Latest news with #Raden
Borneo Post
28-04-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
Outgoing Indonesian Consul-General: Sibu an excellent model for friendship city ties, regional cooperation
Raden (second right), together with his wife Lucy (fourth left) receive a token of appreciation from Tiong (right) and Nee (third right). SIBU (April 29): Sibu serves as the best model for fostering international friendship and cooperation, said outgoing Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching Raden Sigit Witjaksono. Speaking at his appreciation and farewell ceremony on Sunday night, Raden said the close relationship forged between Sibu and various parties in Indonesia, including friendship city ties, demonstrated how regional cooperation can be effectively carried out. 'Sibu has become my second home and a symbol of the close ties between Indonesia and Sarawak. 'Efforts such as the collaboration between Sibu and Singkawang as well as participation in the Borneo Cultural Festival are examples of successful people-to-people relations,' he said. He emphasised that initiatives like these should be strengthened to further enhance cross-border ties between Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly in the Borneo region. Raden also highlighted other achievements throughout his three years of service, including in the areas of economy, education, healthcare, tourism, and infrastructure. 'Various cooperation projects have been initiated. This provides a strong foundation for my successor to elevate these relationships to greater heights,' he said, while expressing hopes the momentum would continue. He also touched on the potential for closer relations between Sarawak and Kalimantan, especially with the relocation of Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, to East Kalimantan. 'The development of Nusantara will open up even more opportunities to strengthen ties not only with Sarawak, but with the whole of Borneo, including Sabah and Brunei.' Raden said the development of diplomatic relations should not only focus on the government and business levels, but must also be enhanced through people-to-people ties, such as through cultural and education programmes as well as student exchanges. He stressed that strong relations between government (G2G), business (B2B), and the people (people-to-people) are key to long-term success. 'My family and I will always cherish our memories of Sibu. If given the chance, we would love to return here, to our second home,' he said. Among those present were Raden's wife, Ibu Lucy Octavia Witjaksono and his son Farid Ryo Takashi Wicaksono; Rimbunan Hijau Group group managing director and Mafrica Group chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King; University of Technology Sarawak vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abd Hamid; Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) president Datuk Lau Cheng Kiong; Rimbunan Hijau Group, Mafrica Group and Rimbunan Sawit Berhad general manager (corporate relations) Dato Thomas Tieng Mee Tung; and his wife Datin Nee Lay King.
Borneo Post
28-04-2025
- Business
- Borneo Post
‘Sibu an excellent model for friendship city ties, regional cooperation'
Raden (second right), together with his wife Lucy (fourth left) receive a token of appreciation from Tiong (right) and Nee (third right). SIBU (April 29): Sibu serves as the best model for fostering international friendship and cooperation, said outgoing Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching Raden Sigit Witjaksono. Speaking at his appreciation and farewell ceremony on Sunday night, Raden said the close relationship forged between Sibu and various parties in Indonesia, including friendship city ties, demonstrated how regional cooperation can be effectively carried out. 'Sibu has become my second home and a symbol of the close ties between Indonesia and Sarawak. 'Efforts such as the collaboration between Sibu and Singkawang as well as participation in the Borneo Cultural Festival are examples of successful people-to-people relations,' he said. He emphasised that initiatives like these should be strengthened to further enhance cross-border ties between Indonesia and Malaysia, particularly in the Borneo region. Raden also highlighted other achievements throughout his three years of service, including in the areas of economy, education, healthcare, tourism, and infrastructure. 'Various cooperation projects have been initiated. This provides a strong foundation for my successor to elevate these relationships to greater heights,' he said, while expressing hopes the momentum would continue. He also touched on the potential for closer relations between Sarawak and Kalimantan, especially with the relocation of Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, to East Kalimantan. 'The development of Nusantara will open up even more opportunities to strengthen ties not only with Sarawak, but with the whole of Borneo, including Sabah and Brunei.' Raden said the development of diplomatic relations should not only focus on the government and business levels, but must also be enhanced through people-to-people ties, such as through cultural and education programmes as well as student exchanges. He stressed that strong relations between government (G2G), business (B2B), and the people (people-to-people) are key to long-term success. 'My family and I will always cherish our memories of Sibu. If given the chance, we would love to return here, to our second home,' he said. Among those present were Raden's wife, Ibu Lucy Octavia Witjaksono and his son Farid Ryo Takashi Wicaksono; Rimbunan Hijau Group group managing director and Mafrica Group chairman Datuk Tiong Thai King; University of Technology Sarawak vice-chancellor Professor Datuk Dr Khairuddin Abd Hamid; Sibu Chinese Chamber of Commerce and Industry (SCCCI) president Datuk Lau Cheng Kiong; Rimbunan Hijau Group, Mafrica Group and Rimbunan Sawit Berhad general manager (corporate relations) Dato Thomas Tieng Mee Tung; and his wife Datin Nee Lay King.
