TheJakartaPost

Analysis: Prabowo seeks to align local leaders through military boot camp

With his first 100 days in office completed, President Prabowo Subianto continues to adopt a militaristic approach to governance. Following the November regional elections, Prabowo has mandated that all newly elected regional leaders attend a military boot camp at the National Military Academy in Magelang, Central Java, scheduled for February. The initiative aims to foster greater synchronization ...

5 months ago

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Critical dissent: Protesters hold posters that read “Dipisahkan Qunut, Disatukan Tambang“ (Separated by Qunut, United by Mining) during a protest against Islamic group Muhammadiyah's decision to accept the government's offer of coal mining concessions in Sleman, Yogyakarta, on July 27, 2024.

Mining permits for all?

National Innovation and Research Agency (BRIN) researchers have warned of the risks that arise when mining is managed by entities that are alien to the sector, such as religious organizations.

5 months ago

Strategic opportunities: President Prabowo Subianto (third left) prepares to take a group photo with Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian (fifth right), Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi (center), Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (fifth left) and other leaders during the D8 summit in Cairo, on Dec. 19, 2024.

Iran-Indonesia: A glorious past, a brilliant future

By capitalizing on their undeniably strategic positions in West and Southeast Asia, Iran and Indonesia can work together to manage and mitigate regional conflicts.

5 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) and his Malaysian counterpart Anwar Ibrahim (left) walk across the connecting bridge of the Petronas Twin Towers on Jan. 27, 2025, during the President's visit to Malaysia, in Kuala Lumpur.

Bound by destiny

While Indonesia and Malaysia have had disagreements over maritime boundaries, these must be managed carefully to prevent disputes from escalating into serious diplomatic rifts.

5 months ago

Foreign Minister Sugiono arrives in Kazan airport, on Oct. 22, 2024 to take part in the 16th BRICS Summit.

Russia-Indonesia: 75 years of cooperation in international affairs

Today BRICS is the only worldwide interstate group outside Western control with global significance and influence.

5 months ago

Pope Francis (left) and al-Azhar Mosque Grand Imam Ahmed Al-Tayeb meet on Nov. 4, 2022, at the papal residence on the grounds of al-Sakhir Royal Palace in the desert region of Sakhir, Bahrain.

Abu Dhabi declaration: A call to action for ecological interreligious dialogue

The environmental crisis is a global problem that requires a collective sense of responsibility as well as collective action from people of all faiths and backgrounds.

5 months ago

Strength in diversity: Chinese President Xi Jinping (left), Russia's President Vladimir Putin (center) and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi (right) attend the narrow format meeting of the BRICS summit in Kazan, Russia, on Oct. 23, 2024.

China-led BRICS growth signals shifting world order

The bloc’s strength may reside in its capacity to integrate a diverse array of countries that are not fully aligned.

5 months ago

Komnas HAM personnel receive a report from a group of residents on June 10, 2022.

Budget savings important but should not hurt public services

The President and Vice President must lead by example, starting from simplifying the facilities they enjoy, including vehicles, houses, salaries and escorts.

5 months ago

Investment Minister Bahlil Lahadalia prepares to speak with reporters at the ministry’s building in Jakarta on Jan. 24, 2023.

Analysis: Bahlil redirects crude oil, gas exports to domestic supply

As part of President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship program to achieve energy self-sufficiency, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced a halt to crude oil and gas exports. Instead, all crude oil will be processed in domestic refineries to boost national fuel production and strengthen energy security, with natural gas prioritized for the domestic industrial downstream industry.

5 months ago

Community care: A mother brings her child to a community health center in Dago, Bandung, West Java, on Nov. 21, 2022, for a polio vaccination.

Climate displacement is also a health crisis

Climate displacement deprives affected communities of access to doctors, hospitals and pharmacies.

5 months ago

Economic driver: A worker produces photovoltaic (PV) modules for solar panels in a factory in Suqian, Jiangsu province, China, on Jan. 23, 2025.

A year of Snakes and Ladders

The mainstream media has overlooked the fact that the Chinese economy has leapfrogged the West in engineering and increasingly in technology.

5 months ago

Scan to pay: A barista (center) prepares a beverage on Sept. 19, 2024, as a customer uses a smartphone to scan a Quick Response Indonesia Standard (QRIS) code to make a digital payment at SK Coffee Lab, a café in Kediri, East Java. Bank Indonesia reported that QRIS transactions grew 217.33 percent over the past year to reach 52.55 million users and 33.77 million merchants.

Protecting your mobile wallet: Defending against payment fraud

As consumers continue to embrace this modern form of payment, it is essential to understand the potential risks and take necessary precautions to safeguard our financial transactions.

5 months ago

Expectations to fulfill: Malaysia's Prime Minister Anwar Ibrahim listens to former Australian foreign minister Gareth Evans speak during an event at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra, on March 7, 2024.

