After all, given that exorbitant new US import tariffs formed the basis for negotiations, the best-case scenario was to maintain the status quo of normal trade.

The newly launched KDMP initiative must have a strategy as equally grand as its scale to not just revive co-ops, but to lift them so they become an active economic pillar.

Events like the Garut wedding become a political theater, where popularity is mistaken for legitimacy, and where large crowds are not managed but invited for optics. 

The legal definition of corruption is so broad that it can be stretched, as the court did in this case, to criminalize a government official for making the wrong policy choices.

The administration has changed seven times since Papua’s official integration into the Republic in 1969, but the old stories of poverty, marginalization and human rights abuses plaguing the natural resource-rich land have remained the same.  

About 30 of 55 deputy ministers in Prabowo's cabinet have received second jobs as commissioners in state-owned enterprises (SOEs).

Paternal presence helps children fare better academically, demonstrate enhanced problem-solving and adaptive skills and improve emotional resilience, creativity and attentiveness in the face of challenges.

The top-down approach of building a massive airport in the middle of nowhere while hoping economic activity will follow without real strategic effort is doomed to fail. 

Sea transportation accidents remain rampant as vessels are routinely overloaded, aging fleets are poorly maintained and passenger manifests often bear little resemblance to reality.

The IEU-CEPA is projected to significantly reduce import duties, with up to 80 percent of Indonesian exports to the EU set to enjoy zero tariffs within the first two years of the agreement's implementation.

Diplomacy under the Trump administration requires grit and resolve and we are not that sure if and when Indroyono is confirmed, he will bring much to the table.

A lack of unity may be what is wrong with ASEAN today

The unseasonal heavy rains and the hydrometeorological disasters that followed were just more evidence that the climate crisis is real and affecting our lives.

Prabowo should adhere to Indonesia's constitutional mandate of a "free and active" foreign policy and exercise caution and wisdom.

Washington needs to entice Indonesian investors to their country, but the threatening tone is likely to achieve the opposite. 

The illegal sale of small islands is not always a matter of regulatory loopholes, but rather the result of a lack of awareness or even outright ignorance among locals as well as the government.

Danantara was not created just to hand out lifelines, it was established to generate long-term returns for the country.

We should take this as recognition of Indonesia’s position as a middle power, and hence its clout in influencing global development.

In the aftermath of the Rinjani tragedy, many hikers have criticized Indonesia’s tourism system for prioritizing commercial interests over the safety of its visitors.

The Constitutional Court’s recent ruling that splits national and regional elections starting in 2029 comes as a relief.

An RCEP summit is critical now more than ever, as the global economic landscape is increasingly fragmented and marked by rising protectionism and inward-looking trends.

The lessons of the previous administration's IKN megaproject do not bode well for the revived "Giant Sea Wall" project, which could find itself and the coastal communities it is supposed to protect at sea, even before it breaks ground.

The month-long school holiday is the perfect time for the government to evaluate what is not working with the free nutritious meal program.

If the properties are too expensive, they will not be bought, but if they are too inexpensive, they will not be built.

For a civil service often criticized for its slow pace and a traditional emphasis on physical presence, transitioning to a less supervised environment could exacerbate existing inefficiencies. 

Removing violent accounts from history books will not "right a wrong" but rather would whitewash our past. 

Prabowo's hesitation could undermine Indonesia's credibility as a middle-power player, leading many Indonesians to conclude that the government fears confronting President Trump.

 What is missing from the housing agenda is the important conversation about design, access and equity.

Despite high optimism among Indonesian officials, public suspicion persists regarding Singapore's sincerity, particularly concerning the extradition treaty.

The common thread tying together Jakarta's perennial flooding, choking pollution and constant congestion is weak political will, and unless the local administration addresses this underlying factor starting now, these issues will continue to plague this historic city for the next half century.