For the last year of his final term in office, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has set ambitious targets in terms of economic growth, poverty reduction, job creation and reducing inequality, using the state budget as an instrument to achieve these. And yet, the budget continues to be burdened by rising debt and ballooning contingency allocations related to infrastructure projects.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo and Megawati Sukarnoputri, the chair of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), the largest party in the coalition government, have sharp and probably irreconcilable differences in their approaches to the 2024 presidential race. Jokowi, a member of the PDI-P, appears to be supporting Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto of Gerindra, another coalition member party. Meanwhile, Megawati has named Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as the PDI-P candidate.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s policy to develop the country’s mineral downstream industry, especially for nickel, is once again facing scrutiny after senior economist Faisal Basri called out the policy for benefitting other countries, especially China, more than Indonesia. Jokowi refuted Faisal’s claims, sparking a series of counterarguments from his camp in defense of the policy.

The Golkar Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN) have finally decided to ally themselves with the Gerindra Party and the National Awakening Party (PKB) to support Prabowo Subianto in his presidential bid. This makes Prabowo the current presumptive presidential candidate with the biggest political backing, which could translate into a better chance of winning the 2024 race.

Jakarta’s Light Rail Transit (LRT) system has once again sparked controversy due to criticism regarding design flaws and the presence of 31 trainsets with varying specifications. This has added to a myriad of issues plaguing the LRT project, which has the potential to further postpone the planned commercial operation start date of August 18, 2023, and escalate the project's financial cost.

The Constitutional Court is asking what the urgency is for it to lower the minimum age for president and vice president from 40 to 35 years if the House of Representatives and the government, who make the electoral laws and regulations, have given their endorsements. It is also a question that many people in the country are asking.

The Indonesian government’s subsidy program for electric motorcycles has faced a slow uptake since it was first introduced on March 20. It is a blow to what was aimed to speed up the mass adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) in the country.

The resistance of the Indonesian Military (TNI) toward the arrest of its high-ranking officer and his aide by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in relation to an alleged graft case at the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) has reignited a debate over the military’s long-standing culture of impunity.

Recent developments in the investigation of a corruption case that has been blamed for contributing to a domestic cooking oil shortage last year has led to Coordinating Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto being questioned by the Attorney General’s Office (AGO). Prior to Airlangga’s interrogation, three palm oil companies had been named new suspects in the case.

Airlangga Hartarto’s position as the chairman of the Golkar Party is currently treading precarious ground due to what is considered to be his lack of party leadership and maneuvering towards opposition presidential candidate Anies Baswedan. President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s trusted man Luhut Pandjaitan is touted to be the next chairman and direct the party to give support to Jokowi’s preferred candidate Prabowo Subianto.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has tasked Communications and Information Minister Budi Arie Setiadi and Deputy Minister Nezar Patria with monitoring social media and electronic commerce (e-commerce) issues, including TikTok’s controversial Project S. The President plans to form a task force to manage said issues, as well as base transceiver stations and satellites, along with information and communications technology (ICT) issues in general.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo ordered his eighth Cabinet reshuffle earlier this week with just over a year left of his second and final term in office.

In another move of resource nationalism, the government through mining holding company MIND ID plans to acquire majority stake in the country’s largest nickel miner PT Vale Indonesia (INCO) in a bid to speed up the downstreaming of nickel industry in the country.

Indonesia always aspires to be a great nation as “Indonesia Raya”, the title of the national anthem, suggests. Now it is well on its way to become one. Its global profile is growing, earning accolades such accolades as the world’s third largest democracy, the largest democracy in the Muslim world and economically, on the current trajectory, it is rising in ranking, from the 16th largest economy to becoming the world’s top five in the next 20 years. But while rising as a middle power, a great sporting nation Indonesia is not likely to be.

Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo instructed his ministers not to lose focus on establishing the country’s downstream industry in light of a recent recommendation from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for the country to review its downstream policy and consider a phased elimination of the ban on nickel ore exports.

The passage of the omnibus health bill into law appears set to take place this month, notwithstanding a recent delay in the House of Representatives plenary vote.

