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President Prabowo Subianto (left) listens to United States President Donald Trump on Feb. 19, 2026, during the signing ceremony for the US-Indonesia Agreement on Reciprocal Tariffs (ART) in Washington, D.C.

Editorial premium

Sovereignty for soybeans?

We should use this inadvertent grace period due to the US Supreme Court's ruling to review the ART scrupulously to see what we're actually gaining or losing, and make doubly sure that we haven't traded our sovereignty through an alliance pact disguised as a trade deal.

23 hours ago

Editorial premium

Stop the spiral

Jakarta should focus on what it can actually do, without grandstanding. ...

1 day ago

Editorial premium

Gen Z’s marital shift

As Gen Z trades traditional wedding bells for financial stability and personal fulfillment, religious affairs offices have discovered that it takes more than TikTok trends and free durians to fix a national marriage slump. ...

3 days ago

The Latest

Syrians living in Turkey celebrate after Syrian rebels announced that they had ousted President Bashar al-Assad in Syria, in Istanbul, Turkey, on Dec. 8, 2024.

Mission to Syria

Democracy is Indonesia’s most substantial offer.

1 year ago

Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Pramono Anung (left) talks to his running mate Rano Karno during a press briefing in Cipete, South Jakarta, on Nov. 28, 2024.

Regional Elections

Narrow margin

Dragging the election through to January would certainly look like a misguided political strategy.

1 year ago

Tax assistance: An official (left) explains to a taxpayer the use of her citizenship identity number as the taxpayer identification number at Palangkaraya tax office in Central Kalimantan, on March 3.

Focus on revenue reform

We fail to understand how a new revenue agency or ministry would do anything better.

1 year ago

Democracy in action: Protesters take part in a candlelight rally calling for the ouster of South Korean President Yoon Suk-yeol on the steps of the National Assembly in Seoul, on Dec. 5.

K-drama worth watching

Democracy survived because the Korean people willed it and fought for it.

1 year ago

Women’s rights activists hold a banner reading “Eradicate sexual violence? There must be a way!” during a protest outside the Education and Culture Ministry in Jakarta on Feb. 10, 2020, against sexual harassment and violence against women on campuses.

Women’s protection crisis

Often, when victims of gender-based violence seek help from the police, they are faced with resistance, convoluted procedures or, even worse, accusations that they brought the crimes upon themselves because of the way they dressed or behaved.

1 year ago

Foreign Minister Sugiono smiles on Oct. 21, 2024, before his inauguration at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

Give the new FM time

The public should allow Sugiono to prove that the President made the right decision in appointing him despite his lack of experience in foreign affairs.

1 year ago

Protesters demonstrate in front of the Central Java Police headquarters in Semarang on Nov. 28, 2024.

Policing the police

Recent acts of brutality have hardened disturbing doubts about the accountability of the police and their ability to resolve their own problems, including their excessive use of lethal force.

1 year ago

A customer examines clothes on April 2, 2024, at a shop in Medan central market in North Sumatra.

VAT, the equitable tax

The brouhaha is overblown.

1 year ago

President Prabowo Subianto arrives at the Modern Art Museum (MAM) on Nov. 18, 2024, to attend the first session of the G20 Leaders' Meeting in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

The $300b climate joke

Rich countries, with a few individual exceptions, never intended to make good on their past promises.

1 year ago

A farmer tills a plot of land using a hand-held tractor in Lumajang, East Java, on Nov. 6, 2024.

Make farming profitable again

The Indonesian agriculture sector will need massive reforms to make President Prabowo Subianto’s dream of food self-sufficiency a reality.

1 year ago

Global collaboration: (Left to right, first row) President Prabowo Subianto, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum attend the opening session of the G20 Summit in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on November 18.

Prabowo's deliverables

President Prabowo Subianto's recent 16-day overseas trip has convincingly marked his presidency as an active global player in a bid to boost global collaboration amid increasingly complex geopolitical dynamics.

1 year ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) shows his ballot to journalists on Nov. 27, 2024, after voting in the 2024 simultaneous regional elections at a polling station in Bojong Koneng village, Bogor regency, West Java. The country is holding regional head elections in 37 provinces and more than 500 cities and regencies.

Big win

And for those who closely watched the state of the race, there was nothing from the quick count results on Wednesday afternoon that came as a surprise.

1 year ago

United States president-elect
Donald Trump gestures as he holds hands with his wife Melania during
a rally in Florida, the US, on Nov. 6, 2024.

Global trade à la Trump

United States president-elect Donald Trump played the fear card on the economy and won his second term. Now it is apparent that he intends to do the same for the world.

1 year ago

Human rights activists stage a rally in Kota Tua, West Jakarta, to commemorate World Day against the Death Penalty.

Rule of law first

Indonesia must avoid the perception of trading legal principles for diplomatic concessions.

1 year ago

Pay up: Activists hold a silent protest inside the the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP29) venue in Baku, on Nov. 16 to demand that rich nations provide climate financing for developing countries.

It’s never about the climate

Indonesia's determination should be shown by strong and committed work on the ground, starting by protecting forests across the archipelago, rather than clearing them for agricultural and mining purposes.

