A national car is back on the agenda, but what makes President Prabowo Subianto think that this iteration will fare better than similar projects in the past?

If anything, such scrutiny is mandatory if the institution in question gets funding from the state or receives a permit from the government to run their operation. 

President Prabowo needs to realize that, although Indonesia is the largest economy in ASEAN, ignoring its neighbors is a significant blunder. 

Asset recovery must be part of a comprehensive fiscal strategy, not a photo opportunity. 

The bill will only change the method of suppression; whereas in the past silencing was achieved through military intelligence operations, it can now be done via cyber patrols.

If Prabowo wants a mission-driven government, or simply aims to consolidate political support, he should assign new names to new roles rather than overloading the same loyal lieutenants.

Following a dramatic campaign and a dynamic start to his presidency, Prabowo and his administration must now get down to the nitty-gritty or risk losing both momentum and trust.

If hiccups, setbacks and public discontent in the past year can be any indication, we know that there is still much to be desired from how the Prabowo administration governs.

Indonesia’s education system continues to struggle with underpaid teachers, uneven resource distribution and dilapidated schools in vast parts of the country.

Regardless of official statements, the state budget has borne, and will continue to bear, the consequences of the initial miscalculation of the Jakarta-Bandung high speed railway.

An independent and free Palestine is the best and only guarantee for the security of Israel.

A central bank mandated to achieve a government’s economic growth goals will blur the lines between monetary and fiscal policies.

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to feature 48 teams, offering more slots than ever before, a rare window that may not open so widely again.

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado fully deserved to be the laureate of the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize for her nonviolent efforts to free Venezuela, which is on the verge of being a failed state.

Youth unemployment has remained stubbornly high despite the oft touted demographic bonus, but the government needs to step up targeted solutions or risk losing an entire generation.

Instead of safeguarding education for all, we are letting our children fall victim to a system that prizes expediency over integrity.

The regulations about importing waste for raw industrial materials are still lenient, making Indonesia a recipient of waste materials that are not suitable for further processing.

Soaring land prices, costly construction materials, inconsistent spatial planning and stringent bank requirements for mortgages pose a challenge to house saving schemes like Tapera.

Many Palestinians growing weary and tired of the persecution have welcomed Trump’s peace plan, without reading the fine print, perhaps too hungry to read it.

Within a modern democratic system, the military should maintain a distance from the civilian sphere and remain focused on external defense, and to avoid the temptation of intervening in public policy

For decades, the red scare has been used to silence opposition, discredit progressives and stigmatize memory itself.

The presidential press chief's stripping a palace reporter of her credentials during a media conference, though reinstated less than a week later, has sharpened scrutiny of the state of press freedom in the country and by extension, freedom of speech.

It is safe to say that the incoming police reform is no more than a reactionary policy, rather than a genuine intention to bring about change. 

The government has no choice but to immediately pause the program and carry out a full systemic overhaul now that thousands of people have fallen ill due to food poisoning.   

Concentrating vast public wealth in one body without strong oversight is a recipe for corruption, conflict of interest and declining transparency.

We must use current momentum to push for a lasting solution that recognizes and guarantees the sovereignty of the two states, Israel and Palestine, coexisting side by side.

The "normal" level of congestion in Greater Jakarta is already worse than in most other major cities, causing at least Rp 100 trillion (US$6 billion) in direct and indirect economic losses per year.