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Jakarta Post
Opinion premium

Analysis: Unsubsidized fuel, LPG prices rise as energy crisis persists

President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has begun feeling the pressure of the global energy crisis, with state-owned energy company Pertamina raising prices for several unsubsidized fuel and liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) products. The move appears necessary to protect fiscal stability and Pertamina’s operations amid supply disruptions caused by the United States-Israeli war on Iran.

1 week ago
Editorial premium

Protecting 'the help'

After nearly a quarter century stuck in legislative limbo, the nation has finally passed a law guaranteeing the rights of domestic workers, but structural gaps and deep-seated social biases may still stand in the way of true protection. ...

1 week ago
Academia

The Strait of Hormuz shows how everything is now about leverage

Controlling supply chains puts a country in a very powerful position. ...

1 week ago

The Latest

Academia premium

The Lion’s grip: Civil liberties and the cost of dissent

Singapore’s glittering skyline hides a tightening legal knot where dissent is labeled a "falsehood" and conscience is treated as a crime. As activists face prison for questioning the state, one must ask: can a nation truly be great if its prosperity depends on the silence of its citizens?

1 week ago
Academia premium

Questions on COVID-19 that are unsatisfactorily answered (part 2)

As the world moves on from COVID-19, are we ignoring the structural failures and ethical lapses that defined the pandemic? This sharp critique demands transparency from Big Pharma and global leaders to ensure that "business as usual" doesn’t lead us into the next catastrophe.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Why energy security needs a new playbook

Energy security is often defined as ensuring reliable and affordable access to supplies. That definition is no longer sufficient.

1 week ago
Academia premium

The toll of taxation: Why the VAT plan is a risky gamble

The government’s plan to tax public mobility risks stalling the nation’s economy before it even reaches the finish line.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Political reform 2.0: Restoring the state to its foundational principles

Public policy ceases to be guided primarily by considerations of efficiency or long-term national interest; instead, it often becomes the outcome of negotiated distributions of power. 

1 week ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: An economy that isn’t hiring: Why policy is failing the labor market

The job creation engine is showing signs of strain. Despite steady economic growth and rising investment, businesses are increasingly reluctant to expand their workforce, raising concerns over the economy’s ability to absorb millions of new job seekers each year. The emerging disconnect between growth and employment is no longer cyclical but structural, pointing to deeper challenges in how investment, labor policy and skills development are aligned.

1 week ago
Editorial premium

Culling pests, cleaning rivers

As Jakarta ramps up its war on janitor fish, the real enemy isn't the invasive pests, but the decades of systemic pollution that allow them to thrive.

1 week ago
Academia premium

The international system remains uni-multipolar, with the US at its core

Whether the uni-multipolar system tilts toward stability or confrontation will depend on how the US chooses to wield the immense power it still possesses.

1 week ago
Academia premium

It’s time to address psychosocial hazards in a changing world of work

For workers in every sector, psychosocial factors at work can make the difference between a job that supports well-being and one that undermines it. 

1 week ago
Academia premium

Questions on COVID-19 that are unsatisfactorily answered

Six years after the outbreak, the world has moved on, yet the most critical questions surrounding the COVID-19 pandemic remain shrouded in mystery. From lab-leak theories to the ethics of draconian lockdowns, this inquiry demands an objective post-mortem to ensure history does not repeat itself.

1 week ago
Academia premium

The Global South’s moment to shape rules

Some of the greatest challenges the world faces today can be addressed only through common rules, shared institutions and cross-border collaboration.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Official Statistics 4.0: Restoring trust amid the data flood

In an era defined by an overwhelming surge of data, the central challenge is no longer scarcity, but meaning. Governments today are surrounded by an ever-expanding volume of information generated from surveys, administrative systems and digital footprints. 

1 week ago
Academia premium

How not to securitize the Malacca Strait

When a finance minister invokes an Iranian blockade regime as a fiscal template, the institutional confusion itself is a securitization event.

