President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) called on the General Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) to conduct electoral supervision duties strictly, including the law enforcement process, Bawaslu Chairperson Rahmat Bagja stated after meeting the president here, Thursday. “Mr President’s request for Bawaslu is to be strict in terms of law enforcement, both criminal law and administrative law,” Bagja remarked at the Presidential Palace. The agency’s chairperson noted that during an audience with Bawaslu, President Jokowi praised his experience of being examined by Bawaslu during his candidacy processes, such as while running for the post of mayor of Surakarta, Central Java, and governor of Jakarta. Bagja remarked that the president also called these experiences as being the best memories since they became a true manifestation of Bawaslu’s firmness in conducting its duties. “He lauded and assessed that this is what is needed in the future, strict law enforcement, so that general election participants (candidates would) be careful in conducting campaign processes, mass gathering, and so on,” he stated. Moreover, Jokowi advised Bawaslu to continue to maintain its strict behavior in order to improve the implementation of the 2024 general elections. He remarked that Bawaslu and the government shared similar views regarding the politicization of ethnic, religious, racial, and intergroup (SARA) issues, hoaxes, and black campaigns. Politicization of SARA must be stopped to prevent polarization, he added. Furthermore, he revealed that Bawaslu invited President Jokowi to attend and open the Global Network on Electoral Justice (GNEJ) event in Denpasar, Bali, on October 9, 2022. Bawaslu currently hosts the GNEJ Presidency for the 2022-2023 period. The Thursday’s audience with the president was the first time for Bagja and four other members of Bawaslu — Herwyn Jefler Hielsa Malonda, Lolly Suhenty, Puadi, and Totok Hariyono — to visit the Jakarta Presidential Palace, since being inaugurated for the 2022-2027 term by President Jokowi on April 12, 2022. Source: Antara News

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Suppressing child marriages would help in reducing the prevalence of stunting, according to Minister of Women’s Empowerment and Child Protection Bintang Puspayoga.

“Child marriage is the cause of stunted growth. Hence, we must avoid it at all cost,” Puspayoga stated during the declaration of stunting growth-free women-friendly and child-caring village (DRPPA) held concurrently with the commemoration of National Children’s Day here, Thursday.

Puspayoga stressed that child marriages should be avoided, as they were causal to psychological, physical, health, and economic issues, as well as stunting at birth.

Vulnerabilities of child marriage potentially impacted the growth of children born and caused cases of stunted growth due to their young parents’ inability to meet the daily nutrient intake requirement of their newborns, the minister noted.

“If we want to expedite the handling of stunting prevalence, we also need to prevent child marriage because it is a major factor that causes stunting growth. Stop child marriage, as we today declare the stunting growth-free DRPPA villages,” Puspayoga stated.

The minister urged provincial and local authorities to optimize efforts to prevent child marriages to suppress the prevalence of stunting. She emphasized that child marriages can be prevented by educating residents about the associated vulnerabilities and risks.

She also urged regional authorities to provide a medium for children to have a say in regional development through the Regional Child Forum.

Meanwhile, Central Kalimantan Deputy Governor Edy Pratowo reiterated the provincial authority’s commitment to bolster synergy with the ministry and the National Population and Family Planning Agency (BKKBN) to achieve the national development goals that included stunting prevention.

According to the Indonesian Nutrient Status Study (SSGI) data in 2021, the stunting prevalence rate in Central Kalimantan reached 27.4 percent, while the nationwide stunting reduction target is set at 14 percent by 2024, while the provincial target is 15.38 percent.

 

Source: Antara News

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