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Jakarta Post
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A small victory for big freedom: Court shows the way

A government institution has no feelings to hurt, and the Constitutional Court just reminded power that its reputation is protected by performance, not prison.

1 hour ago
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When an invisible hazard crosses national borders

Unlike seasonal smoke, the next cross-border hazard won't announce itself in the sky—it will quietly arrive on the workplace floor. ...

2 hours ago
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Civil society needs protection, not stigmatization

Prabowo’s londo ireng remark directed at civil society groups does not reflect the actual policy work civil society is providing, including the promotion of democratic values, good governance and human rights perspectives. ...

2 hours ago

The Latest

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SBY’s foreign policy legacy and the Democratic Party

SBY tenure marked a phase of both consolidation and a renaissance for Indonesia’s foreign policy.

2 hours ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: Removing the price floor: Price discovery or speculation?

The Indonesia Stock Exchange’s (IDX) plan to lower the minimum share price from Rp 50 (less than 1 US cent) to Rp 1 could finally allow the market to discover the true value of stocks long trapped at the price floor. But greater price flexibility comes with greater risk. As distressed “zombie companies” are exposed to market forces and stocks worth only a few rupiah become tradable, the reform could improve liquidity and price discovery while also opening the door to greater volatility and speculation.

3 hours ago
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Europe’s greatest mistake: Military interests trump security

The collision of an aging population, escalating climate damages and massive remilitarization is set to present an unprecedented, compounding threat to the future well-being of Europeans.  

3 hours ago
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The Great Barrier Reef refuses to die on schedule

Despite decades of media obituaries and rescheduled catastrophes, the Great Barrier Reef just delivered the best five years of coral cover in its 40-year recorded history.

4 hours ago
Editorial premium

Jakarta’s big bond bid

Jakarta’s plan to bypass "unilateral" regional budget cuts with municipal bonds isn't just an urban infrastructure fix. It is an open challenge to the government's centralist agenda.

4 hours ago
Academia

In a global economic heatwave, beware financial wildfires

Global growth is running hot into the second half of the year, forcing asset managers to find firebreaks while staying invested.

22 hours ago
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From trust to Kizuna: 20 years of Japan-ASEAN Integration Fund

The next chapter of Japan-ASEAN relations will test whether the bond can endure amidst increasingly self-seeking and divisive geopolitical tendencies.

23 hours ago
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When forests burn, climate commitments falter

As peatlands burn and flagship carbon projects go up in smoke, our market-driven climate pledges are failing. Only recognizing the legal rights of nature, as constitutionally mandated, can pull us back from the brink.

1 day ago
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Assessing the merit of the strategic commodities bill

In order to ensure the viability and merit of the bill, it is imperative for all of us to get clarity on ultimate purpose, intended impacts and legal soundness during the legislative process.

1 day ago
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The war on terror and its unintended consequences

We cannot claim our war on terror as a success if it breeds new generations of anger, alienation and hatred.

1 day ago
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The remedy gap in transboundary haze

Building on the 2002 agreement, ASEAN has since declared the right to a clean and healthy environment and is now working on an action plan that may finally provide access to legal recourse for the region’s citizens harmed by transboundary haze pollution.

1 day ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: Mandiri account freeze puts banking trust to the test

A bank account can be frozen in minutes, but the damage to trust in the financial system can last much longer. The controversial freezing of an account belonging to the coordinator of a planned demonstration in Jakarta raises a question that goes well beyond the Rp 80.9 million (US$4,500) involved: How should banks balance law-enforcement requests against due process and customer protection, particularly when the legal basis for restricting access to a customer’s money is contested?

1 day ago
Editorial premium

Living on the edge

When the volcano exploded on Aug. 27, 1883, it destroyed the island on which it stood, killed almost 40,000 people in the surrounding area of Java and Sumatra, sent rafts of pumice to Africa, covered the Red Sea in ash and made barometers as far away as Washington, DC go haywire.

1 day ago
Academia

Capped at home, China extends its aluminum dominance abroad

China's aluminum producers are increasingly turning to developing smelters abroad against a capacity cap of 45 million tonnes at home, extending the country's industry dominance further afield.

1 day ago
Academia

Ending Southeast Asia’s never-ending haze cycle

Southeast Asia’s recurring haze is rooted in fires burning in Indonesia, but its regional impact calls for stronger ASEAN cooperation, accountability and prevention.

1 day ago
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When volcanoes reshape geopolitics and ASEAN's balance of power

Superpowers and treaties shape the balance of power in Southeast Asia; until the volcanoes beneath them decide to rewrite the map.

2 days ago
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The Donald Trump shock in East Asia

The consequences of Trump’s behavior are even more serious for East Asia than they are for Europe.

2 days ago
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Asset forfeiture bill: The paradox of Prabowo’s anticorruption rhetoric

Prabowo promised to chase corrupt actors to Antarctica, but passing the asset forfeiture bill without democratic safeguards risks handing the state a weapon against its own people.

2 days ago
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Children are no longer the priority, were they ever?

When a national school lunch program turns kids into hospital patients, it’s time to ask whether our children are the priority, or just collateral damage for an economic machine.

2 days ago
Opinion premium

Analysis: NU struggles for independence by changing chairs

The search for independence for Nahdlatul Ulama (NU),Indonesia’s largest Islamic social organization, has always been fought at its congress (Muktamar). The 35th Muktamar at Bahrul Ulum Tambakberas, Jombang, East Java, which closed on Aug. 26, was no exception.

2 days ago
Editorial premium

Much ado about asset forfeiture

Rushing a flawed asset forfeiture bill to meet a performative political deadline won't stop oligarchs, it will just hand the state a dangerous new weapon against its critics.

2 days ago
Academia

Asia's next leverage-driven market crash could be brewing

The recent crash of tech-heavy KOSPI rings an alarm bell for retail investors in navigating Asian equities as regulators move to rein in single-stock ETFs across the region.

2 days ago
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Celebrating literature, culture and nature at the Lake Toba Writers Festival

On the volcanic shores of Lake Toba, an unpretentious festival is keeping deep storytelling alive in an age of shallow feeds.

2 days ago
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From fuel to batteries: Trading one dependence for another

Unless it builds the supply chain to match its electric ambitions, the country risks trading its costly addiction to foreign oil for imported batteries and coal-fired power.

3 days ago
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Who controls the data, controls the future

AI now sits inside finance, defense, health care and public administration, and it runs on two things most governments do not actually control: the data that train it and the compute that processes it.

3 days ago
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From the Himalayas to Sumatra: Can Indonesia govern an unruly climate?

When freak disasters render historical weather data useless, Indonesia's real climate crisis isn't about predicting the next storm—it’s learning how to govern a future that no longer plays by the rules.

3 days ago
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Anak Krakatau doesn't need an earthquake to kill

Tsunami sirens are built to detect earthquakes, but Anak Krakatau can kill without one, and our warning systems are still waiting for a shake that’s never coming.

3 days ago

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