Street food carts are seen under a railway bridge after the rain on Feb. 5, 2024, in Jakarta.

Cracking the shadow economy to meet 2026 revenue goals

The World Bank has estimated that Indonesia’s underground economy, a vast, hidden reservoir flowing beneath the surface, accounts for around 22 percent of GDP.

3 months ago

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New finance minister: A fresh hope or silent menace for the economy

The new finance minister should advise the President against pursuing priority programs that risk widening the fiscal deficit, and instead focus on strategic steps in the short and medium term. ...

3 months ago

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Burden sharing: A short-term remedy, a long-term risk for BI

What does the policy mean for the future of Indonesia’s monetary credibility and institutions? ...

3 months ago

The Latest

An Israeli police patrol boat moves near the aid sailboat Madleen as it is moored at the southern port of Ashdod on June 10, 2025 after being intercepted the previous day by Israeli forces.

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Indonesia’s Gaza flotilla and the law of naval blockade

Under blockade law, Israel has the right to intercept neutral merchant vessels attempting to breach the blockade and may lawfully use force, even to the point of destroying the vessels if they resist capture.

3 months ago

Students display posters with a tweet of President Prabowo Subianto reading “Rallies are part of democracy guaranteed by law“ during a protest against a revision to the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law in Surabaya, East Java, on March 24, 2025.

Academia

AI governance: Harnessing potential without losing control

Democratization through AI may be inevitable, but it could still be interesting to observe how one-party regimes may evolve and open up space for participation in political spaces through AI.

3 months ago

Academia

An Asia far beyond China

The most populous continent in the world goes beyond China and even Japan.

3 months ago

Online motorcycle transportation drivers pray for late fellow driver Affan Kurniawan during a peace declaration at the South Tangerang Regional Legislative Council (DPRD) office in Banten, on Sept. 1, 2025.

Academia

SEAblings: When sending food turns into a gesture of solidarity among Southeast Asians

At least three factors underpin the emergence of this phenomenon: Grab’s platform features, a shared sense of fate and the socio-cultural fabric of Southeast Asia.

3 months ago

Night sales: Housewives, or mamas, of Arfak Mountains regency in West Papua sell their farm products at Sanggeng night market in the provincial capital of Manokwari on Sept. 8, 2025.

Academia

The thousands of steps of Arfak Mountains women

The "mamas" of the Arfak Mountains are not merely housewives; they are the hardworking breadwinners who determine the course of life for their community.

3 months ago

University students from the Indonesian Student Executive Board Alliance (SOBSI) scatter flower petals on Sept. 4 during a demonstration to reiterate the “17+8 People’s Demands”, a platform of short-term and long-term reform demands raised during recent protests in front of the House of Representatives complex in Central Jakarta.

Academia

Hashtags hurt, hashtags heal too

The arrests of activists, the influence of algorithms and the surge of public frustration reveal how social media is actively fueling Indonesia’s ongoing democratic reckoning.

3 months ago

Two men work on the flooring of a floating house in Timbulsloko village, Sayung district, Demak regency, Central Java, on Saturday, Aug. 2, 2025. The Central Java provincial administration is building floating houses for villagers affected by tidal floods.

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A giant sea wall, a giant mistake the government opts to ignore?

The Giant Sea Wall project shows confusion in policy, poor problem diagnosis and the risk of spending billions on the wrong solution.

3 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto inaugurates (from left to right) Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, head of the Indonesian Migrant Worker Protection Agency (BP2MI) Muktaruddin, Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Minister Ferry Juliantono, Haj and Umroh Affairs Minister Mochamad Irfan Yusuf and Deputy Haj and Umroh Affairs Minister Dahnil Azhar Simanjuntak at the State Palace on Sept. 8, 2025.

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Cabinet reshuffle: Power consolidation or confidence crisis

The most recent cabinet reshuffle constitutes not only a cabinet refresh, but also a reflection of the consolidation of power and a test of confidence among the market and the public.

3 months ago

US President Donald Trump (right) shakes hands with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen after agreeing on a trade deal between the two economies following their meeting, in Turnberry south west Scotland, on July 27, 2025.

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Europe must use its economic ‘bazooka’ against the US

The trade deal reached with the United States at the end of July, though unbalanced and asymmetric, has not brought back stability and predictability.

3 months ago

China's President Xi Jinping inspects the troops during a military parade marking the 80th anniversary of victory over Japan and the end of World War II, in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025.

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Xi Jinping is in a race against time to secure his legacy

The Chinese military parade was a declaration that Chinese leader Xi Jinping sees himself in a race against time to secure his place in history.

3 months ago

Chinese President Xi Jinping (right, front row) poses with the heads of foreign delegations, including President Prabowo Subianto (left, front) and Russian President Vladimir Putin (center, front), for a family photo on Sept. 3, 2025, prior to the 80th Victory Day parade in Beijing.

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China’s military parade: Power, geopolitics and Indonesia’s strategic stakes

President Prabowo Subianto’s attendance at the parade in Beijing signals awareness that the world is shifting to a multipolar order, and that Indonesia is navigating its positioning amid uncertain currents.

