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

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

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. 

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

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.

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

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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.

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.

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.

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

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

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

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.

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.