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A firefighter battles a blaze at the Jatiwaringin landfill in Tangerang regency, Banten, on July 4, 2026.

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Dumpster fire no more

The country's recurring landfill disasters demand that we stop fighting fire with fire downstream and finally extinguish the waste crisis at its household source.

16 hours ago

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Selective justice

The Prabowo administration’s aggressive corporate crackdowns risk looking less like impartial justice and more like selective enforcement: a dangerous signal that could spook the very investors the country needs to sustain growth. ...

1 day ago

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When prosecutors become prosecuted

President Prabowo Subianto's response to call for "introspection" from the military, police and prosecutors is not enough. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

Wooden boats used by residents of the remote Pulo Aceh district to cross to Banda Aceh in mainland Sumatra are seen on June 26 in Aceh Besar, Aceh.

Small islands, big issue

The illegal sale of small islands is not always a matter of regulatory loopholes, but rather the result of a lack of awareness or even outright ignorance among locals as well as the government.

1 year ago

A sign for sovereign wealth fund Danantara Indonesia is seen in front of its headquarters in Jakarta on Feb. 28.

Quick-handed Danantara

Danantara was not created just to hand out lifelines, it was established to generate long-term returns for the country.

1 year ago

Attendees stand at the entrance to the BRICS Business Forum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 5.

Not just another ‘BRICS’ in the wall

We should take this as recognition of Indonesia’s position as a middle power, and hence its clout in influencing global development.

1 year ago

Treacherous descent: Rescue workers on June 23 attempt to evacuate Juliana Marins, a Brazilian national who fell into a ravine on Mount Rinjani, Lombok Island, West Nusa Tenggara, after going missing on June 21.

Climbing should never kill

In the aftermath of the Rinjani tragedy, many hikers have criticized Indonesia’s tourism system for prioritizing commercial interests over the safety of its visitors.

1 year ago

People check candidates before casting their ballots during the 2024 regional head elections in Banda Aceh, Aceh, on Nov. 27, 2024.

Reforming the electoral system

The Constitutional Court’s recent ruling that splits national and regional elections starting in 2029 comes as a relief.

1 year ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) shakes hands with Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim during a press conference following a bilateral meeting at the Merdeka Palace, in Jakarta, on June 27.

The RCEP summit matters

An RCEP summit is critical now more than ever, as the global economic landscape is increasingly fragmented and marked by rising protectionism and inward-looking trends.

1 year ago

A girl stands in the wake of a ‘bajaj’ on June 25, 2025, as its driver plows through a flooded street in Muara Angke, North Jakarta.

To rescue or abandon Java?

The lessons of the previous administration's IKN megaproject do not bode well for the revived "Giant Sea Wall" project, which could find itself and the coastal communities it is supposed to protect at sea, even before it breaks ground.

1 year ago

Officers prepare free meals on Wednesday at a Nutrition Fulfillment Service Unit (SPPG) in Palmerah, Jakarta. The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) emphasized that there had never been a policy to distribute raw ingredients or snacks as part of the program.

Fixing the free meals program

The month-long school holiday is the perfect time for the government to evaluate what is not working with the free nutritious meal program.

1 year ago

Visitors look at a mock up of a “mini“ subsidized house measuring 14 square meters on June 12, in Jakarta.

Homes unbought or unbuilt

If the properties are too expensive, they will not be bought, but if they are too inexpensive, they will not be built.

1 year ago

Remote work: A civil servant works during his in-office shift at the Riau Communication, Information and Statistics Agency in Pekanbaru on April 20, 2020, as his colleagues work from home.

Remote work? Not now

For a civil service often criticized for its slow pace and a traditional emphasis on physical presence, transitioning to a less supervised environment could exacerbate existing inefficiencies.

1 year ago

Photos depicting the May 1998 riot in Surakarta, Central Java, are exhibited in 'Refleksi Peristiwa Mei 1998' (A Reflection on May 1998).

Acknowledging our dark past

Removing violent accounts from history books will not "right a wrong" but rather would whitewash our past.

1 year ago

A satellite view shows an overview of the Fordow complex, after the United States struck the underground nuclear facility, near Qom, Iran, on June 22, 2025.

Speak up, Indonesia

Prabowo's hesitation could undermine Indonesia's credibility as a middle-power player, leading many Indonesians to conclude that the government fears confronting President Trump.

1 year ago

This picture taken on August 4, 2021 shows a housing complex in Jakarta, near the border with a neighboring province.

Housing for whom?

What is missing from the housing agenda is the important conversation about design, access and equity.

1 year ago

Under investigation: Sandipala Arthaputra president director Paulus Tannos (on-screen) gives a testimony on May 18 during the e-ID hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

Singapore's moment of truth

Despite high optimism among Indonesian officials, public suspicion persists regarding Singapore's sincerity, particularly concerning the extradition treaty.

1 year ago

People wade through a flooded street on March 4, 2025, in Kebon Pala, Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, where 59 neighborhood units (RT) and four roads were inundated by floodwaters reaching 30-300 centimeters when the Ciliwung River overflowed.

Beyond celebrations

The common thread tying together Jakarta's perennial flooding, choking pollution and constant congestion is weak political will, and unless the local administration addresses this underlying factor starting now, these issues will continue to plague this historic city for the next half century.

