VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Voice of Indonesia presents “Let’s Speak Bahasa Indonesia,” a lesson in the Indonesian language on the radio. We introduce some Indonesian vocabularies and tips on how to use it in a conversation. This segment 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 “Berapa Kali Sehari?” which means “How Many Times a Day?”

Read to this conversation about “Berapa Kali Sehari?” which means “How Many Times a Day?”Kevin gets explained about how to take medicine prescribed by the doctor.

Now, I am going to introduce some vocabularies and expressions related to the topic today.

In the dialog, Kevin asks the pharmacist how many times the medicine is taken a day. He says Berapa kali sehari? (2x) which means how many times a day?. The interrogative word berapa? (2x) which means how many? is used to ask the number of a thing or a frequency to do something. If it is used to ask the number of a thing, it is usually followed by a noun. For example, Berapa macam obat yang kamu minum ? (2x) which means How many kinds of medicine do you drink? Aku minum dua macam obat  (2X)which means I take two kinds of medicine. Theinterrogative word “berapa” is used to ask not only the number of a thing, but also the frequency of an activity. The word “berapa” is usually followed by a verb. For example, Berapa kali kamu minum obat ini? (2x) which means How many times do you take the medicine? Aku meminumnya tiga kali (2x) which means I take it three times.

That was “Let’s Speak Bhs Indonesia”, a lesson in Bahasa Indonesia or the Indonesian language on the radio. Hopefully, this edition will be useful for those who want to know more about Bahasa Indonesia.

Pasola is part of a series of traditional ceremonies conducted by Sumbanese people who still adhere to the original religion called ‘Marapu’ (the local religion of the Sumbanese people).

Pasola games are held in four villages in West Sumba regency. The four villages are Kodi, Lamboya, Wonokaka, and Gaura. The Pasola in the four villages is carried out in rotation from February to March each year.

Pasola is not just a form of crowd, but is a form of devotion and an acclamation of obedience to the ancestors. It is a religious culture that reveals the essence of the religiosity of the Marapu religion.

Pasola becomes the bond of brotherhood between the two groups that participate in the Pasola and the general public. Pasola is an expression of gratitude and joy for the local community, because of the abundant harvest.

Pasola comes from the word "sola" or "hola", which means a type of wooden javelin used to throw one another from a horse that is being driven fast by two opposing groups. After getting the affix "pa" (pa-sola, pa-hola), it means the game.

So, pasola or pahola means a game of dexterity by throwing wooden javelins from the back of a horse that is being riden fast between two opposing groups.

Pasola begins with the implementation of the Nyale tradition. Without getting the Nyale, Pasola cannot be implemented. Pasola is held in a vast expanse of field, witnessed by all residents from the two competing groups, the general public, and foreign and local tourists.

Each group consists of more than 100 youths armed with spears made of wood with blunt ends and about 1.5 cm in diameter. Even though it has a blunt end, this game can take lives.

If there is a victim in the Pasola, according to Marapu's belief, the victim receives punishment from the gods for having committed an offense or mistake.

The Indonesian government and UNICEF signed the 2021-2025 Country Program Action Plan (CPAP) worth US $ 150 million or the equivalent around Rp 2 trillion which will be distributed to various programs. Minister of National Development Planning / Head of Bappenas, Suharso Monoarfa in a written statement on Thursday (31/12) said that this step is a commitment to the realization of children's rights within the framework of implementing one of the visions of the 2020-2024 National Mid-Term Development Plan, namely improving human resources. Meanwhile, UNICEF Representative, Debora Comini said that Indonesia has all the potential to overcome development challenges for children. But, all will be stronger if united. Thereby along with the Government of Indonesia, UNICEF is joining forces with civil society, faith-based organizations, academicians and private sectors to meet the needs of all children across Indonesia.

The Indonesian Embassy in Caracas is exploring educational cooperation related to exchange of Indonesian students with Venezuela. This cooperation began with a bilateral meeting between Indonesian Ambassador to the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela, Imam Edy Mulyono and the Venezuelan Minister of Higher Education, Cesar Trompiz last week. The meeting of the two officials discussed plans for cooperation between the two countries to exchange students to various fields, including international relations, food technology, and arts. Furthermore, the plan is expected to be strengthened through a memorandum of understanding of both countries in 2021. In the future, there will be visits by universities in Indonesia that will participate in Venezuela to realize this cooperation.

In a Limited Cabinet meeting on 28 December, the Indonesian government decided to prohibit foreign nationals from entering Indonesia from 1-14 January 2021. Exceptions were made for officials at the ministerial level and above, diplomatic visa holders and several other permit holders while still strictly implementing Covid-19 health protocols.

The emergence of a new mutated variant of the coronavirus, which is named VUI-202012/01 and has a very fast transmission rate, is the reason for the government to pass the prohibition policy.

The virus, originally identified in southeastern England, is spreading faster than the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus. This new variant of Covid-19 has also been found in several other countries.

This condition has certainly hit the tourism sector again. Although during the pandemic, foreign tourist visits did decline sharply. Even in some areas no one visited. According to the Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy, Sandiaga Uno, the government is currently focusing on domestic tourist visits, especially in the creative economy sector of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises. At least, this step makes the tourism sector breathe a little again. The reforms that will be carried out from now on will certainly be of great potential when tourism is fully opened.

Chairman of the Association of Bali Travel Agents, Putu Winastra even said that the 14 days tightening of foreign citizens entering Indonesia would have a positive effect on Balinese society. Until now, international flights to Bali have not opened yet. This ban will be an opportunity to sterilize the Island of the Gods from Covid-19 transmission.

The government's policy of prohibiting entry to foreign nationals for 14 days is indeed correct in anticipating and minimizing the transmission of the new variant of Covid-19 which has currently entered several European and African countries.