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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.

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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.

7 hours ago

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Stop the spiral

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

1 day ago

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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

A motorcyclist rides through an alley in Jakarta on Jan. 21, 2024, past a group of boys playing online games on their smartphones.

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Away from smoking screens

Despite its many advantages, the digital age has also expanded space for promoting tobacco products, exposing users of all ages to smoking via visually appealing content on social media platforms that are short on the economic and health costs of the harmful habit.

3 months ago

Journalists hold banners during a protest to commemorate World Press Freedom Day in Surabaya, East Java, on May 2, 2025. The protest, organized by the Surabaya chapter of the Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI Surabaya) and other civic groups, condemned intimidation and violence against journalists.

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Respect the Press Law

We call on all parties to respect the Press Law, which grants the Press Council authority over journalistic reporting.

3 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) and Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva attend a press conference on Oct. 23 after their bilateral meeting at the State Palace in Jakarta.

Obrigado, Senhor Lula

Our children will discover new cultures and new ways of thinking by taking the trouble to learn new languages.

3 months ago

Shoppers wade through ankle-deep floodwaters on Oct. 13, 2025, as a traditional market carries on with trade as usual in Medan Labuhan district, Medan, North Sumatra.

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$12b boost won’t fix all

The finance minister's massive liquidity boost, while well-intended, has ultimately failed to read the mood across all economic layers.

3 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) shakes hands with South Korea’s President Lee Jae-myung on Friday during the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit in Gyeongju, South Korea.

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Prabowo’s APEC charm

As the leader of a prominent middle power, President Prabowo showed that he was also a magnet for international leaders.

3 months ago

Protesters hold banners that read “Reject the national hero title for Soeharto“ during a protest on May 15 in front of the Social Affairs Ministry's office in Jakarta.

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Soeharto is no hero

There are a lot of things that can disqualify former New Order strongman Soeharto from being eligible to receive the status of a national hero.

4 months ago

A general view of Karet Bivak Public Cemetery in Jakarta is seen on Aug. 29, 2025

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Grave matters ahead

In a sinking metropolis where land prices are among the nation’s highest, even the dead are now competing for space.

3 months ago

Civil servants of the Banda Aceh Population and Civil Registry Agency help citizens make their e-ID cards on March 3 at the agency's office in Banda Aceh, Aceh.

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Remote work dilemma

Remote working can be done and has its benefits, but is it good for the Indonesian public service?

4 months ago

A motorcycle rider braves the rain in the Senopati area, South Jakarta on March 14, 2025.

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Beware of microplastics in rain

Forget traffic snarls, flooding and catching a chill: It turns out that at least for the past three years, if not longer, rainy season brings with it the risk that Jakartans could inhale microplastics that can harm our health for the long term.

4 months ago

Malaysian Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim (left) stands alongside President Prabowo Subianto at the 28th ASEAN-Japan Summit on Oct. 26, 2025, during the 47th ASEAN Summit in Kuala Lumpur.

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Time to step up

Indonesia could again take a lead as ASEAN stands at a crossroads in the present era of protectionist policies and global disruption, but only if it sends a clear signal that it is not only willing to step up to the plate but also stay and captain all players on the field as a unified team.

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (front), accompanied by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin (left, second row), Indonesian Military (TNI) commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto (right, second row) and other military leaders, inspects forces from aboard his presidential vehicle on Sunday ahead of a ceremony to celebrate the 80th TNI anniversary at the National Monument (Monas) complex in Central Jakarta.

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Indonesia’s vanity ride

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?

4 months ago

A student recites the Quran at the Lirboyo mosque. It is a routine activity for students at the boarding school. JP/Sigit Pamungkas.

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Modern education, old habits

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.

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto attends the plenary session of the 46th Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Summit on May 26 in Kuala Lumpur.

