Day: March 2, 2023

Jakarta (ANTARA) – It is only right for people to be disappointed over the alleged assault perpetrated by the son of a Finance Ministry official who also flaunted his wealth on social media, President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) said.”If it went like that, well, I think it is only right for people to be disappointed because the service was considered poor. And the apparatus: they show arrogant behavior, flaunting wealth, hedonistic,” the head of state said while opening a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace here on Thursday. Widodo further said that he is aware of the public disappointment over the case against Mario Dandy, the son of an official at the Directorate General of Tax of the Finance Ministry, as well as against an official at the ministry’s Directorate General of Customs and Excise, Eko Darmanto, both of whom were known to flex their wealth on social media. He informed that he was aware of the public sentiment regarding the two cases because he followed and monitored the comments made by the public, both in person and in cyberspace, in relation to them. The essence of the bureaucracy reform program pursued by the government throughout the years has been ensuring that the people get the best, accountable, and effective services, the President added. Widodo said that he did not want to see government officials provide poor services, or even exhibit arrogance toward people by showing off their position, title, and wealth. “And be careful, it is not only limited to (officials of) tax and customs, excise. There’s also police department and other apparatuses. (It applies to) other types of bureaucracy, too,” he added. n official at the Directorate General of Tax at the Finance Ministry, Rafael Alun Trisambodo, attracted public attention following reports of a brutal assault perpetrated by his son, Mario Dandy, against David, 17, in North Jakarta. The violent encounter was recorded and it spread on social media. The case put Mario Dandy’s habit of flaunting his wealth on social media platforms into the spotlight. He was known to post about his expensive vehicles. Trisambodo’s total assets of Rp56 billion (US$3.7 million) also attracted public scrutiny since many people felt his wealth was disproportionate to his position as an echelon III official. Currently, the Finance Ministry and the Corruption Eradication Commission are investigating Trisambodo’s assets. baca-jugaRelated news: Legislator criticizes tax boycott movementRelated news: Sri Mulyani stresses 2022 state official wealth report still ongoingRelated news: Ministry to facilitate recovery of victim assaulted by official’s son

Source: Antara News Agency

(Even having broad) knowledge will not be enough (to help the children) to face the real world. Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Deputy Head of the secretariat for the working group on violence prevention and handling at the Education, Culture, Research, and Technology Ministry has urged educational institutions to foster a love for diversity to eradicate intolerance.”We must eradicate intolerance to develop quality education that loves diversity and realize an equitable education,” Julians Andarsa said at the virtual “Denpasar 12 Discussion Forum” on Wednesday. He emphasized that all individuals are special as they have distinctive characteristics that distinguish them from others, thus mutual respect for every type of diversity is required. Diversity includes differences in gender, physical traits, interests, levels of intelligence, socioeconomic conditions, religions, beliefs, as well as ethnicity, the ministry official expounded. Hence, children need to be introduced and accustomed to social skills that will allow them to be tolerant of and have mutual respect for diversity in their surroundings from an early age, he said. Those skills are creativity, communication, critical thinking, and collaboration, he added. ccording to Andarsa, there will be a number of consequences for children who do not understand the concept of tolerance. Children who reject diversity will have difficulty adapting to social changes and working with other people, thus they will find it difficult to compete in the 21st century as the global community is becoming increasingly connected, he explained. “(Even having broad) knowledge will not be enough (to help the children) to face the real world. Intolerance will hinder the younger generations from working and developing themselves,” he remarked. Furthermore, children who are not taught to embrace diversity will always be full of themselves as well as harbor prejudices and stereotypes against others, which may eventually lead to bullying and acts of violence, the official said. ccording to a national assessment conducted by the ministry, only 32 percent of educational institutions in Indonesia have cultivated tolerance and love for diversity, he informed. Furthermore, 59 percent of them are still required to strengthen tolerant behavior in their institution, while 9 percent of them need to increase such behavior, he added. baca-jugaRelated news: Acculturation of foreign culture enriched national diversity: academicRelated news: Indonesia’s diversity cannot be denied: PBNURelated news: Cultural diversity strengthens unity of Singkawang community: Mayor

Source: Antara News Agency

If possible, do not only provide wheelchairs but also golf carts Jakarta (ANTARA) – Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas has sought detailed and careful preparations for the 2023 Hajj, saying they are essential for the successful implementation of the pilgrimage.”Hajj pilgrimage implementation is one of the core services of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, even though there are many other services, such as education and other religion (-related services),” he said here on Thursday. The minister highlighted several points related to Hajj services for older adults, especially the purchase of wheelchairs. The procurement of wheelchairs must be proportional to the number of elderly pilgrims, whose number has reached 62 thousand for this year’s pilgrimage, he stated. part from the availability of wheelchairs, he asked Hajj officers to be swift in serving pilgrims, especially elderly pilgrims. “If possible, do not only provide wheelchairs but also golf carts; they will be very helpful for the pilgrims,” he said. In addition, the minister requested that the officers’ ID cards be made more visible and eye-catching to make it easier for pilgrims, especially elderly pilgrims, to identify them when they need help. ccording to the minister, there are still many things that must be prepared in detail. Those details must be discussed at the national working meeting of the ministry’s Directorate General of Hajj and Umrah Implementation, which is currently underway. He noted that paying attention to small details during the preparations would make the implementation of the Hajj pilgrimage successful. “Hopefully, last year’s success will offer a push and spirit to at least match (the success in) last year, or (make Hajj implementation) even more (successful),” he said. Earlier, Minister Qoumas and Hajj and Umrah Minister of Saudi Arabia, Tawfiq Al-Rabiah, inked an agreement on Indonesia’s 2023 Hajj quota in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, on January 8, 2023. In a press release issued the same day, Qoumas said that a Hajj quota of 203,320 pilgrims has been allotted for regular Hajj pilgrims and 17,680 for special Hajj pilgrims this year. Thus, the total quota for Indonesian pilgrims this year is 221 thousand. “Meanwhile, for officers, this year, we received a quota of 4,200 (people),” he added. He said that during the meeting with Minister Al-Rabiah, it was agreed that no age limit would be imposed for Hajj pilgrims this year. baca-jugaRelated news: Minister Qoumas seeks an increase in women Hajj pilgrimage officersRelated news: Vice president optimistic about an increase in Indonesia’s Hajj quotaRelated news: Indonesia, Saudi Arabia seek ways to cut Hajj waiting time