1 year ago

North Sumatra Governor Bobby Nasution (left) and Aceh Governor Muzakir Manaf (center) approach House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad to address a press briefing at the Bina Graha presidential office in Central Jakarta on June 17, 2025, following a limited meeting with President Prabowo Subianto.

A test of trust

The short-lived dispute between Aceh and North Sumatra over four outlying islands serves as a reminder that a nation as vast and diverse as Indonesia requires continuous political will and efforts, as well as sensitivity, to maintain our hard-fought, hard-won national unity.

1 year ago

Dubious tactics: West Java governor Dedi Mulyadi (third left) talks with students on May 5 while inspecting a character and discipline training session at a military education center in West Bandung regency, West Java. Hundreds of students from various regions across West Java who have been involved in street brawls, motorbike gangs and addicted to online gaming have been sent to undergo intensive training led by Indonesian Military (TNI) personnel for at least 14 days.

Early school a new burden

Several studies in developed countries such as Singapore and England have shown that delaying school start times actually improves students’ well-being and academic performance.

1 year ago

Israeli air defense systems are activated to intercept Iranian missiles over the Israeli city of Tel Aviv early on June 18.

Quagmire anyone?

The Trump administration still has the leverage to change the equation, if not the outcome, in the Israel-Iranian conflict.

1 year ago

All smiles: President Prabowo Subianto and the Indonesian men’s soccer team players sing together before their lunch at the head of state’s private residence on Jl. Kertanegara, South Jakarta, on June 6.

Achievement vs. popularity

Indonesia still faces a daunting challenge to qualify for the World Cup, and questions arose about whether the team's reward was premature.

1 year ago

People enter the Denpasar Immigration Office building in Bali on Aug. 2, 2024.

Love our expats

Our bureaucrats should learn to be less xenophobic in dealing with expatriates.

1 year ago

A screen at the lobby of Cipto Mangunkusumo Central General Hospital (RSCM) in Jakarta shows pictures of the telerobotic surgery to remove cyst from a patient's kidney on Aug. 30, 2024. The lead doctor in the procedure, urological surgeon Ponco Birowo, led the surgery from Denpasar, Bali, while the patient was in the surgical theater in Jakarta.

Risky insurance reform

The primary motive behind the regulation is to ensure the financial sustainability of health insurers, who are struggling with rising claims amid soaring medical cost.

1 year ago

Deforestation devastates an area on Gag Island in Raja Ampat, Southwest Papua province, in this aerial handout picture taken on December 22, 2024 and released on January 31.

Mining and tourism don’t mix

Someone issued licenses for mining in a prime tourism region. What were they thinking?

1 year ago

President Prabowo Subianto raises his fist while addressing his cabinet members during a meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta on May 5.

Demonizing CSOs

President Prabowo's communication style, while a key part of his nationalist branding, reflects populism, which tends to divide society between "the people" and "others", who are often framed as a common enemy threatening the nation.

1 year ago

A volunteer weighs a children on a scale at an integrated health post (Posyandu) in Ciamis regency, West Java, on Jan. 16, 2024. The government allocates Rp 187.5 trillion in the 2024 state budget for stunting prevention.

Stunting policy gets stunted

More than half of the targeted 82 million children probably do not need free meals at school and would not appreciate it as much since they get better and more nutritious food at home.

1 year ago

A worker of the hospitality industry carries a mock coffin outside a closed bar during a protest against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown regulations and job losses in Cape Town, South Africa, August 6, 2020.

Ailing hospitality industry

People are unlikely to plan vacations when the economy is weak and the administration fails to create jobs, the primary driver of spending power and disposable income.

1 year ago

United States President Donald Trump delivers remarks on March 11 at the Business Roundtable's quarterly meeting at the Business Roundtable headquarters in Washington, DC.

Economic gunboat diplomacy

We must avoid premature concessions, because the US trade policy remains in flux, with legal challenges ongoing.

1 year ago

South Korea's President Lee Jae-myung (center) and his wife Kim Hye-kyung (right) leave on Wednesday after the inauguration ceremony at the National Assembly in Seoul.

Prabowo’s S. Korean approach

The bilateral ties between Asia’s fourth and fifth-largest economies are too significant to fail.

1 year ago

Muslim worshippers gather for prayers at the Grand Mosque complex in the holy city of Mecca on June 2, ahead of the annual haj.

Don’t neglect our pilgrims

The government cannot remain silent when citizens are facing hardships in their bid to fulfil their religious obligation.

1 year ago

President Prabowo Subianto attends the plenary session at the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit in Kuala Lumpur on May 26.

Whither ASEAN community?

This year, ASEAN still barely resembles a community in its true sense of the word as its leaders have come up with a new vision for 2045 with even more audacious targets.

1 year ago

Civil service recruits burn tires during a demonstration in the front yard of the Southeast Sulawesi Legislative Council in Kendari on March 10, 2025, to protest the government’s decision to delay their inauguration.

Older, slower bureaucracy

Now is not the time to think about raising the civil service retirement age, lest we lose out on the coming demographic bonus and thereby miss our Golden Indonesia 2045 goal of becoming a high-income economy and advanced society by our centennial.

1 year ago

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Wed, July 15, 2026

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