In Indonesia, abortion remains illegal, except for in cases of rape or to save the mother's life, as stipulated in the 2009 Health Law.

Indonesia is also facing its own demons when it comes to identity politics, as our very own politicians pander to fringe Islamist groups for electoral gains.

The government has made the right call to restrict the interprovincial movement of cattle in response to foot and mouth disease, despite the high demand. Muslim leaders should remind adherents that making an Idul Adha sacrifice is not obligatory if the animals are not available or if one’s means do not allow it.

After all, Documenta, held once every five years since 1955, is one of the biggest art exhibitions in Germany, and this year it displayed the works of more than 1,500 artists over 100 days at 32 sites across the city of Kassel.

The monetary policy should depend mainly on core inflation and not inflationary pressures associated with administered prices, transportation or volatile food commodities.

The EU looks eager to boost its economic and military presence and influence in the Indo-Pacific with one of its strategic goals being to contain an increasingly assertive China.

On one hand, the city's 495th anniversary festivities are well-deserved, as it has worked hard over the past two years to bring COVID-19 under control.

The option of bankruptcy would kill any chance of the creditors recouping their loans because any revenues obtained from asset liquidation would first be allocated to tax payments and severance allowances to employees.

The time has come for a major power like Japan to play more transparent and accountable roles in regional and global security and defense.

Whether we can actually become a coronavirus vaccine hub remains in question, as we have less production capacity than the world’s current main vaccine producers, such as China. But it would be a victory simply to produce enough COVID-19 vaccines to fulfill our domestic needs.

Police are trying to put Khilafatul Muslimin leaders in jail and eventually outlaw the organization, in the name of protecting Pancasila.

President Jokowi inaugurated Zulkifli Hasan and Hadi Tjahjanto as the new trade minister and agrarian reform minister respectively on Wednesday, knowing that their entry into the Cabinet would further consolidate his power and keep him from being a lame duck president.

Indonesia will never engage in any military alliance with other countries, but the nation, living around friendly neighbors, will refrain from being complacent.

In a democracy, the process of lawmaking should be done in transparency, especially for a piece of legislation as critical as the penal code.

When the government slapped a total export ban on palm oil products on April 28 through an erratic and emotionally charged policy, the prices of smallholders’ FFB fell by almost 40 percent to Rp 2,000 (US$0.13) per kilogram.

Owning a second car, or buying a single electric one, is far beyond the means of most Jakartans, meaning they’ll have to resort to public transportation as the city’s odd-even license plate policy comes back into force.

The two-horse race has done more harm than good in Indonesia, not only because of the stark divide it creates but also because it offers limited choices to voters.

When we simply focus on increasing the number of visitors, we ignore the sustainability of tourist destinations, and in turn the industry itself. 

Australia's newly elected premier has come bearing diplomatic gifts on his first state visit to Indonesia, foremost of which is his unconditional assurance to attend the G20 Bali Summit in November.

For at least 10 days after President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo lifted the palm oil export ban on May 23, not a single shipment of the commodity left port as a result of the entirely new and labyrinthine bureaucratic procedures imposed by the Trade Ministry.

For Jakarta, the E-Prix will test its ability to host an international event of a higher level, such as the Formula One, in the future.

The accident highlights the problems with Indonesia’s shipping industry, especially the traditional shipping sector.

The government’s choice of active police and military officers for some of the interim regional head posts implies its penchant for a security approach, which also typified the New Order under Soeharto. 

The security argument against dual citizenship no longer holds water due to increasing government-surveillance power, thanks to information technology.

The fiscal policy shows that the government will focus on strengthening the role of the state budget in absorbing the impact of the skyrocketing food and energy prices.

Many are happy to return to the office as they believe face-to-face interactions will go some way toward a stronger workplace synergy.

For Biden, this was an opportunity to combine security and economic cooperation with the regional grouping, clearly with the ultimate goal of forming a multilateral force to contain China.

For Youth and Sports Minister Zainuddin Amali, the smaller team -- emphasizing the young -- was part of the country’s sports-development strategy to achieve more at the Olympic level. 

Without the IMF’s intervention, it would have been much more difficult for the nation to force Soeharto to step down and embark on historic political reforms to bring democracy back to life.

We look forward to welcoming Australia's newly elected prime minister, with hopes of continued cordiality and perhaps even a shift in Indonesia's climate stance.