VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin Umar. (ANTARA/HO-Kemenag)

VOInews, Jakarta : Indonesian Religious Affairs Minister Nasaruddin called on Saudi Arabian Hajj and Umrah Minister Tawfiq F. Al Rabiah to grant Indonesia an additional quota of Hajj officers for 2025, considering the country's high elderly pilgrim count.

"We have asked for increasing the number of our Hajj officers or at least keeping the amount of quota granted for the previous Hajj since we need (more) officers to serve many elderly pilgrims," he noted in his office's statement received on Monday.

Nasaruddin made the statement in Mecca on Sunday (November 24) after meeting with Al Rabiah at the Grand Mosque of Mecca, where they touched upon a range of issues, including preparations for the 2025 Hajj and people's empowerment.

The Indonesian minister explained that his plea for an additional quota was made in connection with the Saudi government's plan to slash Indonesia's Hajj officers' quota by 50 percent for next year's Hajj pilgrimage.

During the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage, Indonesia dispatched over four thousand Hajj officers stationed at airports, Medina, and Mecca.

Umar also noted that during the hour-long meeting, Al Rabiah urged Indonesia's Ministry of Religious Affairs to leave no stone unturned in preparing for next year's Hajj season.

"Thank God, Indonesia has established the Hajj Organizing Agency, which we expect to make significant contributions to the betterment of Indonesia's Hajj implementation," he remarked.

Apart from the additional quota bid, Umar also made the most of the meeting to urge the Saudi government against placing Indonesian pilgrims in the Mina Jadid area.

Furthermore, the two ministers discussed the Murur scheme, which would allow pilgrim buses to pass through Muzdalifah without stopping, enabling faster movement of pilgrims//Antara-VOI

Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas. (ANTARA/HO-Ministry of Law/rst)

VOInews, Bali : Minister of Law Supratman Andi Agtas is reviewing the transfer of five Australian drug smugglers from the Bali Nine group to their home country. The review of the transfer is being carried out along with Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, Immigration, and Corrections, Yusril Ihza Mahendra, and related stakeholders.

"The results of the study will be consulted with President Prabowo Subianto to generate the best decision," Agtas noted in a statement confirmed on Monday.

The five prisoners in the Bali Nine group are Si Yi Chen, Michael Czugaj, Matthew Norman, Scott Rush, and Martin Stephens. In principle, the minister said Prabowo has approved the transfer of five foreign prisoners to their home country on humanitarian grounds and to maintain good relations with other countries.

However, Indonesia does not have a fixed procedure regarding the transfer of international prisoners, but his side will carry out the process at the earliest.

"This effort is important to maintain our good relations with other countries. However, we must also ensure that they respect the legal process in Indonesia," Agtas remarked.

According to the minister, the country of origin of the foreign prisoners must recognize the Indonesian court's decision, as Indonesia has the authority to try foreign nationals who commit crimes in its territory.

Hence, he elaborated that foreign national prisoners transferred to their home country must complete their prison terms in their respective countries according to Indonesian legal decisions.

Apart from returning foreign prisoners, the minister said that Indonesia is striving to repatriate Indonesian prisoners being held abroad.

To date, the Ministry of Law has received letters from ambassadors of several countries regarding the transfer of foreign prisoners to their home countries. Agtas stated that he would deliver the letters of request to President Prabowo//Antara-VOI

 The National Library and The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, at the SOAS Building, England. (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

VOInews, London : To realize one international data on Indonesian manuscripts, the National Library of the Republic of Indonesia (Perpusnas) has established partnerships with parties, both from within and outside the country.

This was done by signing a collaboration between the National Library and The School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) University of London, at the SOAS Building, England, on Friday (22/11/2024). The cooperation text was signed by Plt. Director of National Library E. Aminudin Aziz and Dean of Humanities SOAS Graeme Earl.

This collaboration is one of three National Library priority programs in 2024, namely mainstreaming Indonesian manuscripts. "Nusantara manuscripts are widely spread throughout the world and require attention for their sustainability," explained Plt. Head of National Library.

He added that there were 82 Nusantara manuscripts at SOAS that had not been digitized. "We will discuss with our philologists to determine which manuscripts should be digitized first," he continued.

It was stated that this year, the National Library is focusing on three priority programs, namely increasing the love of reading, building reading habits and increasing literacy, mainstreaming Indonesian manuscripts, and library standardization.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Monday November 25th 2024 in Jakarta, the National Library delegation to SOAS was led by Plt. The National Library was accompanied by Principal Secretary Joko Santoso, Head of Legal, Organization, Cooperation and Public Relations Bureau Sri Marganingsih, Head of General Affairs Chaerul Umam, and librarian Anastasia Linawati.

The group was welcomed by the Head of Department of the SOAS School of Languages, Culture and Linguistics, University of London Ilana Webster-Kogen, Head of SOAS Libraries Rookaya Bawa, as well as several SOAS librarians.

Meanwhile, Webster-Kogen expressed his delight at the collaboration that had been established. That way, saved manuscripts can be published widely. "We have to follow up on a more technical agreement, related to the process of digitizing manuscripts," he explained.

Collaboration between two agencies regarding the field of libraries and information management. The scope of cooperation includes increasing capacity in the field of philology and the study of Indonesian manuscripts; joint publications and research; and identification and cataloging of Indonesian manuscripts in England. Both parties agreed to continue collaborating in efforts to preserve manuscripts, especially Indonesian manuscripts//VOI

Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid (center) speaks during the 2024 International Digital Dialogue Conference (IDDC) in Berlin, Germany. ANTARA/HO-Kemkomdigi

VOInews, Berlin : Indonesia's Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Meutya Hafid stressed the need for inclusivity in digital transformation in a speech at the 2024 International Digital Dialogue Conference (IDDC) held in Berlin, Germany, on November 21–22.

She said that inclusivity, empowerment, and trust should be the basic principles of digital transformation.

"Therefore, the Indonesian government prioritizes the availability of reliable and affordable internet access for all citizens," Hafid was quoted as saying in a statement on Sunday.

She said that affordable, reliable internet can help build a digital economy, empower the community, and boost digital literacy.

On the sidelines of the event, she signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the German Ministry of Digital and Transport on the continuation of the annual Indonesian-German Digital Dialogue forum.

The MoU listed six areas for strategic cooperation between Indonesia and Germany: digital policies, data policies, internet governance, digital technology, sustainable digital transformation, and digital inclusion.

Hafid also spoke of the development of digital economic infrastructure and access to the internet. She said that digitalization is swiftly developing in an across-border style and brings about many challenges that are too great to be tackled alone.

"Collaboration is key to ensuring that digitalization brings maximum benefits to the Indonesian people and reduces or even eliminates risks that may arise," she said//Antara-VOI