The Jakarta Post celebrates its 42nd anniversary on April 25.

Pressing on

With subscriber numbers tanking and advertising revenue drying up, the timing could not be worse for media outlets both in Indonesia and elsewhere in the world, to deal with another more serious, if not existential, challenge.

3 hours ago

Editorial

A missed opportunity

Today, as the world grapples with the resurgence of protectionism and the unraveling of multilateralism, the principles of Bandung are more relevant than ever. ...

1 day ago

Editorial

Pope Francis' moral legacy

Francis was known as a progressive reformer who often clashed with other top brass in the conservative Church during his 12-year papacy. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

Three Surabaya District Court judges arrested by the Attorney General's Office (AGO), Erintuah Damanik (center), Mangapul (left) and Heru Hanindyo, arrive for detention on Oct. 24, 2024, at the East Java High Prosecutor's Office. The judges were arrested on suspicion of accepting bribes in exchange for the acquittal of defendant Gregorius Ronald Tannur on murder charges.

Editorial

Judging our judges

Better recruitment and oversight systems may help reduce opportunities for corruption in the judiciary, which has been resistant to external supervision by the Judicial Commission.

3 days ago

Kartini (right) and her sisters Roekmini, Kartinah and Soemarti are photographed as teachers in this photo, which is believed to have been taken in Jepara, Central Java, circa 1903. (Courtesy of Leiden University)

Editorial

A revolutionary mind

Every great idea begins with a spark in someone’s mind. Under duress, it is an expression of resilience to escape one’s misfortune.

4 days ago

Elementary school pupils participate in a coloring contest at a literacy festival and book fair held in Padalarang, West Bandung, on Feb. 18.

Editorial

Experimenting with education

In the absence of a solid foundation, as manifested by policy inconsistency, the national education system has only devoured its schoolchildren.

6 days ago

Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) personnel carry packages of humanitarian aid on April 3, 2025, during the departure ceremony for Indonesia's humanitarian aid mission following the 7.7-magnitude earthquake that rocked Myanmar, at the Halim Perdanakusuma Air Force Base in Jakarta. The US$1.3 million of aid consisted of food, medicine, medical equipment and other equipment needed to evacuate people affected by the disaster.

Editorial

Prabowo’s ASEAN agenda

As the de facto leader of ASEAN, it is natural that Indonesia should do more to initiate regional measures to solve problems facing any member nation.

1 week ago

Illustration of Indonesian Criminal Code (KUHP) and Criminal Law Procedures (KUHAP).

Editorial

The hyped KUHAP

The new KUHAP, if passed as it is, risks worsening entrenched human rights violations in the judicial system, which is why the revision is needed in the first place.

1 week ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) sits with his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Friday during the Antalya Diplomacy Forum in Antalya, Turkey.

Editorial

For humanitarian reasons only

Islamic organizations in the country, including the Indonesian Ulema Council (MUI), have voiced strong concerns over the evacuation plan, warning that it could ultimately serve Israel’s interests.

1 week ago

President Prabowo Subianto welcomes seven senior journalists at his private residence in Hambalang, Bogor, West Java on April 6, 2025.

Editorial

First step to transparency

Effective communication at times is not only about clarity, but also about the delivery of the message, whether it can convince the people who receive the message.

1 week ago

Protecting press freedom: Press Council chairwoman Ninik Rahayu delivers a statement condemning the alleged intimidation of journalists of 'Tempo' news magazine on March 21 in Jakarta.

Editorial

What’s with the attitude, cop?

The problem is that the police’s generally hostile attitude toward journalists may have come directly from the top leadership.

1 week ago

Philippine drug convict and former death row inmate Mary Jane Veloso hugs her parents at the Correctional Institution for Women in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines, on Dec. 18, 2024.

Editorial

Reversing the killing trend

The new Criminal Code, passed in 2022 and which will take effect next year, can mark a step forward for a complete end to capital punishment.

2 weeks ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) reacts during an economic event titled “Strengthening Indonesia's Economic Resilience Amid the Wave of Trade Tariff Wars“ on April 8 in Jakarta.

Editorial

Stronger together

Facing US tariffs, ASEAN nations must unite to strengthen their bargaining power and protect their economic interests.

2 weeks ago

New Indonesian ambassadors are sworn in on March 24, 2025, at the State Palace in Jakarta. President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated 31 ambassadors.

Editorial

A vacancy, a foil

At this juncture, even appointing someone Prabowo trusts from the military looks better than leaving the strategic position empty for another few months.

2 weeks ago

People line up for food aid being distributed in Sagaing on April 3, 2025, following the March 28 earthquake. The shallow 7.7-magnitude earthquake on March 28 flattened buildings across Myanmar, killing more than 3,000 people and making thousands more homeless.

Editorial

Myanmar quake's call

ASEAN should work with international organizations in assisting Myanmar and facilitating a new dialogue between the Myanmar junta and various ethnic groups to promote peace and stability.

