JAMBI PROMOTES TOURISM THROUGH FESTIVAL AT TEMPLE SITE

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 31 (Antara) - Indonesia's Sumatran Province of Jambi is holding a festival at its Buddhist temple in Muarajambi District to promote tourism and the temple compound, believed to be one of the ancient Malay Kingdom's heritage sites.          "There are several aspects that can help to effectively popularize the Muarojambi temples, one of which is designing attractive tourism packages," Deputy Minister of Tourism and Creative Economy Sapta Nirwandar said when opening the Muarojambi Temple Festival in Jambi on Thursday.          To be held until June 1, 2014, the four-day festival presented various local cultures, traditional arts and creative economic products.  "The ancient temples in Muarajambi keep alive very important cultural values that need to be preserved. We are now trying to get recognition from UNESCO," Sapta Nirwandar said.          He added that the Muarajambi temple site is the most unique historic site in Sumatra, although not all of the temples there have been explored. The government is developing the site and preserving it as an ancient heritage location, while tapping its economic potential.          "It offers two benefits. One, is a direct impact on the local people, and the other is indirect on business players outside the city of Jambi, such as airline operators," Sapta said.

GOVERNMENT URGED TO RECOGNIZE ROLE OF FISHERWOMEN

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 27 (Antara) - The government needs to recognize the important role of fisherwomen in the family and take them into account when it is working on the budget for the fishery sector.          Data released by the People's Coalition for Fishery Justice (Kiara) indicated that about 48 percent of fishermen's family income was contributed by fisherwomen. Most fisherwomen spent some 17 hours a day to contribute 48 percent of the family income.          "Therefore, the government should recognize fisherwomen's important roles and take them into account when it is drafting a funding budget in the fishery sector," Kiara Secretary General Abdul Halim said on Monday.          He said Kiara and the Indonesian Fisherwomen's Solidarity (PPNI) were fighting for the recognition of fisherwomen's roles by the government. He said the government's allocation in the marine affairs and fisheries sectors continued to increase over the past five years from Rp2 trillion to Rp7 trillion.

INDONESIA NEEDS TO GLOBALLY PROMOTE ITS PEARL INDUSTRY

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 27 (Antara) - Indonesia, one of the largest pearl producers, needs to further promote its pearl potential throughout the world, so that it can gain maximum benefits from the commodity.          "Indonesia has become the biggest South Sea pearl producer since 2005. It has controlled 50 percent of the world's pearl production. Its export value has reached US$29 million," stated Marine Affairs and Fisheries Minister Sharif C. Sutardjo.          Even though Indonesia is the world's biggest producer, its pearl industry has not yet been able to dominate the world's pearl market. Sutardjo noted that the Indonesian South Sea Pearl (ISSP) was yet to become popular in the world market, even though it has a very high economic potential.          The Indonesian pearl has an incredible economical potential, and Indonesia is already the world's largest producer of South Sea Pearl (SSP), but the fact remains that the commodity is not extensively known in the international pearl market.          Therefore, the government will hold an Indonesian Pearl Festival (IPF) to showcase its pearl potential to businesses.

GOVERNOR YET TO SIGN JAKARTA MONORAIL CONTRACT

By Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 26 (Antara) - Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo is still waiting for PT Jakarta Monorail (JM) to complete the requirements before the contract to continue the Jakarta monorail project, which has been delayed for years, can be signed.         "To date, PT JM has only met some of the requirements. The regional government of Jakarta still has to check these requirements. So, the requirements that it has met so far should not be summarily approved. We have to check them first. We do not want the project to be delayed again," Jakarta Governor Joko Widodo, better known as Jokowi, said here on Monday.          PT JM is attempting to resume construction of the Jakarta monorail project, which has been delayed and become idle for years.          Initially, the Jakarta monorail project began in 2004, when state-owned PT Adhi Karya, the contractor, erected supporting pillars in some sections and PT JM acted as the executor of the project. However, the project was later halted because of the absence of contractors.         While it has erected about 90 pillars, claiming to have invested some Rp192 billion, PT Adhi Karya quit the project and PT JM agreed to take over and repay the costs spent by Adhi Karya in building the pillars in a number of sections along the elevated monorail tracks.          Jakarta Governor Jokowi wanted the project to be resumed to solve the problem of traffic woes in the capital city.

