With its low price, intense effects and highly addictive nature, yaba is one of the most commonly abused stimulants in Southeast Asia, and its spread shows no sign of slowing.

When power is exercised without public oversight, the risk of abuse and inequality increases.

There are parties who are deploying state-sponsored influencers and cybertroops to spread disinformation and could delegitimize the 17+8 movement.

The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has found the police are the state institution most frequently accused of human rights violations.

Bank Indonesia’s second consecutive rate cut in August, and its third this year, reflected both domestic headwinds and shifting global dynamics. The central bank lowered its benchmark rate by 25 basis points to 5 percent, just a week before the U.S. Federal Reserve signaled a dovish turn. That shift further expanded the policy space for emerging markets like Indonesia to ease monetary conditions. For the Prabowo administration, the decision offers timely support for its ambitious growth agenda.

Jakarta's ambition to stand equal with the world’s major cities is being undermined by the absence of a comprehensive traffic plan and persistent policy inconsistencies.

As envisioned, the digital euro will be useless for corporate transactions, and it will probably not play a significant role in liquidity management or wholesale payments.

There have been effectively three waves of famine in Gaza since spring 2024. First weaponized 18 years ago in the Strip, these hunger games could have been preempted several times. Why weren’t they?

The recent protests have evoked memories of the 1998 Jakarta riots, but it remains to be seen how underlying interests related to the police-military rivalry and the oligarchic elite will play out against the demonstrators' anger over genuine socioeconomic and political concerns.

A government that relies too heavily on security forces and foreign symbolism without addressing domestic grievances may find its legitimacy steadily eroding. 

A woman who confronted a group of riot police last week has inadvertently elevated pink to the color of resistance, reminding us of the significant influence Indonesian women wield when they step outside their prescribed identity of mother-wife to embrace the role of activist ibu.

Illegal mining is hardly a hidden crime in Indonesia, it is an entrenched industry protected by powerful backers. The practice has persisted for decades, and remains unresolved even under President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. In his State of the Nation address, Prabowo pledged to confront active and retired police and military generals allegedly involved in the illegal mining business. Whether those words will translate into decisive action, and whether he is willing to target the true masterminds and their allies, remains to be seen.

Many people still remember the sight of troops in camouflage on Jakarta's streets almost three decades ago, and that the current domestic security response to the ongoing protests isn't what they fought for.

Central bankers are the high priests of high finance. That is because they control high-powered money, commonly known as the monetary base, or the sum of currency in circulation plus commercial bank deposits with them. 

The Tianjin summit suggests that Modi and Xi did not seek reconciliation, but stabilization, learning from the US-Soviet detente during the Cold War.

Indonesians have long tolerated hardship with patience. But there is a limit when public trust erodes.

The latest incident of police brutality, which led to the death of an ojol driver last week, shows that comprehensive reform of the National Police can no longer be postponed amid the persistence of brutality and their increasing authority as an apparatus that shields privilege and power.

Influencers, students, and community voices collectively shape public opinion and, beyond that, provide effective and innovative policy literacy tools more effectively than the government or any lawmakers.

Wasteful perks for officials, riot police suppressing citizens, and education budget cuts are not only failures of policy, they are failures of privilege, of leadership and of moral clarity.

Indonesia has seen a turbulent week of public unrest centered on the House of Representatives (DPR), as outrage over lawmakers’ high pay and allowances spiraled into a broader movement demanding accountability, justice, and reform.

As the health system grapples with the unprecedented spread of misinformation, fueling vaccine hesitancy and eroding public trust in the government’s health programs, it is more critical than ever for the government to reinvest in the foundations of public health. 

Washington's recent move to take a 10 percent share in chipmaker Intel signals the Trump administration could be experimenting with recalibrating US capitalism, possibly by incorporating elements of state-directed capitalism.

Amid a collective movement of debtors reusing to repay illegal online lenders is emerging a new model called ecosystem lending that blends digital flexibility with banking discipline, offering a way to get back on track toward realizing the aspirational goal of financial inclusion.

If mass protests intensify beyond control, the President can declare a state of emergency, if not martial law.

Prabowo’s government and its loyalists seek to redefine the protests not as genuine expressions of public frustration, but as politically orchestrated chaos.

Governments must understand that TikTok, Instagram reels, memes and livestreams are not distractions, they are the pulse of modern civic life. 

Prabowo Subianto's administration is rolling out a significant overhaul of Indonesia's education system, introducing new initiatives like Sekolah Rakyat (People's Schools), specialized science institutions and an expansion of military-style schools. While these are presented as reforms, critics worry they could neglect the root causes of the country's education problems while incurring substantial financial and social costs.