Indonesia has every reason to be skeptical about the prospect of the intergovernmental organization knowns as BRICS. Questions regarding its effectiveness in reforming the global financial system still abound, as well as whether it is too much of an anti-West group led by China that would not necessarily serve Indonesia’s national interests.

Jakarta voters will decide their leaders for the next five years during the simultaneous regional elections on Nov. 27. The upcoming race will feature an independent contender known to peddle conspiracies, a former West Java governor backed by the bloated government coalition and a former minister endorsed by the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

President Prabowo Subianto has ordered his ministers to rescue publicly listed PT Sri Rejeki Isman (Sritex), the biggest textile company in Southeast Asia, after a commercial court in Semarang, Central Java, declared bankruptcy. Sritex’s rescue comes after a sequence of downfalls of many other textile companies.

Following their inauguration, members of President Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Cabinet joined a boot camp at the Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, which was aimed at building a team spirit before they started working together. It was claimed the retreat was important to create a shared understanding among the plus-size cabinet to stay in tune with Prabowo’s governing vision.

The recent formation of the National Police’s Corruption Eradication Corps (Kortas) by then president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo a few days before he stepped down on Oct. 20 has sparked a discourse about its potential to reshape the country’s antigraft campaign.

Historically, vice presidents in Indonesia rarely shone because their fate depended on how much space was given to them by the sitting president. Newly sworn-in Gibran Rakabuming Raka may end up as another “spare tire”, the popular term to describe vice presidents who held mostly ceremonial roles and who were lucky to be acknowledged in the footnotes of history books.

Luhut Pandjaitan, the former coordinating minister for maritime affairs and investment under president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, was sworn in by President Prabowo Subianto on Oct. 21 alongside over 100 ministers, deputy ministers and minister-level officials in the newly expanded cabinet. A fellow retired general, Luhut has been named head of the National Economic Council (DEN) in Prabowo's administration, as well as presidential adviser on digitalization and governance technology. This appointment reinforces Luhut’s continued influence over Indonesia’s economic development.

Newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto has sworn in Indonesia’s largest cabinet since the New Order era, which features politicians from his large electoral alliance, technocrats and familiar faces from the previous cabinet. However, neither the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) nor the NasDem Party have any representatives in the bloated cabinet, despite their assurance of supporting or at least being friendly to the government.

President Prabowo Subianto’s appointment of Muliaman Hadad as the head of the newly established Daya Anagata Nusantara (Danantara) investment management agency has confused the public following the reappointment of Erick Thohir as state-owned enterprises (SOEs) minister. Both Muliaman and Erick are to manage 41 SOEs, with a single aim of establishing an SOEs super-holding company similar to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings.

Prabowo announced on Oct. 20 a 109-strong team that comprises 48 ministers, including seven coordinating ministers, 56 deputy ministers and five heads of government bodies.

President Prabowo Subianto has vowed to achieve energy self-sufficiency amid ongoing geopolitical tensions while emphasizing the country's abundance of renewable energy sources to develop greener power, such as biodiesel. However, Prabowo's aim could be overoptimistic, oversimplifying the real issues in Indonesia's energy sector.

Something was missing from President Prabowo Subianto’s inaugural speech before the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) on Sunday. He mentioned all his priority agendas, from energy and food self-sufficiency to human development, but nothing at all about the future capital of Nusantara, a signature project under his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) deputy chief Alexander Marwata is currently under investigation by the Jakarta Police following a public complaint regarding an alleged ethical violation. Such allegations of ethical breaches are not unprecedented within the antigraft body, further diluting its already diminishing credibility.

The House of Representatives has decided to expand the number of its commissions from 11 to 13, as well as form a new agency tasked with accommodating public aspirations, in anticipation of the ministries and agencies under the incoming administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto.

Sri Mulyani Indrawati was once again appointed finance minister under newly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto, making her the first to serve under three different presidents, despite her and Prabowo’s initial reluctance. As Sri Mulyani remains in her position, Prabowo will have to compromise and delay his plan to establish a national revenue collection agency.

They say all politics are local, but the elections for the heads of local governments this coming November will still determine the balance of power between the country’s three big political parties. Their interplay, either through competition or collaboration, or a combination of the two, will shape the national political landscape and the direction Indonesia takes.