SDA CASE TO AFFECT PRABOWO-HATTA DUO'S ELECTABILITY?

by Andi Abdussalam

Jakarta, May 23 (Antara) - Amid preparations to contest the July 9 presidential race, the Prabowo Subianto-Hatta Rajasa presidential and vice presidential pair has seen the chairman of one of its supporting parties being named a corruption suspect.           Suryadharma Ali (SDA), the general chairman of the United Development Party (PPP), which is one of the six political parties that supports the Prabowo-Hatta duo, was named a suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Thursday in an alleged corruption case related to the management of 2012-2013 hajj pilgrimage.           Questions are being raised on whether this case will affect the electability of the Prabowo-Hatta pair compared with their rival pairing, Joko Widodo-Jusuf Kalla, in the upcoming presidential election.          Political observer Teguh Yuwono of Semarang's Diponegoro University said that the naming of SDA as a suspect could affect the electability of Prabowo and Hatta as presidential and vice presidential candidates.          "It will, in general, have an impact because it will create a negative public perception. The people will view it as a problem among political parties supporting the Prabowo-Hatta pair," he stated.

GOVERNMENT TO BEGIN REVITALIZATION OF 60 TRADITIONAL MARKETS

By Andi Abdussalam
Jakarta, May 19 (Antara) - Indonesia, which has about 13 thousand traditional markets across the country, will begin revitalizing 60 traditional markets next month in an effort to prevent them from being sidelined by modern markets.          "We set a target to begin revitalizing 60 traditional markets in June and to finish the revitalization in 2014," Nyak Ubin, a deputy for infrastructure and facility marketing of the Cooperatives and Small Scale Enterprises (UKM) Ministry, said here on Monday.          The government had operated the traditional market revitalization program since 2005 and until last year, and the Cooperatives and Small-and Medium-Sized Business Ministry (UKM) had rebuilt 461 traditional markets, 53 of these were pilot projects.          The Cooperatives and the UKM Ministry revitalized a total of 207 traditional markets in 2013.          In 2014, another phase of the revitalization program will begin, with 60 traditional markets as part of the government's efforts to increase the competitiveness of traditional markets amid the mushrooming of modern markets, including mini markets such the Alfa Mart, Indo Maret and others.          Nyak Ubin said the budget for financing the renovation of the 60 cooperatives-based traditional markets will be disbursed after the government's Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP) reviewed the plan.          "The work can be carried out after the funding plans are reviewed. It can be done directly," he said, adding that his office had selected traditional markets that will be renovated.

GOVERNMENT WORKING OUT ROADMAP FOR SEAWEED DEVELOPMENT

By Andi Abdussalam			]
Jakarta, May 18 (Antara) - Indonesia, the world's third largest seaweed supplier, is working out a roadmap for integrated development of up-and-downstream seaweed industries to increase the economic value of the commodity at home.          "The government, in this case the Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP), will compile and finish the roadmap soon to provide a guideline for development of upstream and downstream seaweed industries," Director General of Fish Processing and Marketing of the KKP ministry Saut Hutagalung said on Thursday.          The roadmap needs to be developed as Indonesia, whose seaweed production increases about two million tons per year, is host to about 555 seaweed species of which 55 species has high economic values.          The roadmap is also important to answer the need of seaweed farmers and producers for zoning of seaweed culture areas.          Of the 55 seaweed species, two varieties, namely Eucheuma cottnii and Gracillaria spp, have been popular and developed so far to produce processed carrageenan and geltin.          The director general said that besides the two types, there are other species which had promising business prospect, namely brown algae (alginate) and green algae (ulva) seaweeds. This is particularly for cosmetic industry.