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Four indicators willsignify the successful implementation of Indonesia’s Regional Head Elections (Pilkada) this year, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.

The indicators include safe and smooth implementation, high voter participation, the absence of conflicts that damage national unity, and the continuous smooth operation of the government.

Togap Simangunsong, the ministry’s acting Director General of Politics and Governmental Affairs, made these remarks during a review of Pilkada preparations in South Papua on Friday, as quoted in a statement released on Saturday.

Simangunsong urged local governments to ensure that supporting aspects, such as budget needs, are met and to address conflict risks to prevent them.

Additionally, acting South Papua Governor Rudy Sufahriadi noted that synergy among various parties is essential for Pilkada to proceed smoothly and safely.

“We need to strengthen collaboration between the government, election organizers, and the military and police to ensure a successful Pilkada in South Papua,” he added.

He emphasized that any conflicts interfering with the elections must be identified immediately.

Vice President Ma’ruf Amin expressed hope that the people of Papua would maintain a calm and peaceful political environment leading up to the November 27 regional elections.

The central government also called on law enforcement officials to prevent any election-related criminal violations.

Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto urged the General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to actively remind the public not to choose candidates based solely on financial incentives.

MIND ID is committedto ensuring environmental sustainability in mining industry operations, according to Arief R. Wiwaha, the head of ESG performance and reporting department at the state-run mining industry holding company.

“MIND ID is committed to environmental integrity and strong governance, so that it can continue to support Indonesia toward a sustainable future,” Wiwaha said in a statement released on Saturday.

He added that with the commitment, the company proves that mining industrial growth and environmental preservation can go hand in hand for the welfare of current and future generations.

The commitment has been pursued by the MIND ID through a number of initiatives related to water management and renewable energy, he said.

Wiwaha emphasized that all members of the group are carrying out sustainable exploration by implementing best practices in the mining sector and contributing to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.

He cited the example of the water management initiative carried out by state gold and nickel miner PT Aneka Tambang (Antam), which involved the installation of an advanced water treatment plant as part of an effort to improve the quality of wastewater processed into clean water.

“Antam also maximizes the use of recirculated water for production processes and other uses,” he said.

Meanwhile, state-run coal mining company PT Bukit Asam Tbk (PTBA) is applying a passive acid mine drainage method in Tanjung Enim, South Sumatra.

“PTBA also recycles acid mine drainage with the water gate system into clean water for a number of activities such as office needs, cleaning the coal handling facility, and watering mine roads,” Wiwaha said.

Furthermore, PT Freeport Indonesia s building a new desalination plant as a water source for the Manyar smelter.

PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium (INALUM) is optimizing the Sigura-gura hydroelectric power plant to increase the efficiency of water use.

“Through the implementation of more efficient technology, the Sigura-gura hydroelectric power plant has succeeded in minimizing unnecessary water loss and increasing optimal water use in the electricity generation process,” Wiwaha said.

PT Vale Indonesia has implemented the SWAP (steam, water, air, and power) online monitoring system application to monitor water use.

According to Wiwaha, the MIND ID Group is also encouraging the use of renewable energy to address climate change.

“It is recorded that throughout 2023, as many as 41 percent of the MIND ID Group’s internal energy consumption came from renewable energy, be it solar PV (photovoltaic), biofuel, or hydropower,” he said.

Youth and Sports Minister Dito Ariotedjo has asked the All-Indonesia Badminton Association (PBSI), under its new leader M. Fadil Imran, to prepare a road map for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. “As Mr. Imran has been selected (as the PBSI chairperson for the 2024–2028 period), I hope he will start making a road map for the 2028 Olympics,” he said in a statement received from the PBSI here on Saturday.

He assured that the government will fully support the strategic plan laid down in the road map.

“We vow to support in terms of budget for the badminton sports in Olympics, SEA Games, and Asian Games,” he said.

He pointed out that badminton is one of Indonesia’s flagship sports, hence, the government is very committed to supporting it.

“This needs communication, collaboration, and the road map prepared by PBSI, including the short-, medium-, and long-term planning,” he said.

He expressed the hope that the PBSI will partner with private parties to open up more opportunities.

The minister also urgedImran to modernize the Cipayung National Centralized Training.

It is hoped that under Imran, PBSI, as an organization, can be united and endorse mutual assistance, and not be divided by factions, he said.

“Let’s realize undivided PBSI; no more factions. We are all one for Indonesia. I call this united PBSI with the vision of badminton being the national pride and joy,” Ariotedjo added.

