Why don’t we take a moment to focus on recent successes and triumphs by Indonesians and in Indonesia? Here are a few reasons why Indonesians should celebrate Indonesia a bit more.
Illustration. (Photo source: Pixabay/Kurious)
Review
Jakarta, GIVnews.com – As time goes by, it seems that the media resembles a carrier of bad omens more and more. Everywhere we look, there are always pieces of news and opinions with a negative sentiment.
We look at politics, and we are met with childish infighting between ministers. Turn to economics, and the media’s current favorite phrase is “Indonesia’s growth is slowing down”. At the sociocultural pages, there’s a massive backlash against LGBT. Even when we turn to international news, all we see is Britain threatening to exit the EU and a demagogue on the way to the White House.
All of these, of course, are unfortunately happening now. And it is good that the media talks about them, fulfilling its role of informing the society. Understanding a problem is the first step to solving it, right?
However, sadly, sometimes while we are bombarded with news of crisis and chaos, it can be easy to forget that there are actually many things around us to be happy for and proud of.
Why don’t we take a moment to focus on recent successes and triumphs by Indonesians and in Indonesia? Here are a few reasons why Indonesians should celebrate Indonesia a bit more.
Economics: Rupiah’s Mighty Ascent
Illustration. (Photo source: good-wallpapers.com)
From the start of 2016 Rupiah has been performing remarkably well, certainly among the best of all developing nations. From a low point of IDR 14,017 per 1 USD on January 4th, Indonesia’s currency currently trades at IDR 12,973 per 1 USD. This is an incredible 7.45% growth!
During the same period, India’s Rupee weakened by 0.6%, Russia’s Ruble grew by 1.5%, and the Thai Bath grew by 2.2%. This rise is partially due to Japan’s negative interest rate policy and China’s decision to cut its minimum reserve ratio. However, analysts believe it is also due to President Widodo’s economic packages, which strengthen investors’ belief and optimism in Indonesia.
Tourism: Purwakarta’s New Look
Dancing Fountain at Sri Baduga Garden, Purwakarta. (Photo source: Tempo/Nanang Sutisna)
Indonesia is aiming at 12 million foreign tourists in 2016, and the central government is planning a massive rejuvenation of ten key tourism sites to help achieve that number. However, this does not mean that local governments can just rely on Jakarta.
A fine example is Purwakarta with its ambitious plan to boost local tourism. Purwakarta Regency’s government is developing three key sites: Taman Sri Baduga Mosque, Situ Wanayasa and Cilodong Great Mosque. Sri Baduga boasts a dancing fountain no less impressive than those found in other countries, and Situ Wanayasa will soon have a floating conference center adorned with big statues of Arjuna and Wanayasa. Cilodong is projected as a center of religious tourism, with Sundanese architecture for the great mosque and a garden.
Politics and Law: KPK’s New Leadership
The fourth generation of KPK leadership. (Photo: benzano.com)
When the new KPK leadership was chosen by the House of Representatives a few months ago, they were met with an almost universally negative response from the people. Everyone doubted the new commissioners’ seriousness in tackling corruption, especially as their rise came at the expense of proven KPK figures Busyro Muqoddas and Johan Budi. However, during their two months in office, the five leaders have shown that they are just as ‘merciless’ as their predecessors when it comes to combating corruption.
So far, they have caught sitting lawmakers and even nabbed a high-ranking official from the Supreme Court. In addition, they have also unanimously expressed their rejection to the revision of KPK Law by the House, which is an attempt to severely weaken the KPK. Even though two months is not enough time to judge someone’s performance, at least their performance so far has given hope to Indonesians.
Technology: Indonesian Startups
Illustration. (Photo source: Pixabay/StartupStockPhotos)
It seems that startups developed by Indonesian youngsters have a bright future ahead. After the success story of Gojek, Tokopedia, and Traveloka, we now have names like Modegi (smart homes), Apaja (public transportation), Powercube (electricity usage monitor), Sasbuzz (market analysis), Pershoenalize (e-commerce), Infokes (health information), RUN System (business management), Infiniti (augmented reality), Amtiss (asset management), Decadeco (interior design market), and many more promising apps.
Even more exciting is the fact that, soon, all these startups and others will have an easier time to develop their creation into a full-fledged business. After President Widodo visited Silicon Valley last month, Google has announced that they will train 100,000 Indonesian mobile developers by 2020 and hold Google Developer’s study jams sessions in Jakarta, Bandung, Semarang, Yogyakarta, and Surabaya. Other than Google, Silicon Valley-based venture capital firm Fenox VC together with Japanese IT services provider Infocom Corp. will also set up a startup incubator and accelerator program in Indonesia. The facility will provide mentorship, corporate partners, and funding for selected startups.
Sports: Indonesia in F1
Rio Haryanto. (Photo: Piers Hunnisett)
This year, Indonesia made history by placing one of its sons in Formula 1, the globe’s premier racing championship. Rio Haryanto, a Surakarta native who has been racing since he was still fifteen years old in 2008, landed a place among the 22 drivers who will race this season. Rio represents England-based team Manor Racing MRT together with German racer Pascal Wehrlein. He will be using a brand-new MRT05 racecar with the number 88.
Prior to joining F1 as the first Indonesian to do so, Haryanto has enjoyed multiple successes over the years. He won third place in Formula Asia 2.0 in 2008, first place in Formula BMW Pacific in 2009, and placed fifth overall in the 2010 GP3 series, also with Manor Racing. Haryanto competed in the GP2 series from 2012 to 2015, representing a different team each year. He obtained his highest place finish last year at 4th on the overall table, with 3 wins and 5 podiums.
Environment: Orangutan’s Population Soars
Illustration. (Photo source: parade.com / Jon Horowitz)
A team from Liverpool John Moores University, led by primatologist Serge Wich, has just revealed that the number of orangutans in Sumatra is more than double previous estimates. Instead of the oft-quoted number of 6,600, Wich and his team found more than 14,600 orangutans living in Sumatran forests. Furthermore, another species of orangutan which lives in Borneo now numbers around 54,000.
The soaring number of orangutans in Sumatra is found in places not visited by previous researchers. These locations include logged forests, higher elevations, and a remote area west of the Toba Lake. Other than the obviously good news of having more orangutans, knowing the accurate figure is also important to fine-tune conservation efforts. Nevertheless, it should be noted that 14,600 is still a low number and orangutan is still an endangered species.