Indonesia recorded a monthly deflation of 0.12 percent in September, marking the fifth consecutive month of deflation in 2024 and the sharpest decline in the last five years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration. This trend unfolded despite Bank Indonesia’s mid-September decision to cut its benchmark interest rate by 25 basis points to 6 percent.

The selection process of new Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) leaders has entered the penultimate phase, marked by submission of a shortlist of 10 candidates to President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo on Oct. 1. However, controversies remain, ranging from questions about Jokowi’s dominant role in the selection despite the fact that he will soon leave office, allegations of political interference, to doubts over the candidates’ qualifications.

The long-awaited meeting between president-elect Prabowo Subianto and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri is reportedly to take place before Prabowo takes office on Oct. 20. It is believed that the meeting will result in the PDI-P’s decision whether to stand with or in opposition to the incoming government. The outcome of the meeting could have a significant influence on the country’s political landscape.

As Jakarta prepares to lose its status as the capital city of Indonesia, it is striving to remain as the country’s main economic, financial and even cultural center. In short, it wants to be recognized as a “global city”.  It needs a governor that can lead the transformation, but the three candidates contesting the November gubernatorial election failed to impress in the recent first round of debates discussing the prospects of the global city.

Despite a mediation brokered by Energy and Mineral Resources Minister and Golkar Party chairman Bahlil Lahadalia to resolve the dual leadership conflict in the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), Anindya Novyan Bakrie continues to fortify his claim to the Kadin chairmanship. His latest move includes appointing celebrity influencer Raffi Ahmad and Hashim Djojohadikusumo, brother of President-elect Prabowo Subianto, to key positions within his faction, signaling deeper political entanglements in Kadin's leadership.

With the State Ministry bill passed in the House of Representatives and Prabowo Subianto's presidential inauguration quickly approaching, the names of potential members of the new cabinet have been widely circulated.

The recent release of a Susi Air pilot after one and half years in captivity marks a milestone in Indonesia’s attempt to settle the long-standing armed conflict in Papua beyond doubt. Philip Mehrtens’s freedom proved that the non-violent approach, rather than the use of violence, worked in the government’s efforts to deal with the Papuan armed rebel group.

One distinctive feature that will characterize the incoming administration of president-elect Prabowo Subianto is an increase in the number of ministries and government agencies. Apart from splitting up existing ministries, Prabowo plans to overhaul the State-Owned Enterprises (SOEs) Ministry and establish his promised state revenue agency.

The plight of the Bakrie Group has not come to an end with its media arm entangled in massive debts. As the group’s crown prince forcefully took over the chairmanship of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), the Central Jakarta Commercial Court granted an extension of a debt payment suspension for four media companies under the Bakrie Group.

The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR), the country’s highest democratic institution, has revoked or reviewed decrees that have besmirched the reputation of Sukarno, Soeharto and Abdurrahman “Gus Dur” Wahid, respectively Indonesia’s first, second and fourth presidents, all of who are deceased. While the gesture to restore the good names of Sukarno and Gus Dur has not stirred up controversy, some have objected to the Assembly’s attempt to clear the way for conferring National Hero status on authoritarian ruler Soeharto.

Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has stepped in to mediate the ongoing leadership dispute within the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin), involving Anindya Bakrie and Arsjad Rasjid. Bahlil, who revealed the mediation through an Instagram post on Sept. 27,  claimed that both parties had reconciled and pledged to maintain unity within Kadin. He also warned that provocateurs were exploiting the rift, which, if allowed to fester, could harm the organization’s integrity.

The newly inaugurated members of the House of Representatives began their term on Oct. 1 amid public skepticism as to whether they can make a break with the past. Although many new faces characterize the 580-strong House, the old big-tent coalition maintains its control over the legislative branch.

Indonesia, now a member of the world’s biggest free trade agreement, the Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEPP), has applied to join the world’s next biggest Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement on Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP), which has been left by the United States but joined by China.

With the succession of national leadership fast approaching, the realization of president-elect Prabowo Subianto’s flagship free meals program is facing an arduous challenge. Due to budget constraints, several adjustments will have to be made to the original plan, which may compromise the program’s intended purpose.