Meanwhile, Imran said that he is ready to receive inputs and criticisms from the people and badminton lovers in the country.

“Critics and evaluation are motivations that are taken by the PBSI management daily,” he added.

On Saturday, at the PBSI National Conference in Surabaya, East Java, Imran was elected as PBSI chair in place of Agung Firman Sampurna.

He was the sole candidate for the post and received approval from 34 out of the 38 provincial PBSI managements.

Indonesia has been a badminton powerhouse since the sport’s inception, dominating the 1950s and 60s by winning multiple Thomas Cups (men’s team) and Uber Cups (women’s team).

The country has won eight gold medals in badminton since it became an Olympic sport in 1992. Until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, Indonesia had won 21 medals from this branch, with details of eight gold, six silver, and seven bronze.

Indonesia’s badminton team at the Paris 2024 Olympics secured a bronze medal in women’s singles through Gregoria Mariska Tunjung, but suffered disappointing early exits in men’s singles.

Deputy Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Yandri Susanto highlighted that the implementation of Hajj this year has been better in comparison with 2023.

Susanto noted in his official statement received here on Tuesday that he considered this year’s Hajj implementation, including during the peak of the Hajj worship in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina, to have gone smoothly.

So far, no incidents, such as neglect or overcrowding of pilgrims in Muzdalifah, have been reported, like what had occurred last year.

“The peak of the Hajj worship in Arafah, Muzdalifah, and Mina went smoothly. They can worship well,” Susanto stated.

In addition, he assessed that the mobilization step carried out by the Indonesian Hajj officers, who have assisted pilgrims from Arafah to Muzdalifah and to Mina improved this year.

He remarked that the number of Hajj pilgrims from Indonesia who died during worship also decreased from last year.

On Tuesday (June 18), Susanto visited Saudi Arabia to check the condition of Indonesian pilgrims and review the arrangement system for pilgrims

After his review, Susanto then noted that several Indonesian pilgrims were pleased with the government’s services.

Earlier, Chairman of the House of Representatives’ (DPR’s) Commission VIII, Ashabul Kahfi, had reminded the 2024 Hajj pilgrimage committee to guard and supervise all movements of Indonesian pilgrims from one place to another.

Kahfi affirmed the importance of strengthening supervision on the movement of pilgrims from Arafah to Muzdalifah and to Mina.

He expressed hope that the Muzdalifah incident reported last year would not recur and that incidents of pilgrims going missing would not occur.

Furthermore, House speaker Puan Maharani, on Monday (June 18), announced the national legislative body’s plan to establish a special committee that will be tasked with evaluating the implementation of this year’s Hajj pilgrimage.

President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) held a meeting with leaders of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) to discuss a series of activities to be featured during the celebration of the 79th Anniversary of Indonesia’s Independence Day.

“This is a consultative meeting that brought together leaders of the MPR and the president of the Republic of Indonesia,” MPR Deputy Speaker Ahmad Basarah stated after the meeting at the Presidential Palace, Jakarta, on Friday.

He noted that the meeting was held to discuss plans for the national ceremonies of the Independence Day, the next annual session of the MPR, and the commemoration of National Constitution Day.

During the closed-door meeting, President Jokowi was accompanied by Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Hadi Tjahjanto, State Secretary Minister Pratikno, and Cabinet Secretary Pramono Anung

Meanwhile, MPR Speaker Bambang Soesatyo led a delegation comprising eight of his deputies.

Minister Pratikno remarked that the head of state and the MPR had agreed to hold the 2024 MPR Annual Session and 2024 Joint Session of the House of Representatives (DPR RI)and Regional Representative Council (DPD RI) to welcome Independence Day as usual.

“Mr. President affirmed that this year’s annual sessions related to the Independence Day would be held in the same manner as previous years,” he stated.

He further said that the president emphasized the importance of maintaining a sound level of communication among state institutions to build national synergy.

“Mr. President deemed it crucial for state institutions to foster national synergy by maintaining communication. That way, Indonesia will remain standing strong in the face of global uncertainties,” he pointed out.

He said the president also reiterated that the government would proceed to carry out its plan of holding two simultaneous Independence Day ceremonies at the new capital city Nusantara and Jakarta.

Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo has expressed the hope that the 2nd Indonesia-Pacific Parliamentary Partnership (IPPP) session will strengthen inter-parliamentary cooperation among countries in the Pacific region.

He described the IPPP meeting, which is being held from July 24–26, 2024 in Jakarta, as very important since Indonesia is an inseparable part of the Pacific community, both in terms of identity and geographical similarity.