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – The Jakarta provincial government ensured that floods occurring at some locations in the capital city due to heavy rains had mostly reduced, according to an official.”In recent days, it has been raining fairly high in Jakarta. The heavy rainfall kept causing inundation,” the province’s regional secretary, Joko Agus Setyono, stated here on Thursday. However, based on data from the Jakarta Water Resources Agency (SDA), the number of flooded points had reduced, he said. Setyono, who visited the Manggarai Floodgate, Central Jakarta, on Wednesday, stated that the number of flooded areas in Jakarta had significantly decreased, with only two neighborhood units (RTs) inundated, as compared to 105 flooded RTs on Monday (February 27). “We see that it has been raining every day for the last 10 days, but the (water surface level) condition of Manggarai Floodgate remains below normal. This means that the flood mitigation program has been successful,” he explained. ccording to Setyono, the provincial government has been prioritizing the successful handling of floods in Jakarta. He explained that one of the ways to handle floods is cleaning water channels to ease the flow of rainwater and implementing the benchmark that floodwaters must recede within six hours. The provincial government also continues to normalize the Ciliwung River and dredge mud from rivers to increase their water-holding capacity during the high rainfall season. Hence, Setyono expressed the belief that flood problems in Jakarta can be addressed properly. “Currently, there are almost no other areas in Jakarta that are flooded during heavy rains. Even if there is inundation, the floodwaters will quickly recede again,” he stated. Setyono noted that the agility in flood mitigation efforts is apparent from the completion of follow up on the community’s reports of inundation that reached 95.1 percent in February. Setyono emphasized that the provincial government’s success in overcoming flood problems is supported by the community’s participation of not throwing waste into rivers or waterways. baca-jugaRelated news: Local govts should include disaster risk in development plans: JokowiRelated news: 6,000 hectares of Bekasi farmland flooded: ministryRelated news: Improve mitigation against floods, landslides: ministry

Source: Antara News Agency

Jakarta (ANTARA) – Social Affairs Minister Tri Rismaharini assisted a child victim of sexual violence, with the initials NA, in Ende, East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), and requested her to undergo social rehabilitation at the Efata Center, Kupang, NTT.For over 30 minutes, Rismaharini persuaded NA to move to rehabilitation that would also help in providing education and supporting her development. “I offered her to undergo rehabilitation in Kupang since this area did not have any,” the minister noted in a written statement received here, Thursday. t the Ende police station, Rismaharini pointed out that there were several children with similar cases undergoing social rehabilitation at the Efata Center in Kupang. Apart from psychological recovery, the facility also provides education and helps to develop the children’s interests. “Thank God, NA agreed to go to Kupang. Later, we will take her there,” the minister stated. Rismaharini also communicated with law enforcement officials to give maximum punishment to the perpetrators of social violence. “Earlier, I spoke with the Police Chief and the Chief of the Attorney General regarding the maximum sentence for perpetrators because some of them have family relations with the victims,” she noted. s was earlier known, the perpetrator of sexual violence against NA was her cousin, who lived with her and another family member. Law Number 17 of 2016 Juncto Law Number 35 of 2014 Juncto Law Number 23 of 2002 concerning Child Protection states that perpetrators of sexual violence against children can be sentenced to a maximum of 15 years. baca-jugaRelated news: andgtovt to facilitate rehabilitation of 305 child sexual abuse victims However, if the act is committed by parents, guardians, people who have family relations, caregivers, educators, educational staff, and officials handling the child or is carried out by more than one person jointly, then the penalty is increased by one-third from the original sentence. Rismaharini explained that cases of sexual violence were the main focus of her ministry. Throughout 2022, the Ministry of Social Affairs, through social assistance in the regions, has handled at least 3,346 child victims of sexual violence. This figure does not include the 254 cases that were responded by media monitoring that went viral in the mass media. Of the 254 child victims, 14 were disabled children, she added. The Ministry of Social Affairs, through media monitoring, scans news about social problems occurring in Indonesia. In 2022, the ministry responded to 6,627 cases, of which 741 cases involved children with various problems. “This visit was also carried out from the result of our media monitoring. Every day, I always read the monitoring result from our public relations bureau regarding media and social media about various problems. The problems could be sickness and including cases of rape,” she stated. She noted that the ministry is responsible for the social rehabilitation process for children as victims of physical, psychological, and sexual violence. If the community finds cases of violence against children, then they can report this to number 021-171 or contact the nearest social service. baca-jugaRelated news: Ministry calls to accord priority to sexual violence victims’ recovery Related news: KPAI received reports largely of sexual crimes in 2022: Chairperson

Source: Antara News Agency