A protester holds a sign that reads “Pati united. Down with arrogant regent who oppresses the people“ during a protest in Pati, Central Java on Aug. 13, 2025.

People power in Pati

The uprising in Pati serves as a powerful message to leaders at all levels of government about the importance of public trust and consultation.

11 hours ago

Editorial

Ending the spat over Ambalat

Ambiguous joint arrangements over Ambalat will only allow China to dilute the legal foundations of maritime governance in the region. ...

1 day ago

Editorial

Much tech, less protection

Roblox has been accused of prioritizing user growth, revenue and profit over child safety. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

Members of the Corruption Eradication People’s Committee rally outside the State Palace on Jan. 8, 2019, to demand that the government abolish articles in the Electronic Information and Transactions (ITE) Law they deem to be a threat to the freedom of expression.

Editorial

Victims of ITE Law

What we’ve heard, over the years, are countless reports of people being jailed for criticizing others on social media.

3 years ago

The Norwegian Nobel Committee awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize to Maria Ressa (left), cofounder and CEO of the Philippine's investigative news media 'Rappler', and Dmitry Muratov, editor-in-chief of Russia's independent opposition newspaper 'Novaya Gazeta', in recognition of "their efforts to safeguard freedom of expression, which is a precondition for democracy and lasting peace".

Editorial

Squeezed between big tech and populist politicians, it seemed that professional media was grabbing at space to breathe. Let us hope that this year's Nobel Peace Prize can help "reset" public appreciation and recognition of the free and independent press as fundamental to democracy and world peace.

3 years ago

Ready to serve: President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, accompanied by Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto, inspects the first batch of the Reserve Component of the Indonesian Military (TNI) at the Special Forces Training and Education Center in Batujajar, near Bandung in West Java, on Oct. 7. Jokowi also inaugurated the reserve unit.

Editorial

Reserve army? Why now?

Launching Komcad is a case of misplaced priority, even within the national defense strategy.

3 years ago

Someone is watching: Cyberattacks on individuals, civil society groups and media in Indonesia are on the rise, according to the Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet). In most cases, the attacks came after the victims criticized government policies.

Editorial

Why #PercumaLaporPolisi is still a thing

It is perhaps unsurprising that not a single high-profile case of digital attacks on journalists and activists has been solved by the police.

3 years ago

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo (left) shakes hands with Chinese President Xi Jinping (right) during the Group of 20 Summit in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019.

Editorial

Bump in the road

One thing is very clear: The railway project is too big to fail, but it is also too costly to continue.

3 years ago

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati speaks at the House of Representatives on Monday, Sept. 13, about the draft bill on fiscal relations between centers and regions (RUU HKPD) and the bill on the general provisions on taxation (RUU KUP).

Editorial

Comprehensive VAT reform

The new law will raise the standard VAT rate from the current 10 percent to 11 percent next April and 12 percent in 2025.

3 years ago

Workers from the Depok General Elections Commission (KPU) stack ballot boxes at a warehouse in Cimanggis district, Depok, West Java, on Nov. 25, 2020. JP/P.J.Leo

Editorial

Loss of Reform spirit

Jakartans, for example, will have to allow an unelected governor lead for more than two years, while in Central Java and East Java, the acting governors will serve one year shorter.

3 years ago

Virus control: Visitors are allowed to enter shopping malls by using the PeduliLindungi app as part of attempts to curb COVID-19.

Editorial

The Blitar project

The goal here is to allow the virus to infect people at a rate that can be handled by the healthcare system in return for greater freedom and greater immunity.

3 years ago

Japan's new Prime Minister Fumio Kishida (front center) poses with members of his cabinet at the prime minister's official residence in Tokyo on Oct. 4.

Editorial

Japan’s fear of China

Economic relations and investment may remain stable, but we cannot expect Japan to come up with major breakthroughs as it will take this region, including Indonesia, for granted while China’s economic and military might is steadily rising.

3 years ago

Pandora's box: Allegations leveled in the Pandora Papers range from corruption to money laundering and tax evasion.

Editorial

Follow the money

We deem hoarding wealth abroad while millions are impoverished wrong from a moral and ethical standpoint.

3 years ago

Indonesian military tanks parade in formation during an exercise at a naval base in Cilegon, West Java, on Oct. 3, 2015, in preparation for the 70th anniversary celebration of the Indonesian armed forces. This year''s anniversary will be a much more modest affair because of the ongoing pandemic.

Editorial

Modernizing TNI

Given the complexity of future challenges, it is high time for the TNI to leave its comfort zone.

3 years ago

Finance Ministry Sri Mulyani Indrawati speaks at the House of Representatives about a draft bill on fiscal relations between centers and regions (RUU HKPD) and the bill on the general provisions on taxation (RUU KUP), on Sept. 13.

Editorial

Overarching tax reform

The implementation of a multitariff VAT would make the tax system more complex while the institutional capacity of the tax authority remains inadequate.

3 years ago

Trial run: Students of SD Kalisari 01 state elementary school in East Jakarta take their exams during a trial program for in-class learning on June 9, after a year of online instruction. The government planned to reopen schools for the new academic year in July, despite growing concerns about the children’s safety as infections soar.

Editorial

Give children a shot

We can barely get children to stay put, let alone control who they interact with inside and outside the classroom, so as long as the medical community can assure us that vaccines are safe, parents should do the responsible thing of inoculating them. Just as we already have done with smallpox or polio vaccines.

