TheJakartaPost

Democracy in Global South: agency as resistance, not reform

Too often, democracy defenders are treated as symbols, when what they need are systems of sustained support. ...

1 week ago

From Mekong to Maluku: Why ASEAN must act now on river justice

ASEAN's failure to establish enforceable legal norms for shared water governance risks undermining both environmental justice and regional stability. ...

1 week ago

The Latest

Job seekers register themselves during a job fair attended by over a hundred recruiting companies and thousands of job seekers in Jakarta on May 22.

Without lifelong learning, Golden Indonesia 2045 remains a mirage

Too many Indonesian young people remain undertrained and underutilized for an economy striving for higher productivity.

1 week ago

A pedestrian bridge across Jl. Sudirman in Central Jakarta is bathed in pink light in this file photo.

Opinion premium

Analysis: Manpower Ministry skimming off expats on top of strict laws

Indonesia’s tough laws on companies employing foreigners have been further complicated by alleged embezzlement at a unit of the Manpower Ministry which oversees their administration. An ongoing probe into the scandal, however, may not lead to significant changes as the practice has been taking place for more than a decade.

1 week ago

This picture taken on August 4, 2021 shows a housing complex in Jakarta, near the border with a neighboring province.

Housing for whom?

What is missing from the housing agenda is the important conversation about design, access and equity.

1 week ago

Representatives of the Awyu and Moi indigenous communities protest in front of the Supreme Court building in Jakarta on May 27, 2024. They called for the country’s highest court to revoke the permits of palm oil companies that are set to operate in Papua, which could potentially clear approximately 300 square kilometers of customary forest.

Is ADB transforming its approach to indigenous peoples?

ADB has a significant opportunity to ensure indigenous peoples are treated with due respect as rights holders and development partners.

1 week ago

A satellite view shows an overview of the Fordow underground complex, after the United States struck the underground nuclear facility, near Qom, Iran, on June 22, 2025.

Trump's strikes on Iran: A quest for nuclear supremacy

A nuclear strike on Iran's dense cities could lead to millions of deaths and injuries, widespread infrastructural collapse, and social breakdown, with victims suffering severe pain without medical care.

1 week ago

Coffee farmers in Dogiyai regency, Papua, faced various challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Transmigration: Moving hope, building future

Transmigration seeks to develop new centers of growth in underdeveloped regions—places where young Indonesians can build livelihoods, families and futures.

1 week ago

A person dressed as United States President Donald Trump greets visitors on June 22, 2025, outside the White House in Washington, DC.

Trump’s decision to bomb Iran exposes fissures in US politics

While there is widespread agreement on Iran within US politics, the incendiary nature of agreeing with the adversary, whether Democrat or Republican, makes it seem more fractured than it is.

1 week ago

Challenging odds: Job seekers register on May 22 during a job fair attended by over a hundred recruiting companies and thousands of job seekers in Jakarta.

Deindustrialization anomaly and the fall of the working class

Massive labor absorption may be masking deeper structural symptoms of declining job quality and the trapping of the working class in low-value-added sectors.

1 week ago

A Fox News ticker displays a headline on Saturday about United States strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities, in New York City, the US.

What the US strikes on Iran mean for Indonesia and the world

The US strike threatens to accelerate the militarization of politics, fuel arms races and place even greater stress on fragile democracies.

1 week ago

Useful heat: Fishermen use a solar power cooling system in Maratua, Berau and East Kalimantan.

Opinion premium

Analysis: Indonesia RE export plan with Singapore, is PLN out?

After years of anticipation, Indonesia and Singapore have officially signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for renewable electricity exports. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia and Singapore’s Minister for Trade and Industry Tan See Leng on June 13 finalized the agreement, which will see Indonesia supplying up to 3.5 gigawatts of renewable energy to Singapore through 2035. However, in a notable twist, Bahlil announced that state electricity company PLN would not be involved in the deal.

1 week ago

Under investigation: Sandipala Arthaputra president director Paulus Tannos (on-screen) gives a testimony on May 18 during the e-ID hearing at the Jakarta Corruption Court.

Singapore's moment of truth

Despite high optimism among Indonesian officials, public suspicion persists regarding Singapore's sincerity, particularly concerning the extradition treaty.

1 week ago

Steadfast voice: An activist attends a Kamisan (Thursdays) silent protest in front of the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on May 17, 2018, demanding justice over deaths during riots amid the fall of former president Suharto in May 1998.

A critical inquiry into the denial of May 1998 mass rapes

Formal recognition, both domestically and internationally, has been vital in combating denial, validating survivors and contributing to the historical record.

1 week ago

Delegates and participants gather on Sept. 25, 2023, for the opening of the 67th International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) General Conference 2023 in Vienna, where Indonesia was elected to the IAEA Board of Governors.

What Trump’s nuclear orders reveal about Indonesia’s posture

Contrary to the US drive toward nuclear, Indonesia lacks posture, putting the country at risk of being a passive recipient rather than an active author of its nuclear energy journey.

