At times, rice import is necessary to avert calamities such as a food crisis, speculator's intervention, a severe price hike or inflation and thinning Government Rice Reserves (CBP).

We still believe democracy remains the best option for preserving what is valuable in human life.

Disincentivizing the use of petrol vehicles through the gradual, yet steady phaseout of fuel subsidies is crucial to support overall market development and promote the growth of EVs.

As if kowtowing to the pressures of the conservative groups was not enough, the lawmakers have also chosen to incorporate illiberal provisions that turn the clock back on our democratic achievements. 

Rather than driving the country's progress toward our independence centennary, the latest RKUHP seems to indicate that we still haven’t gained our freedom from our colonial legacy.

One of the reasons behind the country’s success in drastically lowering COVID-19 infection is its mass-vaccination program, which has now reached its fourth phase. 

With their creativity and idealism, our art cinema talents have changed the direction of our local film industry. But sadly, outside awards nights, their movies have yet to receive significant attention in the country.

While China’s COVID-19 policies have negatively impacted the world, they have also had positive impacts, especially in saving millions of lives in the developing world through sharing the vaccines it had developed.

Jokowi’s electoral muscle could easily be interpreted as a challenge not just to his own political party, the PDI-P, but also to the whole party system as a key democratic institution.

Given that these deals could sound too good to be true, experts have reminded the country of the prudent use of the funds for early coal plant retirement and new investments in renewables. 

When assuming the ASEAN chairmanship in January next year, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo needs to take a diplomatic offensive to complement international efforts to deescalate tension in East Asia. 

Under Anwar, our relationship should blossom beyond the common Malay heritage based on our shared values for democracy, freedom, human rights and dignity.

While many communities came together to reach out a helping hand to their neighbors during pandemic lockdowns, we should also do so as a matter of course.

Even if the ban is lifted, nickel mining firms will not automatically export their nickel ores because most are tied up with domestic processing/smelting companies. 

Enforcement and monitoring are again the twin issues in ensuring that all property across the archipelago meet the country's mandatory building code.

Some religious minorities, including followers of the Ahmadiyah and Shia, continue to be the subject of officially sanctioned persecutions. 

The results of Saturday’s election showed that identity politics remained an effective tool to win the hearts and minds of voters, especially the majority Malay Muslims. Some observers even believe Malaysia is experiencing a surge of political Islam.

It is not an exaggeration to call the World Cup an ideal pause for those in conflict to lay down arms and return to the negotiating table.

The membership will pave the way for Timor Leste, Indonesia’s former colony, to accelerate its economic development and boost its international credentials as a member of one of the world’s most successful regional organizations. 

The stakes are high, considering the experience we had in the past two national elections, in which nationalist and Islamist rhetoric were both used to exclude others, paving the way for the rise of both hyper-nationalism and Islamic populism.

The successful conclusion to the G20 Bali Summit on Wednesday and the issuance of the Bali Leaders' Declaration are testament to the Indonesian brand of diplomacy in bringing parties together. Now, it must use its weight to drive the implementation of commitments achieved during its 2022 G20 presidency.

Judging the two-day Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit mainly from the contents of their declaration we may misunderstand the dynamics, potential and limitations of the multilateral forum.

When the two most powerful countries on Earth collaborate, the rest of the world can take comfort and even profit from the peace and stability that this generates

The Myanmar issue has been holding back ASEAN’s entire progress, including the group’s move to becoming a community and in addressing many pressing issues in the economy, public health and common security.

When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo traveled to Rome in late October, it was only five months after the Delta variant wrought havoc in the country where daily infections topped 50,000. 

As industry players have pointed out, there has yet to be written rules for event organizers nationwide to comply with.

Biden can fly to Bali to attend the Group of 20 summit on Nov. 15-16 in a much more confident mood.

Under the shadow of the global inflation crisis and the Ukraine war, governments and companies have refrained from making big promises during the first week of United Nations climate conference (COP27) negotiations.

The Manpower Ministry and the National Wage Council must decide on the level of the rise in the nationwide minimum wage median for 2023 before the end of the third week so that provincial administrations can immediately begin local tripartite consultations for the new minimum wage.

The arrest of two men in September for posting videos of the torture of long-tailed macaques is further proof of Indonesia’s shameful and disproportionate role in the proliferation of animal abuse content on social media.