Borneo Post
26-04-2025
- Politics
- Borneo Post
Outgoing Indonesian Consul-General in Kuching calls for continued efforts to benefit Borneo communities
The KJRI Kuching team presented a memento as a token of appreciation to their outgoing Consul General, Raden (right). – Photo by Mohd Faisal Ahmad KUCHING (April 26): Outgoing Consul-General of the Republic of Indonesia in Kuching, Raden Sigit Witjaksono, urged his future successor to build on the initiatives from his tenure, especially those focused on benefiting communities across Kalimantan, Sarawak, and the broader Borneo region. 'If possible, we hope the new Consul-General will be even better. We've already started paving the way. What we really want is for everyone in this shared region—Kalimantan, Borneo—to be able to benefit,' he said. He was speaking to reporters at Consulate General of the Republic of Indonesia (KJRI), Kuching premises here on Friday (April 25), during the Dissemination of the Achievements of Indonesian Diplomacy in Sarawak 2022–2025, held alongside a farewell dinner to mark the conclusion of his official duties in Sarawak. Earlier that day, Raden paid a farewell courtesy visit to Premier Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Abang Johari Tun Openg at Wisma Bapa Malaysia, where he highlighted the importance of regional connectivity. 'Improved access is important to strengthen our connectivity, whether from West Kalimantan to Sarawak, or in the future, from Sarawak to East Kalimantan,' he said. He added that the development of Indonesia's new capital in East Kalimantan would make closer ties even more valuable, benefitting not just Kalimantan and Sarawak, but the wider region including Sabah and beyond. The visit was among his final official engagements before concluding his three-year term in Sarawak on April 30, 2025. When asked what key message he would relay to the Indonesian government based on his experience in Sarawak, Raden highlighted the urgency of addressing nationality issues and ensuring protection for Indonesian citizens. 'At the moment, nationality issues are quite prominent. We want to do our utmost to improve how these matters are handled,' he said. He stressed that clarity on an individual's citizenship status is crucial to ensure access to basic services. 'With clear identification of one's nationality, it becomes easier to access education and healthcare—both of which are extremely important. 'If this status is unclear, it will cause difficulties and complications in that person's life journey,' he said. Raden also praised Sarawak leaders for their positive attitude towards cooperation with Indonesia. 'I think it's been extremely positive. From the Head of State, to the Premier, ministers, even the mayors—everyone has responded warmly to cooperation with Indonesia. We hope this does not stop here.' Raden also highlighted the strong potential for collaboration between Indonesia and Malaysia across various sectors, including energy, infrastructure, education, and healthcare, which could benefit both countries.