3 months ago

University students gather outside the House of Representatives building during a protest against lawmakers’ housing allowances in Jakarta on Sept. 1, 2025.

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Mass protests and the paradox of ‘gotong royong’ democracy

Indonesia experiences cartelization due to the president's promiscuous power-sharing, elite collusion to secure state access and the weakening of meaningful opposition.

3 months ago

Students brave security cordons during a rally near the House of Representatives in Senayan, Central Jakarta, on Aug. 28, 2025.

Academia

Why the House struggles to maintain independence and trust

Pent-up frustrations due to House’s failure to represent citizen interests erupted into large scale demonstrations.

3 months ago

Job seekers undergo a height test to apply for company security guard positions at JobFest 2025 on Aug. 19, 2025, at the Jakarta International Velodrome.

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Indonesia needs a new approach to fighting inequality

Unless adequate measures are taken to address the problem, people will again take to the streets demanding bold changes in the government’s policies.

3 months ago

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AI must not ignore human rights

New technological systems do not protect human rights by default.

3 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (left front row) stands next to Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President China Xi Jinping during a military parade at Tiananmen Square in Beijing on Sept. 3, 2025.

Academia

The dynamics of parades and power projection by China, and the US

Beijing’s military parade came amid closer coordination with Russia and North Korea, and against a backdrop of intensifying Sino-American rivalry.

3 months ago

The National Monument (Monas) is seen amid the haze caused by air pollution in Jakarta on Aug, 16, 2023.

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Racing for air: Why clean skies are Indonesia’s next big test

Air pollution erodes competitiveness, undermines education when haze shuts schools and weakens human capital by imposing lifelong health burdens.

3 months ago

Members of the Indonesian Women Alliance take part in a demonstration on Sept. 3, 2025, in front of the House of Representatives in Senayan, Jakarta.

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Reinvigorating the legislature to bolster economic resilience

Comprehensive reform of the legislature guided by the principle of transparency, with an overarching aim to break the link between wealth and policymaking, is key to restoring the spirit of public service and welfare and regaining the people’s trust.

3 months ago

Two plainclothes police personnel detain a demonstrator in front of the Bali Police headquarters in Denpasar on Aug. 30, 2025.

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In using force, government learns more is more

The seeming success of the government’s repressive tactics, by granting the police and military freedom to use force during recent massive rallies, will likely embolden President Prabowo Subianto.

3 months ago

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Burden sharing: From emergency lifeline to fiscal dependence?

While the burden sharing scheme was an apt instrument during the COVID-19 pandemic, it now risks becoming a fiscal dominance policy, blurring the line between fiscal and monetary policy, accelerating depreciation, eroding market trust and undermining the central bank's independence.

3 months ago

Chinese President Xi Jinping (center, front row) walks with Russian President Vladimir Putin (left, front row) and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un (right, front row) as they lead a group of other officials to attend the 80th Victory Day parade military parade in Beijing's Tiananmen Square on Sept. 3, 2025, in this picture released on Sept. 4 by the Korean Central News Agency (KCNA) of North Korea.

Academia

China-Russia pipeline diplomacy threatens Trump's energy grip

Prior to his appearance with Putin at last week's Victory Day event, Xi signaled a new chapter in Beijing's energy diplomacy by signing a bilateral agreement on a new pipeline in defiance of Washington's attempt to isolate Moscow, setting the stage for sharper tensions in the China-US great power rivalry.

3 months ago

University students hold posters during a rally outside the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta on Sept. 4, 2025, one bearing the hashtag #WargaJagaWarga (left), or “citizens protecting citizens”, the other an illustration of Affan Kurniawan, the 21-year-old ‘ojol’ (online motorcycle transportation) driver who was killed on Aug. 28 by a vehicle of the Jakarta Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

Academia

State response to protests echoes darker times

Though the recent protests evoked a darker chapter in the nation’s history, they also mark a departure, and the question is whether the state response will, too.

3 months ago

Members of the 17+8 Tuntutan Rakyat (people's demands) collective movement hold up posters listing short- and long-term demands on Sept. 4, 2025, at the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta.

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Brooms in pink and green: Sweeping for justice on Indonesia’s streets

The wave of demonstrations that began over legislators' pay and perks expanded during its second week into a collective civil movement, bringing together women, workers, students and LGBTIQ+ to fight on the front lines for their right to engage in political life for a democracy in which they are seen, heard and accepted.

3 months ago

President Prabowo Subianto (center) addresses a plenary cabinet meeting on Aug. 6 in the State Palace, Jakarta.

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Decision-making in the face of chaos

Decision-making requires framing the problem correctly, surveying the terrain, updating data and information sources accordingly and settling on a model to evaluate competing choices.

3 months ago

Motorbike taxi driver Soonthorn poses for photos as he holds a yaba methamphetamine pill while demonstrating how he consumes the drug during an interview with AFP in Bangkok on Jan. 12, 2021.

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Cheap methamphetamine is fueling Thailand’s addiction crisis

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.

3 months ago