1 year ago

Indonesian national soccer team player Marselino Ferdinan celebrates his second goal for Indonesia by sitting on the official's chair during the 2026 World Cup Asian third round qualifier matcha against Saudi Arabia at the Gelora Bung Karno Main Stadium in Jakarta on Nov. 19, 2024. Indonesia won 2-0 over Saudi.

Long journey to the World Cup

It is possible that Indonesia will finish fourth in the group with nine points, which means it will have to play in the fourth-round qualifier against the teams from Group A and Group B of the Asian zone that also finished third or fourth.

1 year ago

A cleaner sweeps the floor of the lobby of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) headquarters in Jakarta on Oct. 21, 2024. President Prabowo Subianto has asserted his commitment to fighting corruption through system overhaul, digitalization and assertive law enforcement.

Time to end the KPK?

Prabowo has frequently said he wants a clean government and to fight against corruption. But the fact is, his administration has done very little to prove it.

1 year ago

Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left), talks with Jakarta gubernatorial candidate Ridwan Kamil (right) at the Sumber residence in Surakarta, Central Java, on Nov. 1, 2024.

Regional Elections

Statesmanship test

Given that he is also the President, Prabowo's display of support for certain candidates runs counter to the principle of impartiality.

1 year ago

(Left to right, first row) President Prabowo Subianto, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico's President Claudia Sheinbaum attend the opening session of the G20 Summit on Nov. 18, 2024, in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Multilateral system in crisis

The very nations that benefited from loose regulations during their industrialization now expect others to leapfrog into sustainability without the same economic opportunities.

1 year ago

The Pertamina Hulu Energi (PHE) Offshore North West Java (ONWJ) oil and gas rig is pictured in the waters off Indramayu, West Java, on April 2, 2023.

Pinning hopes on Danantara

Prabowo can start, for example, by limiting dividend payouts by the SOEs to the state budget so that these funds can be reinvested in the form of expansion and new ventures.

1 year ago

Building connections: Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto (left) visits US President Joe Biden (right) in the Oval Office of the White House, Washington DC, on Nov. 13.

Prabowo’s balancing act

The challenge now for Prabowo as president is to strike the right balance that best serves our national economic, political and security interests.

1 year ago

While it is difficult to prove allegations of plagiarism, the practice is unethical whether or not it is always deemed illegal.

Honesty always the best policy

Enforcement of the law against plagiarism will not suffice, especially in Indonesia, where legal certainty remains a challenge.

1 year ago

Cars removed from the site of a multi-vehicle pileup at kilometer marker 92 of the Cipularang (Cikampek-Purwakarta-Padalarang) Toll Road are parked on Nov. 11, 2024, at the Jatiluhur Toll office of the Highway Patrol (PJR) in Purwakarta regency, West Java. As many as 17 vehicles were involved in the road accident, which killed one person and left four people with serious injuries and 23 with minor injuries.

Toward safer roads

Monday's multi-vehicle pileup on the Cipularang Toll Road that killed a teenage girl and left dozens injured, some with serious injuries, should be a wake-up call for the government to clamp down on overloaded trucks and the companies that operate them while striving for stricter enforcement of the country's rigorous road safety rules.

1 year ago

Members of activist group Act for Farmed Animals (AFFA) rally in front of a McDonald's outlet in Jakarta on March 10, 2022.

Consumer power: Together, we are strong

Conscious consumerism is a good thing, but there is also a risk of boycotts targeting the wrong companies or products.

1 year ago

Health workers examine a child on April 24, 2024, to determine if he is fit to receive a vaccine.

Better prevention

The government's plan to introduce a new health screening program on its dime is another step in the right direction to uphold the constitutionally guaranteed universal right to health.

1 year ago

First impressions matter

Indonesia must vigilantly safeguard its sovereign rights in the North Natuna Sea and ensure that such statements are not misconstrued as a shift toward accommodating China’s expansive claims.

1 year ago

Online war: A person watches an online gambling advertisement on their tablet on June 19, 2024. The Communications and Information Ministry has blocked 2.1 million websites in its fight against online gambling.

Up the stake against gambling

The anti-money laundering agency reported the accumulated money turnover connected to online gambling last year reached Rp327 trillion (US$21 billion), equal to the government’s spending on energy subsidies and compensation as of October.

1 year ago

Big Tech: Apple CEO Tim Cook reacts as he leaves the Apple Developers Academy during his visit to Indonesia in Tangerang, Banten, on April 17.

Invest or go home!

Countries and regions have their own excuses for hampering the global flow of goods and services with trade tariffs, non-tariff barriers and sanctions.

1 year ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) welcomes Singapore's Prime Minister Lawrence Wong to the State Palace in Jakarta on No. 6, 2024.

Wong’s ASEAN consolidation

For Prabowo, Singapore plays a strategic role as the largest source of foreign direct investment for Indonesia and one the most important trading partners.

1 year ago

Gaggle of shoppers: Crowds of people visit a shopping mall in Serang, Banten, on April 9, 2023.

Get real on GDP

Businesses are reluctant to expand, citing a lack of financing access and government policy flip-flops, among others reasons.

1 year ago

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