Reuters
27-03-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Indonesia seeks to calm investors after stocks, rupiah slide
JAKARTA, March 27 (Reuters) - Indonesian officials will seek to address concerns among investors and other key economic players about an economic downturn in Southeast Asia's biggest economy following a stock market selloff and currency slump, an official said on Thursday. President Prabowo Subianto will meet with investors and others following the long Eid-al-Fitr holiday, which begins on Friday, aiming to correct misperceptions about the government's policies, said Raden Pardede, a special aide to Indonesia's senior economic minister Airlangga Hartarto. "The government will improve and intensify communication with economic players," Raden told Reuters. The rupiah has fallen to its weakest since 1998, following a slide of as much as 7.1% in the main stock index (.JKSE), opens new tab last week, pressured by concerns over government policy, the country's fiscal position and its growth prospects. Analysts mentioned poor government communication on fiscal policies and strategies to achieve growth as one of the selloff triggers, in addition to pressure on the market from negative global sentiment. Key messages will include assurances that the government will not break the legal fiscal deficit ceiling at 3% of GDP and there will be no political interference in the newly set up sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia, Raden said. "We are also preparing ways to deregulate the real sector, mainly to encourage the manufacturing industry, which creates jobs and is export-oriented," he said referring to a policy that seeks to make available 20 trillion rupiah ($1.21 billion) in credit for labour-intensive industries. Bank Indonesia said it is ready to continue its intervention to stabilise the currency, but said economic indicators show the country is fundamentally strong and the situation is "totally different" from 1998 financial crisis. On Thursday, the rupiah strengthened as much as 0.24% against the dollar. It has rebounded since Wednesday with BI citing positive sentiment in stocks, bonds and FX markets. The current level at around 16,500 is still near 1998's level of 16,800. After stocks tumbled last week, the financial regulator eased buyback processes, and the market has since recovered. "Markets will keep an eye on the mid-year budget update to gauge if the shortfall in revenues has narrowed or further spending rationalisation is required to keep within the 3% of GDP deficit threshold," DBS Bank economist Radhika Rao said in an e-mail. The mid-year budget update is usually handed down in early July. Rao said a long holiday will provide a break to the market, which will be shut from March 28 to April 7. ($1 = 16,545.0000 rupiah)
Yahoo
11-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Elder stories: Retired GRPS teacher's years of service about people
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (WOOD) — Seventy-three-year-old Annette M. Raden has lived in West Michigan her entire life. She worked for the Grand Rapids Parks and Recreation Department for 25 years and Grand Rapids Public Schools for more than 30. In the second installment of our Elder Voices series for Black History Month, Raden sat down with News 8's Brittany Flowers to share what this community means to her, what she's proud of and her advice to younger generations. You can read the Q&A from their conversation below.A: 'It means information and it means family. I think if you know history, then you know what the future's going to be and my family, I made sure that my kids knew. They always tell me, 'Mom, you know too much history.' I said, 'Not enough.' That's what I do. Black history is very important to me.' Elder stories: Longtime crossing guard talks about progress A: 'It still hasn't grown enough for me, but I've been with a lot of things. I worked in the Rec Department for 25 years, so I dealt with kids throughout the city. I've worked for the Grand Rapids Public Schools for 32 years. I've dealt with people through that. So it's people to me — that's what it means to me is people. I like people, so meeting people, all different people and doing different things. I was involved with the Urban Renewal Grand Rapids, I was involved in the South High School. I was involved in… there's so many different things that I like to say I was part of making this Grand Rapids what it is, maybe helping it be better in the future.'A: 'I didn't really work. I hung around his house when he was doing the maps and stuff like that. It was different, because his daughter and I are the same age and we were good friends and I'd go over there and he would have the maps out, and he had people over. 'What is he doing?' 'He's going to be mayor one day.' 'No, he's not.' And finally, he was mayor and I couldn't believe it. It was different. Politically, it was a time when people didn't see people like him on anything very big and yet he got to be mayor and it was like, 'Wow, this is something.'' The legacy of Grand Rapids' first Black mayor Lyman Parks A: 'My husband, for one. He graduated with his masters at 63 years old and he's now a minister, and we have a pretty good life. I'm proud of my grandkids and my kids and I'm proud to know the people that I know.'A: 'It was the pandemic and I was messing around with material and that one on the back, the one behind you, is when I started. I just kind of put glue on a piece of paper and it came out. I do things. … I do quilts and things. So this was just by accident. However I feel, that's what I do.'A: 'The way people look at other people. I lived on Henry and Logan in Grand Rapids. I went to Henry School. I had a little block that I went around all the time. I didn't venture outside my block and I knew a lot of people. Older people on the block taught me what I know today. I'm partly the person I am because of them. I come from a single-parent family, and they taught me all I know and I've grown and it's just today is a little too fast. People don't pay attention to other people as much.' Muskegon-area nonprofit works to address disparities in access to housing A: 'Do your best. Be for real and just be blessed by the Lord. That's all you can do. Just be for real. Be yourself. Learn something and give it to somebody else. I've done that many times. All the stuff that that I've done comes from other people that I know and I try to give it back to somebody else. That's my specialty.' Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