The State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry has proposed to the House of Representatives an increase in state-capital injection (PMN) sfor SOEs to be disbursed in 2024 so that it would be able to bankroll cash-strapped PT Wijaya Karya (WIKA) that is currently under investigation for alleged manipulation of its financial reports. If agreed, the total PMN for this year would increase by Rp 24.04 trillion (US$1.61 billion), or 70 percent, from the initial budget of Rp 33.9 trillion to Rp 57.96 trillion.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) grilled Agriculture Minister Syahrul Yasin Limpo on Monday in connection with various graft cases plaguing the ministry. The questioning came just after another NasDem Party politician-cum-minister, Johnny G. Plate, was named corruption suspect, dealing the party a major blow ahead of the 2024 elections.

PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) and the government’s Aug. 18 promised operational date of the Jakarta-Bandung High-Speed Railway (HSR) is met with strong opposition from the Transportation Ministry’s review team, consisting of Mott MacDonald, PwC and Umbra law firm. The ministry and consultants cite serious issues ranging from the construction of Padalarang station being behind schedule, financial issues and a rushed testing period as chief concerns among them.

The Coalition for Change, a political alliance between the Democratic Party, the NasDem Party and the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), is turning heads as current internal dynamics have mounted questions about the fate of the coalition. At the center of these dynamics is the coalition’s presidential candidate Anies Baswedan, who remains committed to the February 2024 race despite holding a ticket that hangs in the balance.

The Joko “Jokowi” Widodo administration has decided to lift the government’s ban on exports of sea sand, which had stood for 20 years, amid the threat of environmental degradation to the country’s coastal environment. The sea sand export reinstatement came about while the government attempts to prohibit exports of more of the country’s critical minerals.

After failing to win sufficient political support to get his term extended beyond 2024, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is maneuvering to make sure that whoever succeeds him will protect the legacy that he has built since taking power in 2014. Without a political party as his support base, however, he may find limitations to this role as kingmaker.

PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia Cina (KCIC) is hitting the gas on the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway (HSR) project to meet their promise of being fully operational by Aug. 18 this year by starting their first tests with a comprehensive inspection train (CIT) last week.  Some quarters, however, warned a short testing period could compromise safety.

The arrest of a top Cabinet minister on charges of corruption will alter the political landscape ahead of the February 2024 general elections, with presumptive presidential candidate Anies Baswedan and his chief sponsor, the NasDem Party, taking big hits.

Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI), a subsidiary of banking state-owned enterprise (SOE) Bank Mandiri, was a victim of extortion, by criminal hacker group LockBit, of data that allegedly belonged to the sharia banking SOE, including employee data, records of about 15 million of its customers and 1.5 terabytes (TB) of internal data. The data breach created by the hacker group after BSI did not cede to LockBit’s demanded ransom over said data could make the bank liable for lawsuits.

With registration for the 2024 presidential and vice presidential candidates opening soon, Prabowo Subianto, Anies Baswedan and Ganjar Pranowo, the only figures with a realistic chance of winning the highest office, remain in search of their running mates. Potential names have been listed, though in the end, each will only choose a partner that can help them win.

The case of suspicious transactions involving the import of gold bars is now the top priority of the Prevention and Eradication of Money Laundering Task Force (TPPU). The task force, led by Coordinating Political, Legal and Security Affairs Minister Mahfud MD, suspects the existence of a modus operandi of falsifying the Harmonized System (HS) code in the case of import duty and export tax evasion related to gold imports and exports, which caused a loss to the state of more than Rp 189 trillion (US$12.85 billion).

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto is shaping up as the candidate to beat in the presidential race on Feb. 14, 2024, and is no longer the dark horse of earlier surveys.

The recent establishment of a state-owned Bank Syariah Indonesia (BSI) representative office in Dubai is part of the government’s plan to attract investors from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join the sharia bank following last February’s announcement of divestment by two major shareholders, PT Bank Rakyat Indonesia (BRI) and PT Bank Negara Indonesia (BNI).

With the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) settling on Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo as its presidential candidate, the other parties are readjusting their positions with regard to their own nominations ahead of the 2024 elections. Parties that in the past formed alliances to field common candidates are revisiting their positions, and some are contemplating joining the PDI-P in supporting Ganjar’s candidacy.