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.

Prabowo believes that as a full member state, PNG will strengthen ASEAN in facing geopolitical challenges. 

The long-waited, and so-called “green”, long-term electricity business plan (RUPTL) is here, but it is not what we were hoping for.

While continued development of Blok M will undoubtedly enhance the area’s appeal, Governor Pramono must look beyond South Jakarta if he wants Jakarta to become a “global city” that’s on par with urban giants like Singapore, New York, London and Tokyo.

To be more widely welcomed in the Indo-Pacific, France should focus on acting as a local power rather than a foreign power dictating terms to countries in the region. 

Relations with China cannot be pinned solely on strong economic cooperation as some issues remain, including the skirmishes in the South China Sea, and the flooding of Chinese goods into our markets. 

From directing traffic to looking for parking spots, these preman, derived from the Dutch word vrijeman, are all eager to lend a hand, in exchange for petty cash or loose change in your glove compartment. 

What we have now is a grim new reality, whether one attributes that to domestic politics, the global economy or changing technology. Unlike the pandemic, there is no end in sight.

Many public schools suffer from poor infrastructure, buildings that are outdated or even dilapidated, and lack adequate educational resources.

The AGO-TNI arrangement is seen as a dangerous erosion of the democratic principle of civilian supremacy.

Critics suspect the project aims to glorify the incumbent government and will serve as "official history" in textbooks across all educational levels, at least for Prabowo's five-year term.

The shadow of Soeharto's past now seems to loom over the nation, threatening the civilian supremacy we fought so hard to establish.

The TNI has claimed compliance with standard operating procedure, but the presence of civilians at such a dangerous zone shows otherwise.

While the Geneva agreement brings hope, it does not undo all the damage. Our global trade will never be what it used to be.

Indonesian soccer fans’ behavior is a hindrance to the nation’s aspirations to see Indonesia become a great soccer nation.

Both the President and former president are part of the country’s political institutions which should not be shielded from criticism, including satire.

Other countries have tackled racketeering through a combination of targeted asset seizures, witness protection, whistleblower incentives and cross-agency coordination.  

Instead of looking to the Saudis for more sweeteners, the government must sort out all the recurring domestic problems that have marred the organization of the haj in the past.

The pessimistic scenario is that the first quarter was bad but that things will only get harder from now on, given the uncertainty ahead. The optimistic view is that, while global factors are largely out of our control, there are steps we can take at home to prepare our country.

A champion of the Catholic tradition of social justice founded by his namesake Leo XIII, Prevost's background and clear admiration for his predecessor indicates that he may follow the same path to peace and love that Francis trod for the last 12 years.

Any attempt to distort the military’s impartiality not only endangers national security, but also breaches the spirit of the reform movement 27 years ago.

As if the decline in press freedom in Indonesia were not already difficult enough for journalists, now they also have to deal with a more fundamental, if not existential question, on whether practicing journalism is a sustainable livelihood.

Indonesia needs to aggressively pursue other opportunities such as long delayed Indonesia-European Union Comprehensive Economic Partnership Agreement (IEU-CEPA) and similar trade pacts.

The Surakarta brouhaha should trigger a comprehensive review of special regions and the formation of new regions in general as practices that could undermine our democratic institutions.

The sweeping re-election victories of Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong and Australia's Prime Minister Anthony Albanese in their respective parliamentary elections on Saturday should be a significant relief for President Prabowo Subianto.

Today, most workers are more concerned about holding onto their jobs than about large pay raises, even if they struggle to make a living from one payday to the next.

The neglect of teachers' welfare by the state creates an environment in which unethical practices become not just an option, but, in some cases, a survival mechanism.

Indonesia could nudge China to stop dragging its feet in concluding negotiations for a Code of Conduct in the South China Sea, something that ASEAN has been pushing for from Beijing for over two decades.

The West Java cases also put a spotlight on what experts call structural and psychological gaps in the safety and protection of women.

LG's recent exit from the US$8.45 billion Project Titan presents an opportunity for the government to take a step back, take stock of market conditions and take a broader view of its downstream goals.