3 years ago

Out of sight: West Jakarta's Public Order Agency (Satpol PP) covers the shelf displaying cigarettes with white fabric in a minimarket chain on Sep. 13, 2021. (Kompas.com/Sonya Teresa)

Editorial

Protecting our children

The future of the country depends on a healthy generation from the health hazards of nicotine.

3 years ago

Indonesian diplomat Silvany Austin Pasaribu speaks during the 75th session of the General Assembly of the United Nation (UN) on Saturday, Sept 26, 2020. When exercising Indonesia's right to reply, Silvany defended the government's sovereignty over Papua and West Papua and criticized the Republic of Vanuatu over its interference disguised under 'artificial human rights concerns'.

Editorial

Papua needs more than junior diplomacy

Indonesia has only humiliated itself in such a prestigious forum as the UNGA, because this stunt is no different from that often pulled by undemocratic states like North Korea.

3 years ago

Known for manufacturing and selling solar panels, Sky Energy has been developing solar power projects in several regions this year.

Editorial

Building a solar powerhouse

We need a broad and bold electricity market reform, not a piecemeal policy, and strong national leadership to tap our huge solar power potential.

3 years ago

Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators bring in House of Representatives deputy speaker Azis Syamsuddin from the Golkar Party for questioning at KPK headquarters on Sept. 24.

Editorial

Catch bigger fish, KPK

The 'big catch' came just as public trust in the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) was plummeting.

3 years ago

A retired Boeing aircraft stands on a seaside cliff as a tourist attraction on Sept. 14. The site will be turned into a villa near Nyang-Nyang beach in Uluwatu, Badung regency, Bali.

Editorial

Everybody misses Bali

The pandemic has hit Bali very hard. Statistics Indonesia (BPS) data shows the province’s economy contracted 9.31 percent year-on-year last year, mostly due to its paralyzed tourism.

3 years ago

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo remotely addresses the 76th session of the UN General Assembly on Sept. 22, 2021, in New York.

Editorial

Jokowi’s UN show

Not only did President Jokowi skip yet another chance to speak at the podium of the UN assembly, he also played down the urgency of highlighting the protracted crisis in Myanmar.

3 years ago

Festive election: Dressed in traditional Javanese attire, poll workers serve voters in Giwangan subdistrict in Yogyakarta in the April 2019 legislative election. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) has sparked a controversy for demanding the reinstatement of the closed-list electoral system.

Editorial

Set the election dates!

The KPU has at least 20 months to prepare for the elections, so the government can no longer prolong the uncertainty regarding the election dates that will only fuel wild speculations regarding the presidential term.

3 years ago

President Joko Widodo (second right) exercises on June 14, 2020 at Bogor Palace in West Java, accompanied by his military chiefs of staff (from left): Air Force Air Chief Marshal Fadjar Prasetyo (first left), Navy Adm. Yudo Margono and Army Gen. Andika Perkasa.

Editorial

Our seafaring ancestors

The time is ripe for a Navy admiral to helm the armed forces of the world's largest archipelagic nation, located at the heart of the Indo-Pacific.

3 years ago

Electrifying: An electric bus is stationed at an electric vehicle (EV) charging point.

Editorial

Manufacturing car battery

Analysts have estimated that Asian EV sales will expand by almost 25 percent in 2022 as major economies in the region have pledged to achieve carbon neutrality: Japan and South Korea in 2050, China in 2060 and Indonesia in 2070.

3 years ago

The Chinese coast guard ship 5204 was detected by Bakamla patrol ship KN Nipah 321 through an automatic identification system around 10 a.m. local time in September, 2020.

Editorial

Respecting boundaries

After all, an independent and sovereign Indonesia is key to security and peace in the region.

3 years ago

Marines welcome President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo (left) at Ranai naval base in Natuna on Jan. 8, 2020. The President was inspecting preparations for an operation to protect national interests in its exclusive economic zone in North Natuna Sea.

Editorial

Respecting boundaries

Indonesia definitely intends to send a strong signal that it is ready and willing to defend its territorial integrity.

3 years ago

United States President Joe Biden (center) participates in a virtual press conference on national security with British Prime Minister Boris Johnson (right) and Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison in the East Room of the White House in Washington, DC, on Sept. 15.

Editorial

Renewed regional tension

To our collective dismay and displeasure, a major power competition has once again been brought to the region, and now we have to live with the prospect of constant tension.

3 years ago

Suffocating air: Overview data indicates almost all areas in Jakarta have unhealthy levels of air pollution. Data obtained on May 25, 2021.

Editorial

The right to healthy air

The petitioners in fact took action – and took the risks – on behalf of the silent majority who shared the same cause but lacked the guts, time and energy to fight for their basic right.

3 years ago

Garuda Indonesia unveils a mask livery for its B737-800 NG fleet. The COVID-19 pandemic has put the company in a perilous financial situation.

Editorial

Garuda’s dwindling options

There is a limit to how far the nation will go to sustain its aviation pride. That limit may be at hand.

3 years ago

Microsoft effectively confirmed analysts' diagnosis that the ransomware known as

Editorial

Lurking cyberthreats

Communications and Information Minister Johnny G Plate has revealed that 29 state institutions had experienced data leaks in the past three years.

3 years ago

Indonesia has begun to tap into the green bond market, both at home and overseas, to finance environmentally friendly projects.

Editorial

Expanding bond market

As bonds become a better alternative source of funds, more companies will improve their governance to gain an investment-grade rating from credit rating agencies.

3 years ago