“(The cooperation is vital) To further strengthen parliamentary diplomacy in the Pacific region, especially in various priority sectors such as economy, trade, investment, maritime, and regional connectivity of land and sea,” Soesatyo said after attending the IPPP session here on Thursday.

It is the secondyear that the House of Representatives (DPR) is holding the IPPP after 2018. IPPP implementation was halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Soesatyo highlighted that the 2nd IPPP session has been joined by parliamentary leaders and members from 12 countries, one territory, and one international organization.

Divided into three sessions, the meeting’s focus is on regional connectivity cooperation, improvement of people-to-people relations, and maritime potential to support sustainable development goals (SDGs).

The session has also discussed efforts to strengthen the role of women and youth and friendship and intercultural cooperation.

This year’s IPPP also included a dialogue with the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG) members consisting of Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, and Fiji.

“This dialogue with MSG is instrumental, considering that several provinces in Indonesia’s eastern region are included in the Pacific region and are also part of the Melanesian group, namely East Nusa Tenggara, Maluku, North Maluku, and six provinces of Papua,” the MPR speaker said.

He added that Pacific region countries are united because of their geographical condition, natural resources, diversity in human resources, and common challenges.

“Indonesia’s existence among Pacific countries, especially in coastal community development, is not to be doubted. Likewise, the DPR’s participation in building partnerships with Pacific region countries in international forums (is also imminent),” he said.

In an attempt to revivethe national ideology of “Pancasila” and raise awareness about its five main principles, the Indonesian government has been organizing shadow puppet shows across the country.

“Conveying the values of Pancasila through shadow puppet shows is an effort to attract people`s attention. They prefer something entertaining to other conventional ways such as dialogue and training,” People`s Consultative Assembly (MPR) deputy speaker Hadjriyanto Y. Thohari said here on Thursday.

“People are not interested dialogue, speeches or training sessions. But if we organize a puppet show, hundreds of them come to watch it,” he added.

Thohari noted that Indonesian people were no longer aware about the values of Pancasila, which led to rising anxiety and confusion in an increasingly heterogeneous society.

“Therefore, we have been looking for new ways to promote Pancasila and its principles. So far, shadow puppet shows have been the most successful way of doing it across the country,” he noted.

Thohari said theshows were being held across most provinces in Java Island and some in Sumatra, such as Lampung and Medan.

“The campaign began in 2009. The shows are not held only in Javanese language. The language changes according to the region where the show is held. We make it in local language in order to reach out to as many people as possible,” he explained.

“We also assess the effectiveness of the shadow puppet shows by gathering feedback. This is done in cooperation with some universities, such as Airlangga University and Islamic State University. They conduct the research for us,” Thohari pointed out.

He said the government also ran awareness campaigns in the form of quiz contests, seminars, and group discussions on Pancasila values, Indonesian constitution and national integration.

“The campaigns have been broadly done in the eastern part of Indonesia, including Manado, Ambon and Papua. However, we have found that the use of traditional art forms has been the most effective everywhere,” Thohari noted.

The campaigns are done by people from different religious backgrounds and age groups. Public figures and women activists have also taken part in them.

“We have even tried to promote Pancasila through rock music,” Thohari said.
(Uu.SDP-54/INE/KR-BSR/H-YH)

Speaker of the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Bambang Soesatyo affirmed Indonesia’s stance in supporting Palestinian independence to Advisor of the President of the Palestinian Authority for Religious Affairs Mahmoud Al-Habbash on Friday.

“I emphasized Indonesia’s stance to always fight for Palestinian independence,” Soesatyo stated after the meeting with the Palestinian counterpart.

The speaker remarked that the Indonesian Constitution, which mandated that colonialism on Earth should be wiped out as it is not in accordance with humanity and justice, was the background of all the support.

“We also lauded various efforts by OIC (Organization of Islamic Cooperation) member countries, UN (United Nations), and other nations who have tried to create peace in Palestine,” the speaker remarked.

He noted that Mahmoud Al-Habbash also highlighted various developments related to the Palestinianpeople’s struggle to gain independence.

“He mentioned various issues on the latest developments regarding the struggle of the Palestinian people who have been fighting for their independence for almost 100 years,” he stated.

He explained that Indonesia’s support for Palestine is not only in health assistance but also a planned cooperation in the fields of business and investment in Palestine, which will be initiated by MPR Deputy Speaker Fadel Muhammad.

“Indonesia did not only offer assistance by sending troops for health and the recovery of Palestinians but is also trying to establish cooperation in the field of business investment in Palestine,” Soesatyo remarked.

