VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese receive Indonesian President Joko Widodo at the ASEAN-AUSTRALIA Summit 2024 in Melbourne, Australia (Photo : Setpres) -

VOInews, Australia - Indonesian President, Joko Widodo met Australian Prime Minister, Anthony Albanese, at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Center (MCEC) in Melbourne, Australia on Tuesday (5/3). At the meeting, he emphasized the commitment of Indonesia and Australia to strengthen strategic cooperation in the Indo-Pacific region.

President Joko Widodo also invited Prime Minister Albanese to strengthen cooperation to improve diplomatic relations, which have lasted for 75 years.

“Prime Minister Albanese, I am pleased to be able to visit Australia again. Australia is a strategic partner of Indonesia and ASEAN in the Indo-Pacific region, a region where we share the future and joint responsibility for maintaining stability. And in our 75th year of diplomatic relations/let us strengthen cooperation and collaboration.”

President Joko Widodo conveyed four main points to strengthen bilateral cooperation between Indonesia and Australia, including the importance of cooperation in the financial services sector and announcing plans to open a State Bank of Indonesia - BNI representative office in Sydney.

President Joko Widodo also highlighted the importance of expanding market access to create a more balanced trade//VOI

Papua Province Community and Human Resources Expert Staff Elsye Rumbekwan giving welcoming speech at the disscussion (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

Voinews, Jayapura, Papua - Indonesia has an important national agenda that is being prepared, namely the golden generation. To be able to make this happen throughout Indonesia, including Papua, good collaboration is needed from all levels of society to instill reading and writing activities into habits and culture.

Papua Province Community and Human Resources Expert Staff Elsye Rumbekwan said reading activities can increase knowledge, train focus and concentration, as well as improve brain performance and reduce stress.

"That's the importance of reading, not just entertainment, but also a cognitive exercise that is full of benefits. When our eyes weave letters into words and sentences, our brains respond by focusing our attention. "This is the moment where focus and concentration work synergistically," he said when giving a speech representing Acting.

Governor of Papua in the Indonesian Reading Ambassador (DBI) Talks in Papua Province with the theme Indonesian Reading Movement: Reading is Healthy, Writing is Great, which was held in a hybrid manner, on Thursday (29/2/2024).

In the event held by the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas), DBI Gol A Gong explained that he got his reading habit thanks to his parents. From this habit, he got his own blessings. He said that since the 4th grade of elementary school, he had to let his hand be amputated and accept judgment from people that his life would be bleak.

"My father and mother taught me three daily routine activities, namely running, reading and listening to fairy tales. As a reward for my perseverance, my reading habit, which was previously just a hobby, brought me to a pleasant profession, namely journalism. I also wrote 125 books. So, books make me empowered," he said.

Meanwhile, Papua Province Reading Ambassador Michael J. Yarisetouw confirmed that families play an important role in forming children's reading habits.

“When I was chosen as a Reading Ambassador, I created a family Reading Time movement. Because when I was little, I didn't have a book but my mother wrote down the Lord's Prayer big for me to study. From there, before I entered elementary school, I already knew how to read. "My father was the same, he required me to read one chapter of the Bible every morning, which I then had to explain after praying together," he recalled.

Furthermore, he added that literacy is not just about reading and writing, but about a person's ability to access and understand the information they hear and read. Then, the results are written down and can be useful for the wider community, as well as beneficial for their own survival.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Friday (01/03/24), the writer, Jose Alvan Ohei agrees with the DBI slogan, namely Reading is Healthy, Writing is Great. According to him, in the future there will not be many new writers in Papua. This is because the activity of writing is a calling and because the habit of reading has not yet been developed, the basic problems still need to be addressed.

"Because they are not used to reading, it will be difficult for Papuan children to move to the next step to express what is on their minds in written form. However, that doesn't mean it's impossible, but rather that it will take a long time to produce many writers, especially if it is not supported by the government. "Writing is downstream from reading," he explained.

Papua Province Literacy Activist Hanny Felle explained that women play a role in determining the future generation of Papua. According to him, women are the spearhead of driving literacy.

"I became a literacy activist starting with three books, until now I have been able to open around 25 libraries in Jayapura Regency. "We must realize that the work we do is not paid, but we work from what we have and serve with our heart," concluded the winner of the 2023 Nugra Jasa Darma Pustaloka Community Category award from the National Library//VOI

Minister Trevelyan when met with Indonesian Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto accompanied by British Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor Leste, Dominique Jermey - 

Voinews, Jakarta - UK Minister of State for Indo Pacific Anne-Marie Trevelyan visit Jakarta on 28-29 February 2024 and will meet with Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi to discuss bilateral relations as the UK and Indonesia mark their 75 th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. 

