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A TransJakarta bus passes through the Senayan area of South Jakarta, on Wednesday, April 15, 2026.

Editorial premium

Transit drives growth

While often viewed as a public cost, Transjakarta is actually a massive economic driver generating three times its weight in national output. By shifting focus from fuel subsidies to transit integration, Indonesia can clear its skies and its balance sheets simultaneously.

9 hours ago

Editorial premium

Cheap loans won’t fix SMEs

Limited growth potential and informal structures often disqualify Indonesia’s small enterprises from external financing, as lenders perceive them as high-risk or unattractive clients. ...

1 day ago

Editorial premium

Second time surrender

From "free and active" to a silent subordinate: Prabowo’s recent concessions to Washington signal a dangerous erosion of Indonesian sovereignty. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo

The long-awaited G20 chair

Leading the prestigious group is both an honor and a challenge, but hopefully, Indonesia’s presidency will generate concrete results not only for the country but also for other developing nations.

4 years ago

The five chimney stacks of the 4,025 MW Suralaya coal-fired power plant, one of the largest of its kind in Indonesia, tower above Cilegon, Banten, on Sept. 24, 2019. The two shorter stacks channel exhaust from units one through four of the plant, while the three taller stacks channel exhaust from units five through seven.

New dawn for carbon trading

Putting a price on carbon will be an issue for Indonesian industry, as more than 80 percent of the sector relies on fossil fuel power plants and about 50 percent on coal-fired plants.

4 years ago

Singing out loud: Dialita, a choir comprising survivors of the 1965 tragedy, rehearses ahead of its concert on Wednesday at Taman Ismail Marzuki, Central Jakarta. The concert was held in conjunction with World Human Rights Day and Indonesian Women’s Day.

Guilt trip over 1965 killings

The government has consistently quashed all attempts to bring out the truth about this national tragedy.

4 years ago

This handout from the Myanmar News Agency (MNA) taken and released on June 4, 2021 shows Myanmar armed forces chief Gen. Min Aung Hlaing (right) meeting with Brunei's Second Minister of Foreign Affairs Erywan Yusof (left) in Naypyidaw, Myanmar.

Suspend Myanmar 's membership

Indonesia can pioneer the approach by inviting the National Unity Government of Myanmar for bilateral talks with Indonesia.

4 years ago

Surprising guest: Indonesia's Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, who ran in the 2019 presidential election, made an appearance on the Close The Door podcast, garnering 12 million views per July 2021.

Screening season

Political parties cannot ignore public aspirations or force their will against the people about the best presidential and vice presidential candidates.

4 years ago

Agency for Pancasila Ideology Education (BPIP) steering committee head Megawati Soekarnoputri speaks during a presidential lecture event at the State Palace in Jakarta on Dec. 3, 2019.

Science-obsessed Mega

For sure, having the chief executive of the ruling party control the BRIN risks politicization of science, which is unacceptable in a democracy.

4 years ago

Intimidation tactics: Borrowers often receive intimidating messages and phone calls from debt collectors, causing depression, frustration and mental breakdowns. (Courtesy of Unsplash/Paul Hanaoka).

Financial literacy key

Jokowi ordered state-owned banks to increase their non-guaranteed loans to up to Rp 100 million for micro, small and medium enterprises from a previous limit of Rp 50 million as part of efforts to fight marauding digital loan sharks.

4 years ago

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo

The economic report card

The major challenge for Jokowi over the next three years is phasing out the dominance of state companies in infrastructure development.

4 years ago

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo plants mangroves with the community at Raja Kecik Beach, Bengkalis regency, Riau, on Sept. 28, accompanied by the environment and forestry minister and Mangrove and Peatland Restoration Agency (BRGM) head.

Lucky seven

Even if you don’t want to give credit to Jokowi, among policies rolled out by his government some must have worked.

4 years ago

Players from Indonesia pose with the trophy and their medals after winning the Thomas Cup men’s team final against China in Aarhus, Denmark, on Oct. 17, 2021.

Thomas Cup blemish

The blame should be laid with the country’s sports authorities, including Sports and Youth Affairs Minister Zainuddin Amali and the National Antidoping Agency (LADI).

4 years ago

Myanmar's junta chief Senior General Min Aung Hlaing (left) gestures as he is welcomed upon his arrival ahead of the ASEAN leaders' summit at Soekarno-Hatta International Airport in Tangerang, Banten on April 24, 2021.

No welcome for Myanmar’s junta

The Myanmar general would not have dared to challenge Jokowi had ASEAN’s rotating chairman Brunei strictly implemented its mandate to help restore peace in the impoverished nation.

4 years ago

Britain, on April 6, 2018, joined France, Norway and Mexico in rolling out a sugar tax on soft drinks in an attempt to tackle obesity and tooth decay in children.

In for more excise taxes

In distinction to income and value-added taxes, the main purpose of excise taxes is to control the consumption of goods with adverse health, environmental or social impacts.

4 years ago

All out: Banners inviting everyone to support the ongoing 20th National Games in Papua are seen almost everywhere in Jayapura, Papua.

When the party is over

To throw the quadrennial sporting fiesta in Papua the government has spent more than Rp 10.4 trillion (US$740 million) since 2018.

4 years ago

Members of the Corruption Eradication People’s Committee rally outside the State Palace on Jan. 8, 2019, to demand that the government abolish articles in the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law they deem to be a threat to the freedom of expression.

