VOI - Voice of Indonesia | RRI - Radio Republik Indonesia

VOInews, Jakarta: Fiji shared many similarities with Indonesia. Quoting an interview with the Indonesian Ambassador to Fiji, Dupito D. Simamora on the Voice of Indonesia's Ranah Diplomasi programme on Wednesday (8/5/2024) there are at least three similarities between Indonesia and Fiji.

First, according to Ambassador Simamora, like Indonesia, Fiji is also an archipelago republic. "Fiji is an archipelago in the southern Pacific with about 300 islands but the area is about almost four times the island of Bali, so all the islands in Fiji are about four times the size of the island of Bali," Ambassador Simamora said. Ambassador Simamora added that Indonesia is actually also part of the Pacific archipelago which is glued together by the Melanesian race of some Indonesian tribes with Pacific countries. Indonesia is an associate member of the Melanesian Spearhead Group as well as a dialogue partner of the Pacific Island Forum along with Fiji.

Like Indonesia, according to Ambassador Simamora, Fiji is a country that lives with ethnic and religious diversity. "Maybe it can be said to be the only country that is multi-ethnic and multi-religious because here in addition to the Melanesian group which is the indigenous population of around 65 percent, there is also a fairly large portion of indo-fijians or Fijians of Indian descent who were brought here to work on plantations, especially sugar cane plantations and that is also one of the characteristics of Fiji is that besides being multi-ethnic it is also multi-religious, or multi-religious. The largest is Christianity followed by Hinduism and then Islam and of course other religions. So if in other Pacific countries it can almost be said to be homogeneous although there are always minorities but here is the only heterogeneous country which may also be a kind of mini Indonesia but in a different composition, "continued Ambassador Simamora.

The third similarity, according to Ambassador Simamora, is that the Fijian people are generally sports lovers. If Indonesians are generally happy with football and badminton, while Fijians like rugby. "So I think there are similarities with Indonesia. But the pride of Fijians is rugby, so it is not surprising that in 2020 this country also won a gold medal at the Olympics in Tokyo," concluded the Ambassador who began serving since August 2023.

 VOInews, Jakarta: Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), which currently ranks among the 10 Islamic banks with the largest market capitalisation in the world, makes Indonesia's Islamic finance an attractive and potential market for domestic and foreign investors. This was conveyed by Adiwarman Azwar Karim, an Islamic finance expert at the Islamic Banking Outlook 2024 held at Flix Cinema, Ashta 8 District South Jakarta, Wednesday (8/5/2024). The event was attended by Islamic Banking leaders and Islamic finance practitioners in Indonesia.

"The first thing is that we are happy with the current developments. Bank Syariah Indonesia, for example, is in the top 10 largest Islamic banks in the world in terms of market capitalisation. This is an encouraging thing and gives a signal to the world that Indonesia is an attractive country and has great potential for investment in Islamic finance," said Adiwarman, who is currently Deputy President Commissioner of Bank BSI.

In his presentation, Adiwarman A. Karim outlined a roadmap for the development of national Islamic banking through the consolidation of sharia units per cluster. "We see that there will be consolidation, where banks that have small sharia business units (UUS) will consolidate with seven scenarios, where these small banks, UUS-UUS, assets will group themselves into several groups and become banks with larger sizes," explained the founder of Karim Consulting Indonesia.

Adiwarwan also stated the possibility of the birth of two giant Islamic Banks like Bank Syariah Indonesia, which currently has total assets of Rp 348.41 trillion as of February 2024. According to him, the presence of new large Islamic banks will increase the percentage of Indonesia's Islamic banking assets, which currently reaches 7.38% of Indonesia's banking share.

The National Library during submitted the Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol manuscript as a Memory of the world in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia (Photo : Perpusnas) - 

VOInews, Jakarta - Indonesia's documentary heritage, the Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol manuscript, is designated as one of the Memories of the World (MoW) for Asia and the Pacific.

The certificate was handed over by the leader of the Memory of the World Regional Committee for Asia and the Pacific (MOWCAP) Kwibae Kim to the Head of the National Archives Imam Gunarto accompanied by the Deputy for Library Material Development and Information Services of the National Library of Indonesia (Perpusnas) Mariana Ginting in Ulaan Baatar, Mongolia, on Wednesday (8/5/2024).