Malaysia’s ASEAN chairmanship is off to a disappointing start

Excessive focus on Malaysian PM Anwar Ibrahim and the lack of a coherent early list of goals present problems.

5 months ago

DeepSeek and the path to Indonesia’s AI future

With strategic investments in AI research and development, we can fuel the next wave of technological progress, creating a vibrant ecosystem of innovation that stretches far beyond the boardroom.

5 months ago

Members of the Indonesian Navy's elite Frogman Command remove a section of an illegal sea barrier on Jan. 22, 2025, in the waters off Tanjung Pasir, Tangerang regency, Banten.

Analysis: Officials, corporations shift blame over Tangerang sea barrier

The controversy surrounding the 30.16-kilometer-long fence installed illegally off the coast of Tangerang, Banten, has escalated into a blame game between government, private companies and local authorities. Despite the structure’s massive scale and complex logistics of its construction, no party has taken responsibility for it, raising questions about government transparency and accountability.

5 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto delivers a speech on Jan. 22, 2025, at a plenary cabinet meeting at the Presidential Office in Jakarta.

Prudence in state budget

While the budget adjustment seems rational on paper, it is paramount that the government guides the implementation of the programs and manages any consequences that may arise from the fiscal action.

5 months ago

Beautiful bounty: A fruit vendor waits for customers at a night market in Mandalay, Myanmar, on Oct. 23, 2024.

Myanmar’s fight for freedom: Amplifying the voices of its people

Despite these immense challenges, the people of Myanmar have shown extraordinary courage and determination in their fight for freedom.

5 months ago

Literary giant: Pramoedya Ananta Toer, one of the world’s most renowned Indonesian authors, signs a copy of the English edition of Tales from Djakarta, originally published in 1999 as Cerita Dari Jakarta, during the launch of the short story collection on Dec. 19, 2000, at a bookstore in Jakarta.

The century of Pramoedya and the existentialism of humanity

Despite his many limitations, Pram consistently opposed tyranny through words.

5 months ago

Digital childhood: A woman holds up a smartphone at a bus shelter in Jakarta for her daughter to attend a virtual kindergarten class on Aug. 31, 2021, during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Fighting brain rot must begin now

Like it or not, brain rot is a real and growing issue in the digital age, and poses an urgent need for government to tackle it, lest Golden Indonesia 2045 remains just that: a vision.

5 months ago

Water crisis: Residents of Gunung Tanjung village in Tasikmalaya regency, West Java, collect water from Cipamutih River on Aug. 26, 2024 for daily consumption amid a prolonged drought.

What climate spending really costs the world

The real cost of inefficient climate policy is that it distracts resources and attention from other priorities.

5 months ago

People watch carbon trading activity on a digital screen at the Indonesian stock exchange building in Jakarta on January 20, 2025.

Analysis: International carbon trading at IDXCarbon seeks to revive sluggish market

The Indonesia Carbon Exchange (IDXCarbon) launched its first international carbon trading platform on Monday, aiming to attract global buyers of carbon credits and revitalize a market that has seen declining activity over the past year. However, attracting international buyers hinges on credible certifications for carbon credits, which are currently issued solely by the Environment Ministry.

5 months ago

Empowering the youth: Students visit the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) office on Jan. 23, 2020, in Jakarta. The visit was aimed at nurturing the values of honesty and integrity among children.

The biases behind Indonesian start-ups’ ethical pitfalls

Many start-up founders develop an overconfidence bias, believing they can manage small ethical lapses without long-term consequences, assuming future success will justify present deception.

5 months ago

Health workers administer a pre-vaccination screening test for a toddler on April 24, 2024, at a medical facility in Cipondoh, Tangerang, Banten, during the Health Ministry’s free nationwide vaccination drive in observance of World Immunization Week.

Health checks for all

The Prabowo administration is planning to launch in February its next flagship program: free birthday health screenings.

5 months ago

Over-hyped promises?: United States President Donald Trump is seen on a giant screen during his address by video conference at the World Economic Forum (WEF) annual meeting in Davos, Switzerland, on Jan. 23, 2025.

How Trump’s anti-globalism could backfire

America's heavy dependence on global capital is potentially a big vulnerability.

5 months ago

Challenging AI heavyweights: The DeepSeek app is seen on a mobile phone in this photo illustration taken in Hong Kong on Jan. 28, 2025.

How DeepSeek is shaking up US tech heavyweights

More efficient AI models may make research easier while raising questions about the value of investments in huge data centers.

5 months ago

A student browses library stacks on Dec. 10, 2024, at Gadjah Mada University in Sleman, Yogyakarta.

Can nonprofits and universities thrive in the mining sector?

The potential entry of higher education institutions to the mining sector poses significant management risks as well as possible solutions to anticipate and mitigate such risks, among them the hybrid organizational structure.

5 months ago