Victims of ITE Law

What we’ve heard, over the years, are countless reports of people being jailed for criticizing others on social media.

4 years ago

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa (left), cofounder and CEO of the Philippine's investigative news media 'Rappler', and Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russia's independent opposition newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta', in recognition of "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace".

Truth matters

Squeezed between big tech and populist politicians, it seemed that professional media was grabbing at space to breathe. Let us hope that this year's Nobel Peace Prize can help "reset" public appreciation and recognition of the free and independent press as fundamental to democracy and world peace.

4 years ago

Ready to serve: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, inspects the first batch of the Reserve Component of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the Special Forces Training and Education Center in Batujajar, near Bandung in West Java, on Oct. 7. Jokowi also inaugurated the reserve unit.

Reserve army? Why now?

Launching Komcad is a case of misplaced priority, even within the national defense strategy.

4 years ago

Someone is watching: Cyberattacks on individuals, civil society groups and media in Indonesia are on the rise, according to the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet). In most cases, the attacks came after the victims criticized government policies.

Why #PercumaLaporPolisi is still a thing

It is perhaps unsurprising that not a single high-profile case of digital attacks on journalists and activists has been solved by the police.

4 years ago

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) during the Group of 20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019.

Bump in the road

One thing is very clear: The railway project is too big to fail, but it is also too costly to continue.

4 years ago

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati speaks at the House of Representatives on Monday, Sept. 13, about the draft bill on fiscal relations between centers and regions (RUU HKPD) and the bill on the general provisions on taxation (RUU KUP).

Comprehensive VAT reform

The new law will raise the standard VAT rate from the current 10 percent to 11 percent next April and 12 percent in 2025.

4 years ago

Workers from the Depok General Elections Commission (KPU) stack ballot boxes at a warehouse in Cimanggis district, Depok, West Java, on Nov. 25, 2020. JP/P.J.Leo

Loss of Reform spirit

Jakartans, for example, will have to allow an unelected governor lead for more than two years, while in Central Java and East Java, the acting governors will serve one year shorter.

4 years ago

Virus control: Visitors are allowed to enter shopping malls by using the PeduliLindungi app as part of attempts to curb COVID-19.

The Blitar project

The goal here is to allow the virus to infect people at a rate that can be handled by the healthcare system in return for greater freedom and greater immunity.

4 years ago

Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (front center) poses with members of his cabinet at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Oct. 4.

Japan’s fear of China

Economic relations and investment may remain stable, but we cannot expect Japan to come up with major breakthroughs as it will take this region, including Indonesia, for granted while China’s economic and military might is steadily rising.

4 years ago

Pandora's box: Allegations leveled in the Pandora Papers range from corruption to money laundering and tax evasion.

Follow the money

We deem hoarding wealth abroad while millions are impoverished wrong from a moral and ethical standpoint.

4 years ago

Indonesian military tanks parade in formation during an exercise at a naval base in Cilegon, West Java, on Oct. 3, 2015, in preparation for the 70th anniversary celebration of the Indonesian armed forces. This year''s anniversary will be a much more modest affair because of the ongoing pandemic.

Modernizing TNI

Given the complexity of future challenges, it is high time for the TNI to leave its comfort zone.

4 years ago

Finance Ministry Sri Mulyani Indrawati speaks at the House of Representatives about a draft bill on fiscal relations between centers and regions (RUU HKPD) and the bill on the general provisions on taxation (RUU KUP), on Sept. 13.

Overarching tax reform

The implementation of a multitariff VAT would make the tax system more complex while the institutional capacity of the tax authority remains inadequate.

4 years ago

Trial run: Students of SD Kalisari 01 state elementary school in East Jakarta take their exams during a trial program for in-class learning on June 9, after a year of online instruction. The government planned to reopen schools for the new academic year in July, despite growing concerns about the children’s safety as infections soar.

Give children a shot

We can barely get children to stay put, let alone control who they interact with inside and outside the classroom, so as long as the medical community can assure us that vaccines are safe, parents should do the responsible thing of inoculating them. Just as we already have done with smallpox or polio vaccines.

4 years ago

Out of sight: West Jakarta's Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) covers the shelf displaying cigarettes with white fabric in a minimarket chain on Sep. 13, 2021. (Kompas.com/Sonya Teresa)

Protecting our children

The future of the country depends on a healthy generation from the health hazards of nicotine.

4 years ago

Indonesian diplomat Silvany Austin Pasaribu speaks during the 75th session of the General Assembly of the United Nation (UN) on Saturday, Sept 26, 2020. When exercising Indonesia's right to reply, Silvany defended the government's sovereignty over Papua and West Papua and criticized the Republic of Vanuatu over its interference disguised under 'artificial human rights concerns'.

Papua needs more than junior diplomacy

Indonesia has only humiliated itself in such a prestigious forum as the UNGA, because this stunt is no different from that often pulled by undemocratic states like North Korea.

4 years ago

Known for manufacturing and selling solar panels, Sky Energy has been developing solar power projects in several regions this year.

Building a solar powerhouse

We need a broad and bold electricity market reform, not a piecemeal policy, and strong national leadership to tap our huge solar power potential.

4 years ago

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators bring in House of Representatives deputy speaker Azis Syamsuddin from the Golkar Party for questioning at KPK headquarters on Sept. 24.

Catch bigger fish, KPK

The 'big catch' came just as public trust in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was plummeting.

4 years ago

Page: 44

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