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Prabowo’s RCEP test

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

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (‘center') speaks to his cabinet members, including Attorney General Sanitiar Burhanuddin ('second right'), Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin ('third left') and Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (‘left'), at the Attorney General’s Office in Jakarta on Monday, October 20, in front of stacks of rupiah banknotes worth US$780 million. The pile of cash was shown to journalists during the handover of assets recovered from a corruption case involving the provision of crude palm oil export facilities.

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Show me the money, wisely

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

4 months ago

Indonesia’s national security architecture is susceptible to multiple kinds of digital intrusions, from espionage, cybercrime, cyber-attacks and even cyber warfare.

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Democracy firewall

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.

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) reads the oath of office while inaugurating new cabinet members at the State Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 17, 2025.

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Many titles, same few holders

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.

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (center) addresses reporters on April 29, 2025, after Danantara’s first town hall meeting at the Jakarta Convention Center (JCC) in Central Jakarta.

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Time to move from vision to mission

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.

4 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left) poses for a photo with United States President Donald Trump during a summit on Gaza on Oct. 13 in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt.

Year zero

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.

4 months ago

A teacher demonstrates the use of a microscope to students on Oct. 8 at SMAN Unggulan MH Thamrin in Cipayung, East Jakarta. The school is one of 12 schools selected for transformation under the Sekolah Garuda (Garuda School) program, one of President Prabowo Subianto's education initiatives.

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Education beyond ambition

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

4 months ago

A Whoosh Jakarta-Banding high-speed railway train sits at Halim station on Oct. 2, 2023, in Jakarta.

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Whoosh, you are trapped

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.

4 months ago

United States President Donald Trump (center) smiles as President Prabowo Subianto (left) watches during a summit on Gaza in Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, on Oct.13, 2025. Prabowo attended the summit and witnessed the signing of a ceasefire deal between Israel and Palestinian militant group Hamas by guarantors Trump, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Qatari Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani.

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Indonesia in the Middle East

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

4 months ago

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BI must remain independent

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

4 months ago

Shattered dream: Indonesian midfielders Thom Haye (right) and Miliano Jonathans (left, back) look dejected after their 1-0 loss to Iraq in the FIFA World Cup fourth-round qualifier on Oct. 11 local time at King Abdullah Stadium in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.

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Snooze no more, fix our score

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.

4 months ago

Venezuelan opposition leader Maria Corina Machado waves a Venezuelan flag during a rally in Caracas on Aug. 28, 2024. Machado was awarded the 2025 Nobel Peace Prize, by the Norwegian Nobel Committee, on Oct. 10, 2025.

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Compromised Nobel prize

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.

4 months ago

Visitors seek information about job opening in the JobFest 2025 at the Jakarta International Velodrome in Jakarta on Aug. 19, 2025.

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We can’t afford a lost generation

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.

4 months ago

Personnel of a joint team remove debris on Saturday in the search for students after a building collapsed at the Al Khoziny Islamic boarding school (Pesantren) in Buduran district, Sidoarjo, East Java. The death toll from the building’s collapse rose to 40, and the search for bodies continues.

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An unforgivable collapse

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

4 months ago

Environment Ministry officers seal off a factory belonging to PT PMT, which is suspected to be the source of Cesium-137 radioactive contamination in the Cikande Industrial Estate, Banten, on Sept. 11, 2025.

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The toxic truth of waste neglect

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.

4 months ago

A woman and her child walk out of a subsidized house for media industry workers at Gran Harmoni Cibitung Residential Complex, Bekasi, West Java, on June 5, 2025.

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Redesigning Tapera

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

4 months ago

A plume of smoke rises in the background on Oct. 5 as Palestinians return from a food distribution point operated by the US and Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF) group, near the Netzarim corridor in the central Gaza Strip.

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Hailing Trump’s bad peace plan

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.

4 months ago

Army’s Special Forces (Kopassus) soldiers taking part in the rehearsal parade for the 80th anniversary of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the National Monument in Central Jakarta, on Oct. 3, 2025.

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Modern, not yet professional

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

4 months ago

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