Instead of standing as an economic fortress for the nation, Danantara increasingly resembles a sovereign weak fund: fragile, unfocused and potentially a fiscal burden in the years ahead.

Every mass upheaval is the result of an accumulation of long-held dissatisfaction. 

The tragic death of gig driver Affan Kurniawan on Aug. 28 is more than a procedural failure, but a wake-up call that should be wielded as a lightning rod for reforms that embrace moral integrity in the pursuit of ethical leadership, citizen engagement and public dialogue toward a just democracy.

Markets can only function fairly and effectively if strong institutions, impartial regulation and a capable state underpin them

“Wanted! A stellar minister who’s ready to be sentenced to death if they commit corruption,” exclaimed Immanuel “Noel” Ebenezer, then-leader of the Jokowi Mania (JoMan) volunteer group loyal to former president Joko Widodo, in 2020.

What began as scattered unrest has now spilled across cities, fueled by deep economic frustration, perceived elite impunity and a rising sense that the political class has grown deaf to the people’s plight.

The global race for critical minerals like rare earth elements has descended into a geopolitical struggle, where these once-obscure resources now loom as existential threats to national survival.

Without the legislative body, the executive branch would lack a crucial check on its power, which would jeopardize the democratic framework.

The Johor–Singapore Special Economic Zone (JS-SEZ), launched in 2024, offers a preview of what deeper cooperation could look like.

Danantara is preparing to restructure the ballooning debt of the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed railway, better known as Whoosh, which has continued to suffer heavy operational losses. Financial problems plagued the project long before trains ever ran. During construction, costs overshot the original budget by US$1.2 billion, forcing project operator PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) to borrow more from the China Development Bank (CDB). Danantara’s intervention has triggered sharp public criticism. Many see it as yet another bailout of an ill-conceived venture, echoing the state rescues of Garuda Indonesia. Critics warn that the move entrenches a cycle in which profitable state-owned enterprises (SOEs)—whose surpluses fund Danantara—are siphoned off to prop up failing projects.

Green and sustainable sukuk can drive significant capital into large-scale carbon reduction projects and other crucial sustainability efforts.

Until thorium shows it can produce reliable electricity at scale, Indonesia’s sovereignty requires us to treat it as research, not as our energy backbone.

A major problem with Prabowo’s education road map is that the schools included in his priority programs are managed by different ministries.

China remains inextricably embedded in Indian supply chains despite the years-long stand-off between the two militaries.

Despite the country’s rapid digital adoption in recent years, a significant percentage of the banking system continues to operate on legacy infrastructure developed decades ago.

As drone warfare expands, Indonesia must decide whether its archipelagic sea lanes are open corridors or off-limits to weapons.

American firms could cause global harm before European regulators catch up

The Dutch government-sponsored Indonesia investigation independence, decolonization, violence, and war in Indonesia, 1945-1950. 

The Dutch army had not just incidentally, but structurally applied extreme violence against Indonesians during the Indonesian war of independence between 1945 and 1950.

Patriot bonds are not conventional securities. They are designed less to maximize investor return than to rally support for the national agenda

Serakahnomics is the latest term coined by President Prabowo Subianto to describe an economic pattern that prioritizes the profit and wealth of a privileged few over the broader welfare and interests of the public. The phrase, which translates into “greedynomics”, captures the people’s frustration over soaring prices, scarcity of basic goods and widening inequality, but raises the question: Is it fair to place all the blame on businesspeople alone?

Bureaucratic “fat” can strengthen implementation if managed well, yet too much of it risks clogging the system.

Israel's ongoing campaign in the Gaza Strip stems from decades of history dating back to the 1948 uprising, and is essentially a continuation of the Zionist regime's aim to eliminate the Palestinian presence between the sea and the river.

Small islands can serve as natural refuges for their native biodiversity, provided their ecosystems remain undisturbed

Today’s crisis is not born of a lack of rules, but a lack of will to enforce them and to hold violators accountable.

Approximately 40 Indonesian export products face direct competition with US exports, particularly in labor-intensive sectors.

For emerging markets and developing economies (EMDEs), investing in resilience is not a luxury, it is an imperative.