An election staffer counts ballots at a polling station on Nov. 27, 2024, in Banda Aceh, Aceh. More than 200 million people voted to choose dozens of governors, mayors and regents in the simultaneous regional elections.

Direct elections safe, for now

Massive political education is crucial to educate the public of the risks of restoring indirect elections.

6 hours ago

No more plastic promises

It is upsetting that the government has once again prioritized short-term economic achievements from potential money coming from the plastic industry’s investment in the country. ...

1 day ago

Editorial

Talking clean energy into existence

The best place to start realizing clean energy would be to finally pass a long-delayed bill on new and renewable energy. ...

3 days ago

The Latest

Palestinians celebrate at their camp for people displaced by conflict at Deir el-Balah in the central Gaza Strip, on Jan. 15, 2025, amid the ongoing war in the Palestinian territory between Israel and Hamas.

Editorial

Truce in Gaza, but for how long?

While we are elated by the news of a truce on Wednesday between Israel and Hamas in their war in the Gaza Strip, we know this is not the first declaration of a ceasefire since their war began in October 2023.

7 months ago

A visitor stands next to a module of an electric vehicle on July 18, 2024, during the Gaikindo Indonesia International Auto Show 2024 in Tangerang, Banten.

Editorial

Car sales plunge. So what?

Car sales have been plummeting in Indonesia lately, but maybe that is not all bad news.

7 months ago

Civil society activists and university students hold banners that read “Police reform“ (left) and “People's killer” during a protest in front of the Central Java Police in Semarang on Nov. 28, 2024.

Editorial

Man behind the gun

One of the primary drivers of Indonesia's growing gun violence is the culture of impunity within its military and police forces.

7 months ago

Foreign Minister Sugiono speaks on Jan. 10, 2025, during his annual foreign policy speech at the ministry's office in Jakarta.

Editorial

Assertive foreign policy

For those attending the speech, one of the most memorable scenes was when the image of Sukarno with global south leaders like then-Indian prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then-Egyptian president Gamal Abdel Nasser during the Bandung Asia-Africa conference in 1955 was projected on stage.

7 months ago

Indonesia's South Korean coach Shin Tae-yong salutes the fans after the U23 AFC Qatar 2024 Asian Cup third-place match between Iraq and Indonesia at Abdullah Bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on May 2, 2024.

Editorial

'Kamsahamnida', Shin Tae-yong

Shin has played an instrumental role in building a team that can someday restore Indonesia’s reputation as a regional soccer powerhouse.

7 months ago

Jakarta governor-elect Pramono Anung (right) and deputy governor-elect Rano Karno (left) greet their supporters during an event in Jakarta on Dec. 14, 2024, celebrating the pair's victory in the Jakarta gubernatorial election.

Editorial

Welcoming Jakarta’s new leaders

Although Jakarta lost its national capital status with the issuance of a presidential decree (Keppres) last month, its many problems persist.

7 months ago

Building BRICS: Government officials attend a plenary session in the outreach/BRICS Plus format at the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 24, 2024.

Editorial

Playing with BRICS fire

Prabowo believes his government can reap economic benefits from BRICS, although the international community perceives it as a group driven by political, rather than economic interests.

7 months ago

Staff prepare meals to deliver to a school at a kitchen on the first day of a free-meal programme in Jakarta on Monday, January 6, 2025. Indonesia launched an ambitious USD 4.3 billion free-meal programme on January 6 to combat stunted growth due to malnutrition, a key election promise of President Prabowo Subianto.

Editorial

Free, nutritious, safe meals

Regular and thorough inspections of the whole process, from the procurement of ingredients to food distribution, are imperative.

7 months ago

Harvey Moeis, a convict in a corruption case, leaves the courtroom after the reading of his sentence at the Jakarta Corruption Court in Jakarta on Dec. 23, 2024. The court sentenced Harvey to 6.5 years behind bars, a fine of Rp 1 billion (US$61,674) or six months in jail and restitution of Rp 210 billion.

Editorial

Getting off lightly

The sentences hardly reflected a sense of justice and contradicted the national consensus that deems corruption an extraordinary crime due to its far-reaching impact on society.

7 months ago

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

Editorial

Sugiono's direction

We call on the minister to clarify a few controversial decisions and incidents involving the President.

7 months ago

Every vote counts: A woman casts her ballot for the presidential and legislative elections at a polling station in Banda Aceh, on Feb. 14, 2024.

Editorial

Trashing the threshold

The promise of better governance and democratic consolidation expected from implementing the presidential threshold has barely been fulfilled.

7 months ago

The venue of a canceled art exhibition of painter Yos Suprapto is seen empty on Dec. 20, 2024, at the National Galley in Jakarta. The exhibition was canceled by the National Gallery on its opening day on Dec. 19, 2024.

Editorial

Authoritarian alarm

The cancellation of the exhibition of the work of Yogyakarta-based artist Yos Suprapto marked another setback for freedom of expression in the country.

7 months ago

Firefighters and recovery team members work at the scene where a Jeju Air Boeing 737-800 aircraft crashed and burst into flames at Muan International Airport in Muan, South Korea, on Dec. 30, 2024.

Editorial

High-flying reflections

Airlines must adopt a proactive approach centered on transparency, accountability and continuous improvement.

7 months ago

Riot police stand guard as students protest against the government's decision to increase the value-added tax (VAT) from 11 percent to 12 percent, effective from the beginning of 2025, in Jakarta on Dec. 26, 2024.

Editorial

Cautiously optimistic

Talk of possible vote-rigging, election meddling and electioneering in the lead-up to the February presidential and legislative elections raised the stakes and sparked real fears that things could go sideways after the votes were tallied.

7 months ago

An employee inspects on Aug. 7 a machine at a lithium-ion battery and nano-carbon materials plant owned by PT BTR New Energy Material in the Kendal Special Economic Zone in Central Java.

Editorial

Just getting started

We cannot afford to let more time slip through our fingers, for the sake of the nation and the promise it holds.

7 months ago

Hard-won democracy: President Prabowo Subianto shows ballot papers while voting in the simultaneous regional election in Bogor, West Java, on Nov. 27.

Editorial

Betrayal of ‘Reformasi’

Sadly, we note that the spirit of Reformasi is waning not only in our political body, but also in the judiciary.

7 months ago

Secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Hasto Kristiyanto (left) holds a meeting with then Surakarta mayor Gibran Rakabuming Raka (right) in Jakarta on May 22, 2023.

Editorial

Ghost of past administration

As a new president who was still working to consolidate his power, Prabowo certainly did not want to alienate the PDI-P, currently the biggest political party in the House of Representatives.

7 months ago