By choking off gas to Singapore to fuel the domestic industry, Jakarta is gambling that resource nationalism can build real economic muscle rather than simply leave stranded promises in its wake.

Redefining corruption to exclude "state losses" misses the real danger: changing the wording of the law cannot fix a justice system that still struggles to separate honest policy failures from corrupt intent.

The appointment of Suroso Isnandar as president director of state-owned electricity company PT PLN comes as the government steps up efforts to deliver its ambitious 100 gigawatt-peak (GWp) solar power program. Having previously overseen renewable energy projects at PLN, Suroso is well positioned to lead the initiative. However, delivering the program within its three-year timeline will be challenging, given Indonesia’s structural constraints on integrating variable renewable energy (NRE) into its electricity grid.

The government has underestimated wildfires and their consequences before; it cannot afford to make the same mistake again.

Though few dare to speculate about it publicly, an economic and political perfect storm is bearing down on China.

One of the criteria for becoming a national hero is not having committed treason against the nation. Was BJ Habibie excluded because of this issue?

Narrowing corruption down to bribery may protect state investors from criminalized business losses, but without strict checks, it risks turning legal certainty into a shield for oligarchic power.

As a member of the Financial Action Task Force, Indonesia can help ensure Myanmar is judged by enforcement results, not by its new civilian title.

With East Asia on the brink of a dangerous nuclear tipping point, ASEAN must abandon quiet diplomacy and force frank answers from Beijing, Tokyo, and Seoul at next month’s summit.

At stake are Indonesia's credibility as an economic partner, its ability to attract long-term investment and its standing as a regional leader.

Nearly two years into his presidency, President Prabowo Subianto has moved decisively to tighten his grip on Indonesia’s two most powerful security institutions. A series of leadership changes at the National Police (Polri) and the Indonesian Military (TNI) this month have systematically reduced the residual influence of former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration, realigning internal loyalties and strengthening presidential authority for the remainder of his term toward the 2029 elections.

By ordering an end to military tribunals for crimes, the Constitutional Court just dealt a decisive blow to decades of impunity and challenged parliament to prove no soldier is above the law.

A record rice surplus is filling Bulog warehouses rather than lowering market prices, exposing a costly food policy that prioritizes managing inventory over feeding the poor.

More than two decades after his capture, Southeast Asia’s most notorious jihadist remains trapped in legal purgatory at Guantanamo Bay, a relic of a forgotten war that neither Washington nor Jakarta has the political will or legal means to resolve.

Advancing alternative and equitable ways of thinking about education is urgently needed, and the Indonesian language may have a role to play.

The ultimate test of an intellectual is not challenging power from the outside, but refusing to become its mouthpiece once invited inside.

A tax on sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) is planned from the second half of 2027, the government has said, after making similar promises almost every year since 2022. The levy is expected to raise Rp 1.7 trillion (US$95 million), while diabetes care alone cost the national health insurance an estimated Rp 12.6 trillion in 2024. At its planned scale, the proposed levy risks falling short as both a public health measure and a revenue-generating instrument.

To navigate a fractured world, Indonesia’s foreign policy must move beyond symbolic inclusion and treat its youth not just as tomorrow’s leaders, but as today’s strategic diplomatic partners.

From choking haze to viral confrontations, public fury is simmering across the country, and continuing the dismissive official line instead of delivering solutions risks sparking a full-blown crisis of legitimacy.

To end global hunger in an era of compounding crises, we must stop reacting to disasters and start turning frontline innovations into rapid, equitable impacts.

We have accumulated experience, yet too often respond as though we are encountering fires for the first time. 

The upcoming Industrial Estate Law must decide whether its manufacturing hubs remain mere clusters of concrete and carbon targets, or evolve into fully integrated, people-first eco-industrial ecosystems.

Fulfilling the ILO’s promise of defending workers’ rights will require more than another declaration or incremental institutional reform: There must be a concerted global effort to create an enabling environment for all workers and their organizations to operate across borders as easily as capital does.

Political stability at the elite level has not yet translated into improvements in the economy, public services and the quality of governance. 

Indonesia cannot restore foreign investor confidence with emergency price supports or rhetoric. It must prove the integrity of its markets through independent verification of ownership and true liquidity.

State asset fund Danantara plans to take several state-owned enterprises (SOEs) public in 2027, but whether the listings will attract investor interest remains uncertain. The companies have yet to be identified, and Danantara has pledged to conduct rigorous reviews before determining which are ready to enter the stock market. The key question, however, is whether the selected companies can offer sustainable returns and adequate investor protection, or whether the IPOs will serve primarily as a fundraising measure, leaving investors exposed to losses rather than potential capital gains, as previous cases suggest.

Jakarta’s historic market rout isn’t the work of foreign conspirators, but a self-inflicted wound born of concentrated ownership and regulatory inertia that political defiance cannot heal.