During the meeting between the two parties, Soesatyo was accompanied by Muhammad, while the Palestinian delegation was accompanied by several administrators of the Nahdlatul Ulama Executive Board (PBNU).

In addition to Mahmoud al-Habbash, the Palestinian delegation present included Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia Zuhair Al-Shun.

Meanwhile, the PBNU administrators present to accompany the Palestine delegation were Chair of PBNU Ulil Abshar Abdalla and Ahmad Suaedy, as well as PBNU Deputy Secretary General Sidrotun Naim and Ginanjar Sya’ban.

The government isholding the 2024 Indonesia Bertutur Festival on August 7-18 in Bali in an effort to bring members of Gen Z closer to the country’s cultural heritage.

“The method must be creative and open, matching with young people’s characters,” Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry’s Director of Film, Music, and Media, Ahmad Mahendra, stated here on Friday.

Mahendra underscored the need for young people to be introduced to the cultural heritage and traditional art with the use of technology, such as light installations.

He expressed hope that through the Indonesia Bertutur Festival, young people could learn about their culture.

“The forms (of art) can be different, but we can see the cultural root,” he remarked.

The festival was first held in 2022 in UNESCO-recognized Borobudur, Magelang District, Central Java.

This year, the festival’simplementation was inspired by the local agricultural wisdom in Bali, called Subak, which has been designated as a UNESCO cultural heritage.

At least 900 artists from across the world are participating in the event.

The 2024 Indonesia Bertutur Festival has nine programs and is held at three different locations: Batubulan and Ubud in Gianyar District and Nusa Dua, Badung area.

The Maha Wasundari program was held at the festival’s opening on Wednesday (August 8). On August 8-9, the festival presented the Kathanaya, a form of oral art stage that is rich in local wisdom and Indonesia’s longstanding history.

Four programs will be held in Ubud, including performance art, dance in the style of cinematography, monologue theater performance, and poetry recitation.

In Nusa Dua, on August 14-18, the Anarta stage will showcase artists from the country and overseas.

The Kiranamaya and Virama stage in Nusa Dua will present light installation and video art, as well as entertainment stage from various artists.

Menteri Agraria dan Tata Ruang/Kepala Badan Pertanahan Nasional (ATR/BPN) Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) mengatakan, tata ruang harus dikelola dan dikendalikan sesuai dengan peruntukkan.

Menurut AHY, Indonesia akan menghadapi sejumlah tantangan terkait dengan masalah pertanahan dan tata ruang, apabila tidak dikelola dengan sebaik-baiknya sejak saat ini.

“Kita harus jaga dengan baik apa yang ada, tata ruang harus dikelola dengan sebaik-baiknya dan dikendalikan. Jika ada yang tidak sesuai dengan peruntukannya maka harus ditertibkan,” ujar AHY di Jakarta, Kamis.

Pengelolaan dan pengendalian tata ruang, kata AHY, berkaitan erat dengan masalah ketahanan pangan. Pasalnya, jumlah populasi Indonesia yang terus meningkat, membuat pembukaan lahan-lahan baru terus dilakukan.

Pada akhirnya, lahan-lahan yang harusnya tetap menjadi sawah malah berubah menjadi bangunan. Menurut AHY, hal seperti ini yang harus dihindari dalam pengelolaan dan pengendalian tata ruang.

“Tata ruang wilayah di seluruh Indonesia ini harus benar-benar sesuai dengan peruntukkannya, mana yang harus tetap menjadi lahan sawah, mana yang tidak. Ingat, sawah-sawah kita juga semakin berkurang luasannya, padahal kita tetap butuh makan,” katanya.

Pengelolaan dan pengendalian lahan juga berfungsi untuk menghindari bencana alam pada lokasi-lokasi yang tidak seharusnya menjadi kawasan pemukiman.

Oleh karena itu, Kementerian ATR/BPN akan terus melakukan penertiban terhadap bangunan-bangunan yang berada pada zona terlarang.

AHY mengatakan bahwa penetapan zona yang dilarang untuk pendirian bangunan merupakan hasil riset dan data berdasarkan keilmuan, sehingga meminta masyarakat untuk mengikuti peraturan yang berlaku.

“Ini harus kita tertibkan bersama-sama, tapi di atas segalanya saya tentu mengimbau kepada jajaran agar terus melakukan sosialisasi kepada masyarakat, agar benar-benar memahami mengapa kalau kita tentukan zonasi itu tidak sembarangan, ini bisa mencegah kita semua dari bencana,” ucap AHY.