The Jakarta Post Editorials: Board Perspectives

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Jakarta Post
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Leaderless haze control

With toxic smoke paralyzing many regions, the government's inertia is exacting a fatal toll that only decisive presidential leadership can stop.

7 hours ago
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Prove the ground first

Before chasing air-taxi pipe dreams, Jakarta must fix the fiscal cracks beneath the 11 million commuters relying on Transjakarta every day. ...

1 day ago
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Safety reform first

Scapegoating train drivers and ferry captains will not save lives, only radical, systemic reform can protect the millions who rely on Indonesia’s most affordable transit. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

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Making police reform work

From high-profile killings and protest crackdowns to election interference, a string of scandals has pushed public trust in the National Police to a breaking point.

3 days ago
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A much-needed balance

The government must recognize that economic growth should not be a choice between protecting workers and giving businesses room to grow; it must accommodate both.

4 days ago
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Data hubs' troubled waters

The country is racing to power the global AI boom, but the unquenchably thirsty data centers it needs are already draining the water that sustains millions of lives.

6 days ago
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Beyond naturalized glory

The historic FIFA ASEAN Cup triumph ended our 35-year trophy drought, but relying on naturalized stars exposes a youth pipeline that cannot afford to be left behind.

1 week ago
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Flawed candidacy, untouchable office

Indonesia dodged a constitutional crisis on Tuesday, but only because the Constitutional Court looked the other way.

1 week ago
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Nurturing sports talent early

International sporting glory isn’t an accident of luck or raw grit. It is the inevitable dividend of a nation that invests in the health, education and human development of its people.

1 week ago
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Luxury behind bars

Removing prison wardens will never fix Indonesia’s broken justice system as long as luxury remains a commodity the corrupt can buy behind bars.

1 week ago
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Bringing the military back in

Under the stewardship of then defense minister Prabowo Subianto, now Indonesia’s eighth President, the military embarked on a serious military hardware modernization effort. 

1 week ago
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A ministry restored

With a seasoned diplomat back at the helm, Prabowo has restored the Foreign Ministry from a cleanup crew into an engine room.

1 week ago
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Basic education first

Promising free higher education for all is a fiscal fantasy that threatens to bankrupt Indonesia's elementary and secondary school classrooms before the state even honors its basic education mandate.

1 week ago
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Don’t let things slip now

As a battered rupiah, soaring oil prices, and global turmoil test the country's new economic chiefs, their trial by fire will determine whether technocratic discipline can hold against mounting political pressure.

2 weeks ago
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Let's win the WHO race

To win the WHO's top post, Jakarta must stop treating multilateral diplomacy as an afterthought and let the President lead the charge for Indonesia’s nominee, Budi Gunadi Sadikin.

2 weeks ago
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Justice in the choking haze

The class-action lawsuit is a clear warning that the government must abandon its reactive posture and commit to proactive, structural mitigation before the crisis spirals out of control.

2 weeks ago
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The politics of soil

Statutory promises are meaningless without the political muscle to enforce them against deep-seated economic interests. 

2 weeks ago
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Welcoming KRI Sriwijaya

Indonesia has commissioned its first aircraft carrier, but turning the aging Italian warship into a drone-bearing force multiplier will demand steep investments in crew, escorts and maintenance to avoid a costly white elephant.

2 weeks ago
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Rocking the boat in a storm

As global headwinds mount and leadership wavers, Indonesia's push to scrap its 3 percent deficit cap risks trading hard-won market credibility for reckless spending.

3 weeks ago
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Learning first

Indonesia has succeeded in filling its classrooms—now it must protect its budget to ensure its children are actually learning.

3 weeks ago
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Strength begins at home

As fires rage and geopolitical tests loom, Indonesians are waiting for the President to make good on his word: that real strength begins at home.

3 weeks ago
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Beneath choking skies

As toxic haze blankets Southeast Asia and millions of tonnes of CO2 enter the atmosphere, the country is running out of excuses to rein in corporate polluters and honor its climate promises.

3 weeks ago
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Safeguarding Indonesia's AI future

Relying solely on executive orders and administrative decrees is fundamentally insufficient for a technology this consequential.

3 weeks ago
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Good governance 101

A regional administration that fixes flawed infrastructure after it goes viral isn't setting the standard for leadership. It's merely doing the bare minimum.

3 weeks ago
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Armed impunity

When soldiers target civilians and keep their badges, the military court doesn't just shield its own, it suffocates our democracy.

4 weeks ago
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Not the Ministry of Magic

The sudden shake-up at the Finance Ministry has rattled markets, leaving Indonesia’s new fiscal chief with the precarious task of funding Prabowo’s ambitious growth targets without driving the nation into a deficit ditch.

4 weeks ago
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Feeding, not poisoning

The food poisoning incident has left parents a lingering question: How could a program intended to nourish children end up putting their health at risk? And, perhaps more frighteningly, could their children be next?

1 month ago
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Faulty tool costs fortune

When pedicab drivers are labeled wealthy while a millionaire lawmaker qualifies for state aid, Indonesia’s high-stakes welfare registry proves that confusing data shortcuts with genuine reform costs real lives.

1 month ago
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The much-needed disaster budget

We cannot always stop disasters from occurring, but we can prevent them from becoming disastrous for millions of Indonesians by preparing better.

1 month ago
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Jakarta’s big bond bid

Jakarta’s plan to bypass "unilateral" regional budget cuts with municipal bonds isn't just an urban infrastructure fix. It is an open challenge to the government's centralist agenda.

1 month ago

Today's ePost

Fri, October 16, 2026

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