2 weeks ago

Demonstrators gather outside the Minnesota State Capitol on April 5, 2025, during the nationwide “Hands Off!“ protest against United States President Donald Trump and his advisor, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, in St. Paul, Minnesota, the US.

Editorial

Killing trade together

The world is witnessing a seismic shift in trade and investment, with protectionism spelling the end of open markets that are vital for emerging economies like Indonesia.

2 weeks ago

Indonesia midfielder Marselino Ferdinan (left) and winger Ragnar Oratmangoen (right) embrace forward Ole Romeny while celebrating the team’s first goal against Bahrain on March 25, 2025, during the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asian qualifier match at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Senayan, Jakarta.

Editorial

Erick’s naturalization gamble

Indonesia might finally add a notch to its soccer milestones if and when its men's team reaches the 2026 World Cup finals, but this will likely come at the cost of local talent, seeing as the current lineup consists of predominantly naturalized players.

2 weeks ago

Struggling public relations: President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech on Jan. 22 at a plenary cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta.

Editorial

Communication breakdown

The last three months have seen President Prabowo lurching from one crisis to another.

3 weeks ago

A drone view shows vehicles queuing to board a ferry to cross to Sumatra Island, as Muslims travel to their hometowns to celebrate Idul Fitri, at Merak Port in Cilegon, Banten on April 7, 2024.

Editorial

A modest Idul Fitri

Unless the President can empathize with people’s grievances and burdens, public discontent will persist.

4 weeks ago

A clerk counts United States banknotes on May 22, 2024, at a money changer in Jakarta.

Editorial

The rupiah’s reprimand

The government is now facing a serious crisis of trust from the people and financial markets, including foreign investors and countries.

4 weeks ago

The Tangerang Regency Police formed a task force to combat violent robbery ahead of the 2018 Asian Games.

Editorial

No tolerance for thuggery

Once thugs, clad in the outfits of their mass organization, escape justice after extorting a business owner or street food seller, they will look for other opportunities to bully their way into wads of cash.

4 weeks ago

Excavators transfer soil to transport trucks at a nickel mine operated by nickel mining company Vale Indonesia in Sorowako, South Solawesi on July 28, 2023.

Editorial

Cashing in mining royalties

For decades, the nation’s extractive industries have been plagued by issues such as corruption and regulatory inconsistency, as well as unfair profit-sharing mechanisms with local governments.

1 month ago

Palestinians flee Beit Lahia with their belongings on March 21 in the northern Gaza Strip.

Editorial

Time to step in

The last time we wrote about the fragile Gaza truce, we questioned how long it might last. And now that we know the answer, we must pick up where we last left off.

1 month ago

Pendi, 72, feeds stray cats outside the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta on Sept. 2, 2020. Every week, Pendi receives Rp 70,000 (US$4.74) from a donor to buy cat food and feed around 150 stray cats in the area. JP/Dhoni Setiawan

Editorial

Cats’ year of living dangerously

Sending alley cats to a designated island in Thousand Islands regency is a sure way of destroying their lives, especially if the human population is too small.

1 month ago

High-ranking Indonesian Military (TNI) officers salute during the force's leadership meeting at the TNI headquarters in Jakarta on Jan. 31, 2025.

Editorial

The military strikes back

With a former Army general in the highest office, the country will likely experience a bolder, brasher TNI in the years to come.

1 month ago

Two men watch stock prices on Tuesday at the Indonesia Stock Exchange in Jakarta.

Editorial

IDX investors voting with their feet

In a way, a country’s stock market performance is like a report card for the national economy, and by extension for the government, and in Indonesia’s case right now, the report is not pretty.

1 month ago

Handing out appointments?: Forestry Minister Raja Juli Antoni delivers a press statement on Feb. 3 after meeting President Prabowo Subianto at the State Palace.

Editorial

Long live nepotism

Nepotism, as well as corruption and collusion, has proven to be deeply rooted in our society, with even the reforms in 1998 unable to eradicate it.

1 month ago

Law Minister Supratman Andi Agtas speaks to journalists during a press briefing in Jakarta on Jan. 29, 2025, about the citizenship of Paulus Tannos, an Indoensian businessman named suspect in an e-ID corruption case. The minister reasserted Paulus' Indonesian citizenship, solidifying the law enforcement institutions' authority to arrest and extradite him from Singapore.

Editorial

Extradition or escape?

The recent developments surrounding the extradition order for fugitive businessman Paulus Tannos have cast a spotlight on the efficacy of the Indonesia-Singapore Extradition Treaty.

1 month ago

An artisan draws a special Lebak batik motif on Nov. 8, 2023, at the Chanting Pradana gallery in Lebak regency, Banten.

Editorial

Costly cooperatives gamble

President Prabowo Subianto’s goal of establishing between 70,000 and 80,000 new cooperatives using loans from state-run lenders is problematic and could pose a serious financial risk.

1 month ago

Editorial

Long live Indonesia Raya

In commemoration of National Music Day on March 9, the Culture Ministry released an “Indonesia Raya” vinyl record, featuring eight versions of the national anthem.

1 month ago

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