritual is an annual ritual inherited by the ancestors of all residents of Paua village, Mangarai Raya. It is a sign of the start of the rice harvest which is scattered on the slopes and hills around the village. The rice in the fields cannot be harvested if the Kewur Uwi ritual has not been carried out. All farmers in the South Elar sub-district obey this ritual. The Kewur Uwi ritual is carried out every April in the agricultural calendar of the local residents. This ritual is held massively in all villages in the South Elar sub-district. The local residents hold it for one day only and it is held from house to house.

During the Kewur Uwi ritual, the Uwi is burned to serve. In addition to the Uwi, the local residents also serve Ghan Rupang, a meal  wrapped in young bamboo leaves. Rupang is a traditional meal from some tribes in the South Elar District. It is always served during the Kewur Uwi ritual. Before the Uwi and Rupang are enjoyed, the traditional elders will pray for the meal. When the Kewur Uwi ritual takes place, women are prohibited to eat. In addition, the residents are prohibited from beating drums and gongs at local traditional houses. Drumming and gong beating can be carried out when the ritual has been completed. In addition to the sign of the start of the rice harvest, the Kewur Uwi Ritual is a legacy of the people of South Elar to honor the universe, ancestors and the Creator of life who provided staple food for local residents before getting to know rice. Until now, the ritual has been preserved and has even become a tourism attraction in Manggarai Raya, East Nusa Tenggara.