As Indonesia marks 81 years of independence, a familiar pull toward state centralization risks unraveling decades of hard-won democracy and regional unity.

Recent failures can be attributed to years of mismanagement of the national team by the Soccer Association of Indonesia (PSSI), whose officials are apparently more focused on politics off the pitch rather than the advancement of the sport itself.

Citizenship is not a favor the state dispenses to useful people. It should be a recognition of a bond that does not expire when it becomes inconvenient.

Separating the free meals program from the education budget is an important first step. However, the bigger test now is whether the government will genuinely commit to using the constitutionally mandated 20 percent education allocation to address the country’s perennial education challenges.

Similar to how money can buy some peace of mind but is no guarantor of happiness, a strong economy does not necessarily lead to general prosperity.

Increased vigilance and prevention are the best defense in battling forest and land fires.

As the Association of Southeast Asian Nations turns 59, it should use the occasion to reflect on both its past progress and current challenges to determine future delivery in view of its diamond jubilee next year.

If policy implementation is too divisive or too drastic, President Prabowo Subianto may find that the fence of distrust grows even higher among the public, even as the physical ones come down.

A war economy is not necessarily the mobilization of force, but conflict used as a lever on prices and supply chains.

This unofficial shadow cabinet offers something the Prabowo administration currently lacks: a rigorous, uncompromised sparring partner. 

While unscrupulous business practices certainly help tourism-adjacent illegal enterprises thrive in Bali, official government policies both at the local and national levels have made life worse for the Balinese.

If URI is not intended to function as a conventional university, what exactly distinguishes it from institutions that already train public leaders? If it is, why establish a new university rather than strengthen existing ones?

The press exists to fulfill the wholly democratic role of providing checks and balances.

Prabowo needs to restore BI’s leadership to a technocrat who can reassure markets and investors that the central bank’s independence remains intact.

With the fear of being judged, especially by your closest families and friends, AI chatbots emerge to fill those gaps felt by most Indonesians who are struggling to march on with their lives.

Free speech in Indonesia faces a growing threat as social media surveillance intensifies and doxing becomes normalized, whether by paid "buzzers", automated bots or establishment sympathizers.

By ruling against executive discretion in mining permits, the Constitutional Court has drawn a long-overdue line between public wealth and political favoritism.

The joint comminuque resulting from last week's AMM made clear that ASEAN foreign ministers are fully cognizant of the region's parallels with the Mideast conflict, not least the issues pertaining to the vital South China Sea and its own pariah state, Myanmar.

From shrinking birth rates to stagnant teaching quality, the country’s public elementary schools are facing a quiet crisis of empty classrooms - leaving educators and policymakers wondering where all the students went.

Rushing the newly planned financial center through an opaque, three-week legislative blitz risks creating an unstable tax haven and sidelines the deep, system-wide economic reforms the country actually needs.

As the protracted Mideast conflict continues to send economic shock waves across the globe, ASEAN must leverage its diplomatic weight to restore international law vis-à-vis the Hormuz strait before power politics dictates the world's most vital waterway.

As Indonesia leaps blindly into a world-first B50 biodiesel mandate, the Prabowo administration’s high-stakes gamble for energy independence risks triggering domestic supply crunches, market instability and environmental fallout.

Defined by controversial refereeing, political tensions and record-breaking scoring, the just-concluded 2026 World Cup proved to be as compelling off the pitch as it was on it.

This is not a time to let things slide, also because the stable outlook from S&P Global comes with the “expectation that the government continues to view its 3 percent annual deficit ceiling as an important policy anchor.”

The state must bridge the gap between its progressive anti-harassment law and the dangerous reality on the streets, so women are not forced to choose between physical fitness and personal safety.

As regional powers gather in Manila, the upcoming ASEAN summit presents a high-stakes test for President Prabowo to silence his critics, reclaim Jakarta's traditional leadership mantle, and break the deadlock over the bloody crisis in Myanmar.

By classifying "the spread of LGBTQ culture" as a threat to national security, Perpres No. 111/2025 has codified informal hostility into state-sanctioned persecution, declaring a minority group as a public enemy.