1 week ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: Overflight dilemma: Between sovereignty and security

Indonesia is facing mounting scrutiny over a United States proposal to introduce a notification-based overflight arrangement. As policymakers weigh strategic cooperation against legal consistency and long-standing non-alignment, the decision may ultimately redefine Indonesia’s position within an increasingly contested Indo-Pacific security landscape.

1 week ago
Editorial premium

Sexist humor is no joke

When future judges and lawyers treat "silence means consent" as a punchline, the scales of justice are broken before they even enter the courtroom. This controversy at the University of Indonesia isn't just a private chat gone wrong, it is a chilling look at the foundation of the pyramid that keeps rape culture alive.  

1 week ago
Academia premium

The biggest investment risk right now? Risk aversion

In a swirling world of heightened uncertainty, investors could be forgiven for hunkering down and minimizing exposure to proliferating risks. Yet paradoxically, the biggest risk may be risk aversion itself.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Indonesia AI’s strategy: Economically ambitious, socially hollow

Indonesia is charging headlong into an artificial Iintelligence-driven economy, but its current road map leaves the nation’s most vulnerable workers in a blind spot. To prevent a catastrophic "race to the bottom," the government must balance its hunger for innovation with a radical redesign of the social safety net.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Can domestic workers protection law end ‘modern slavery’?

As Indonesia ratifies a historic domestic worker protection law after two decades of silence, the nation must now decide if these statutory rights will remain a paper promise or finally dismantle the structures of modern slavery.

1 week ago
Interview premium

RI seeks new suppliers, export markets as tensions mount: Trade minister

Trade Minister Budi Santoso sat down with The Jakarta Post’s Maudey Khalisha to discuss how the government is navigating challenges to maintain export performance due to the Iran war and rising protectionism.

1 week ago
Academia

In a fractured world order, where does the Global South fit in?

The era of a Western-dominated world order is over. This is obvious, but it will take some time to sink in across the West.

1 week ago
Academia premium

The Hormuz naval blockade and strategic implications for Indonesia

As Mideast tensions reignite the threat of naval blockades, Indonesia’s control over global maritime choke points is no longer just a geographical fact; it is a strategic liability pointing to a need for Jakarta to move beyond diplomatic partnerships toward a unified, modernized maritime command.

1 week ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: Fiscal stability at risk amid rising energy costs

Indonesia’s fiscal position is coming under increasing pressure as global energy prices rise. Early fiscal data already signals strain, with the budget deficit reaching 0.93 percent of gross domestic product - about a third of the 3 percent ceiling - within the first three months of the year. The abrupt reshuffle of key budget officials at the Finance Ministry has further added uncertainty at a time when policy consistency is crucial.

1 week ago
Editorial premium

Dark days soldier on

The case should be tried in a civilian court to ensure accountability and uncover the full chain of command.

1 week ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: BPJS Kesehatan under strain as claims outpace revenues

Indonesia’s universal healthcare program is coming under renewed strain as the Health Care and Social Society Agency (BPJS Kesehatan) revealed that claims have begun to outpace premium revenues. With the claim ratio reaching 111.86 percent as of February 2026, the imbalance signals growing pressure on the financial sustainability of the National Health Insurance (JKN) system.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Choke point politics: Navigating great power rift in ASEAN waters

The blockade of the Strait of Hormuz has exposed a dangerous fragmentation within ASEAN, pitting Singapore’s legalism against Malaysia’s pragmatism and Indonesia’s shifting alignments. As superpower rivalries move from the Middle East to the Malacca Strait, the region faces a stark choice: restore a unified neutral voice or become a casualty of the North’s power games.

1 week ago
Academia premium

When AI agrees too much: A hidden threat to our democracy

In the absence of clear regulations, personal data shared with chatbots may be analyzed for profiling and exploited for micro-targeted political messaging, undermining both privacy and equality under the law.

1 week ago
Academia premium

Kartini’s spirit: AI and the quiet reinforcement of gender roles

In viewing the design, development and deployment of artificial intelligence, Kartini’s legacy reminds us that direction is a vital part of progress.

2 weeks ago

Today's ePost

Sat, May 9, 2026

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