1 week ago

Sitting out G7: President Prabowo Subianto (left) speaks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin on Thursday in Saint Petersburg, Russia.

The stage is set for Prabowo, but the script is empty

Indonesia under Prabowo risks becoming a nation of postures, not policies. And gestures rarely build a legacy.

1 week ago

Masjid Raya Baiturrahman in Banda Aceh, Aceh.

Opinion premium

Analysis: The four islands dispute: An infringement of Aceh’s dignity

President Prabowo Subianto's much-anticipated intervention has seemingly eased tensions over the disputed Panjang, Lipan, Mangkir Gadang, and Mangkir Ketek islands, which had caused a feud between Aceh and neighboring North Sumatra.

1 week ago

Unprecedented attack: A woman holds a picture of Seyed Amir Hossein Feghhi, the slain head of Iran's Nuclear Science and Technology Research Institute, as people gather on June 13 for a protest against Israel's wave of strikes on Iran in central Tehran. Israel hit about 100 targets in Iran on June 13, including nuclear facilities and military command centers and killing senior figures including the armed forces chief and top nuclear scientists.

Why attack on Iran’s nuclear facilities should concern us all

Indonesia’s voice reminds us that the pursuit of peace and adherence to international norms are not just ideals, but urgent necessities for global stability.

1 week ago

Photos depicting the May 1998 riot in Surakarta, Central Java, are exhibited in 'Refleksi Peristiwa Mei 1998' (A Reflection on May 1998).

Acknowledging our dark past

Removing violent accounts from history books will not "right a wrong" but rather would whitewash our past.

1 week ago

A staff member monitors a control panel on Feb. 27, 2024, inside the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine manufacturing unit of the Serum Institute of India (SII) at its headquarters in Hadapsar, Pune.

From inequity to action: Eliminating cervical cancer in the Western Pacific

Across the region, countries are showing it is possible to overcome barriers by adapting innovations to local contexts.

1 week ago

An illustration of artificial intelligence activities.

AI, humanity and the utopian choice

Artificially-produced intelligence can never replace humanity completely.

1 week ago

Rescue teams work outside a heavily damaged building, targeted by an Israeli strike in the Iranian capital Tehran on June 13. Israel carried out strikes against Iran early on June 13, targeting its nuclear and military sites as well as residential buildings in Tehran, after United States President Donald Trump warned of a possible “massive conflict“ in the region.

Israeli aggression: War imposed, peace denied

Iran is ready for any agreement aimed at ensuring it does not pursue nuclear weapons, but it cannot accept deals that deprive us of our nuclear rights.

1 week ago

A father takes his child, who is hospitalized for diarrhea, for a walk around the children's ward of the Dr. Muhammad Zein Painan regional general hospital in South Pesisir regency, West Sumatra, on May 9, 2024.

Nadin Amizah and our questions about a fatherless country

A father's presence is not merely an addition; it is an essential component of a child's developmental ecosystem.

1 week ago

A person opens the Satusehat Mobile app in Pontianak, West Kalimantan, in this file photo.

Cyber resilience: The dangerous afterlife of forgotten platforms

Seemingly trivial digital remnants can become weak points, susceptible to misuse when left unmanaged.

1 week ago

Insight: AI and Efficiency: Sacrifices The Next Generation

Introduction: From One Disruption to Another

1 week ago

Industry Minister Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita speaks during a press conference at the ministry's offices in Jakarta on Feb. 26, 2025.

Analysis: House accelerates industrial reforms amid de-industrialization concerns

Amid growing concerns over de-industrialization, the House of Representatives (DPR) is accelerating efforts to revitalize the country’s industrial sector through a series of legislative initiatives. This push comes as the country records its second consecutive monthly contraction in the manufacturing Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI)—from 46.7 in April to a still-weak 47.4 in May—signaling a persistent slowdown in industrial activity.

1 week ago

People wade through a flooded street on March 4, 2025, in Kebon Pala, Kampung Melayu, East Jakarta, where 59 neighborhood units (RT) and four roads were inundated by floodwaters reaching 30-300 centimeters when the Ciliwung River overflowed.

Beyond celebrations

The common thread tying together Jakarta's perennial flooding, choking pollution and constant congestion is weak political will, and unless the local administration addresses this underlying factor starting now, these issues will continue to plague this historic city for the next half century.

2 weeks ago

Pupils of Maitreya Wira Dumai elementary school in Dumai, Riau, eat fruit after finishing their free nutritious meals on Jan. 7, 2025.

A turning point for agrifood investment in Asia and the Pacific

Countries across Asia and the Pacific are confronting a common challenge: transforming their agrifood systems to meet growing demands while safeguarding natural resources for future generations.

2 weeks ago

Congolese refugees gather on May 7, 2025, during a food distribution operation at the Musenyi refugee site in Giharo, southeastern Burundi, for a possible chance to receive aid.