Mrs Trevelyan will also meet with Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto to talk about economic affairs including UK support for Indonesia’s application – as the first country in Southeast Asia, in OECD (Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development) membership.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (29/02/24), Minister Trevelyan is scheduled to meet with Deputy Minister for Communications and Informatics Nezar Patria to discuss ways to collaborate further on digital transformation and countering disinformation.

And, in a demonstration of the impact the UK is having across the ASEAN region as an ASEAN Dialogue Partner, the Minister will meet partners, including UN Women and the ASEAN Institute for Peace and Reconciliation, collaborating on the UK’s flagship ASEAN programme on Women, Peace and Security. 

Minister Trevelyan will attend the signing of an MoU between Infrastructure Export UK (IE:UK), a partnership between the UK Department for Business and Trade and the UK’s leading infrastructure firms, and the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KADIN) on sustainable infrastructure opportunities in the New Capital City.

“This is a great moment to return to Indonesia as we celebrate our 75 th anniversary of diplomatic relations this year. Indonesia matters to the UK. I am keen to explore ways to collaborate further and discuss plans on how the UK’s support can pave the way for Indonesia to reach its ambitious goals on economic development, digital transformation, regional stability and for the New Capital of Nusantara (IKN)", She said. 

Minister Trevelyan added that Indonesia also hosts the ASEAN Secretariat. The UK became an ASEAN Dialogue Partner in 2021 and the relationship between the continues to thrive, with close cooperation on a range of issues, including health security, education, climate change, and economic integration across the region//VOI

Billy Mambrasar and Australian Ambassador to Indonesia Penny Williams pose after dicussing education in Indonesia (Photo : Billy Doc) -

Voinews, Jayapura, 28 February 2024 — The distinguished Ambassador of Australia to Indonesia, H.E. Penny Williams, convened with the Special Staff to the President of the Republic of Indonesia for Innovation and Education, Mr. Billy Mambrasar, at Swis-Belhotel, Jayapura, Papua Province, on Tuesday (27/02/2024).

This important meeting was marked by a profound exchange on the pivotal role of education in propelling Indonesia's development forward.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Wednesday (28/02/24), deliberating on the symbiotic relationship between education and progress, both dignitaries explored avenues of collaboration to enhance the human development trajectory of their respective nations.

Their dialogue epitomized the spirit of cooperation and mutual benefit, underscoring the shared commitment to advancing the prosperity and well-being of their people.

Billy Mambrasar started the meeting by sharing his experience, being an Australian Alumnus and an awardee of the Australia Awards in the year of 2013.

“I would like to take this opportunity to thank the Australian Government for the continuous support to Indonesia in so many ways. Indonesia-Australia diplomatic relations was established in 1949. We sure have gone a long way. My first overseas education experience was granted by the Australia Award, and I am forever thankful for the many doors it has led me to,” said Billy who graduated from the Australian National University (ANU) in 2014 with a Master of Business Administration (MBA).

“Since President Widodo (Jokowi) appointed me to be his Special Staff in 2019, the mandate has always been clear, to accelerate education and innovation in Indonesia, including in its most outer areas. Therefore, on behalf of Mr. President, I would like to extend my gratitude to Your Excellencies, Mrs. Penny William for your special attention to Papua, as demonstrated through your presence here today,” said Billy.

“Moreover, Mr. President also appreciates the collaborations between Australia and Indonesia for education and human development, through the ongoing projects, such as Invoasi, Prisma, Skala, and many more,” he added.

Billy expresses his excitement about the upcoming “Inovasi” Project and request the Ambassador to accelerate the process, by also having the partnership with the local NGO’s in education, as the form of knowledge transfer from Australia to Indonesia.

Penny Williams appreciates the progress of the development in Papua, and Australia will support in various form of the development cooperation with Indonesia in Papua.

“This is my first official visit to Papua and I am very delighted to be here today with the rest of the Embassy entourage. It is fascinating to see the developments of Papua as a result of continuous collaborations between the Indonesian and the Australian government,” said Penny.

At the closing of the meeting, Penny Williams send his regards to President Joko Widodo, and appreciate all the progress made by the President. The Ambassador also outlines Australia’s commitment to strengthen it’s partnership with Indonesia in the critical development sector, especially in the are of the Energy, Environment, and the Human Development//VOI