The manuscript proposed by the National Library and the West Sumatra Provincial Government was selected after following a voting process from meeting participants representing Australia and Tuvalu, Bangladesh, China, the Philippines, India, Malaysia, Mongolia, Uzbekistan and Vietnam.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (09/05/24), apart from the Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol manuscript, the designation of Memory of the World for Asia and the Pacific was also given to the Indarung Semen Padang archive proposed by PT Semen Padang, and the archive of the Indonesian Sugar Research Institute in 1887-1986 proposed by the East Java Library and Archives Office and the Indonesian Sugar Research Institute.

The National Library's first expert librarian, Aditia Gunawan, explained that the Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol manuscript is one of the authentic notes written by natives summarizing the history of the Padri War and West Sumatra in the 19th century.

He added, there are several reasons why this manuscript deserves to be designated as Memory of the World (MoW) for Asia and the Pacific. First, the Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol manuscript is a pioneering work, both in terms of influence and genre of writing.

"The work is in the form of a hypogram with actors narrating it directly," he explained from Ulaan Baatar.

Second, this manuscript has significant historical relevance in the pre-independence period of Indonesia and is evidence of Minangkabau history in the 19th century.

Third, this work presents a global narrative of the Islamic movement between the Middle East and Southeast Asia in the 18th to 19th centuries.

"Fourth, this text highlights the active role of women, a characteristic that is supported by the Minangkabau cultural background with its matrilineal kinship. "And fifth, as the only Minangkabau Malay handwritten work that reveals historical facts, this manuscript has an irreplaceable position as a reference for the future," he explained.

After the Tambo Tuanku Imam Bonjol manuscript was designated by MOWCAP, he explained, a follow-up program was needed that would make the manuscript easily accessible, widely known and preserved for future generations.

MOWCAP is a regional forum for the global Memory of the World (MOW) Program of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), which was founded in 1998.

In the Asia Pacific region, many libraries, archives and memory institutions are facing challenges. such as economics, climate and geography in maintaining the preservation of the collection.

MOWCAP aims to assist the preservation and universal access to documentary heritage in the Asia/Pacific region and also raise awareness of the existence and importance of this heritage//VOI

Kawasan The Nusa Dua, Bali (Photo : dok ITDC) - 

VOInews, Jakarta - The management of The Nusa Dua area, Bali Province is preparing their services and infrastructure to ensure that the implementation of the 10th World Water Forum which will be held at that location on 18-25 May 2024 runs smoothly.

"As the manager of The Nusa Dua area, we are preparing by carrying out area maintenance to ensure the readiness of services, infrastructure and integrated area security systems in prime condition," said General Manager of The Nusa Dua, I Made Agus Dwiatmika, in his statement in Bali, as quoted in Wednesday (8/5/2024).

Made Agus said that the 10th World Water Forum would be held at two Meeting, Incentive, Convention and Exhibition (MICE) venues in areas owned by tourism State-Owned Enterprises (BUMN).

Meanwhile, the Bali International Convention Center (BICC), The Westin Resort Nusa Dua, Bali will be the location for the High Level Meeting on 20-21 May 2024.

"Nusa Dua Hall, Bali Nusa Dua Convention Center (BNDCC), will also be the location for the Opening Fair and Expo. "The Fair and Expo will be held at several locations such as BNDCC, BICC, Bali Collection Nusa Dua and Kuta Beach on 20-25 May 2024," he said.

According to Made Agus, one activity that is no less interesting is the "Samudra Cipta Peradaban" Cultural Parade, which will take place in the Nusa Dua area on May 20 2024 at 17.00 - 18.00 WITA.

According to a release received by Voice of Indonesia on Thursday (09/05/24), the cultural parade will feature various arts and culture attractions that will enchant the delegates and add a local touch to the event.

"Apart from that, to date, 10 hotels in the Nusa Dua area have been confirmed as accommodation locations for heads of state and World Water Forum delegates, including seven hotels for VVIP guests and 3 hotels for VIP guests and delegates," he said.

All confirmed hotels, continued the General Manager of The Nusa Dua, are currently preparing both in terms of facilities and security systems in the form of x-rays and security doors.

As a security control center, The Nusa Dua Command Center itself will be equipped with modern facilities, such as integrated CCTV, TV Monitor, Integrated Radio Communication, Information System Link with the Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics Agency (BMKG) and the National Disaster Management Agency (BNPB) in the form of an Alert System Tsunamis, earthquakes and extreme weather, as well as the Indonesian Tourism Decelopment Corporation (ITDC) security unit which is reinforced with sniffer dogs (K9), fire fighting units and area patrols.

"With thorough preparation and a high spirit of collaboration, the 10th World Water Forum in 2024 at The Nusa Dua is ready to become a foundation for sustainable change towards a better future for our earth," concluded Made Agus//VOI