A gas station employee fills a vehicle on Mar. 9, 2023, at a Shell gas station in Jakarta.

Breaking the bottleneck: Reforming the fuel distribution system

The issue is more than a logistical hiccup, it reflects deeper regulatory and market governance challenges.

1 month ago

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Careful, Mr. President: The world is watching

Our system calls itself democratic yet remains deeply uneasy, even hostile, toward opposition. ...

1 month ago

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India and ASEAN must savor the mango flavors

Instead of being preoccupied with how other powers such as China or the United States might perceive our cooperation, India and ASEAN should focus on working together for their own sake. ...

1 month ago

The Latest

People make financial transactions at a branch office of state-owned pawnshop Pegadaian in Semarang, Central Java, in this file photo from 2015.

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The untold business of Indonesia's private pawnshops

While the OJK has issued a regulation to make licensing easier for private pawnshops, the government has yet to address the issues of governance, oversight and whether or not to integrate this lucrative but marginalized business so it can truly contribute to growth.

1 month ago

Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa sings the national anthem during the handover ceremony from his predecessor Sri Mulyani Indrawati on Sept. 9 at the Finance Ministry in Jakarta.

Academia

The unfiltered leader: When confidence clashes with convention

Because Purbaya arrived without in-group credentials, his blunt, merit-first style was framed as a status threat.

1 month ago

Thumbs up: Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa reacts to journalists after his first hearing with House of Representatives Commission XI, overseeing finance, in Jakarta on Sept. 11, 2025.

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SAL: A double-edged fiscal sword

Fragmenting cash balances across multiple banks increases inefficiency, as funds may exist but remain inaccessible when urgently needed, the IMF has warned.

1 month ago

Bags of rice are seen piled up at 'Koike rice shop' in Tokyo on Feb. 14, 2025. The Japanese government said it will release its stockpile of rice, the nation's cherished staple food, reserved for emergency use in response to soaring prices.

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Food cartels threaten Prabowo's goal of food self-sufficiency

For years, a network of traders, importers, corrupt officials and political brokers have manipulated the supply and price of staple foods like rice, sugar, garlic, beef and cooking oil.

1 month ago

Former Bangka Belitung Islands energy and mineral resources agency heads Amir Syahbana (left) and Suranto Wibowo (right) sit in the defendants' chair at the Jakarta Corruption Court on July 31, 2024 during an indictment hearing pertaining to corruption in state-owned tin company PT Timah. Prosecutors charged the defendants, including a fellow former agency head Rusbani, of self-enrichment that caused Rp 300 trillion in state losses.

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How AI can revolutionize asset seizure, the fight against graft

The use of AI in asset forfeiture is already a reality in countries where advanced analytics are used to identify high-risk transactions and complex criminal networks.

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China's President Xi Jinping (center) attends the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tianjin on Sept. 1, 2025, in this photograph distributed by the Russian state agency Sputnik.

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Can China rewrite the rules of global governance?

The SCO summit at Tianjin, China, followed by a military parade in Beijing, signal China's effort to contest the erratic policies of the Trump administration and change the global and regional orders.

1 month ago

Women attend a mass prayer on Aug. 14, 2025, at Baiturrahman Grand Mosque in provincial capital Banda Aceh to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the Aceh peace agreement.

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Aceh’s waqf experiment: When an age-old tradition powers a new economy

Aceh's unique cultural identity and administrative status makes it fertile ground for trialing waqf-based development initiatives that could provide a contemporary model for Islamic economies worldwide.

1 month ago

A health worker measures the height of a women participating in the free birthday health screening program at a community health center (Puskesmas) in Serang, Banten, on May 15, 2025.

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Ovarian cancer, a silent and stealthy threat to women

Unlike breast and cervical cancer, no routine and simple screening tests can help patients detect ovarian cancer.

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President Prabowo Subianto delivers his State of the Nation address on Aug. 15 during the annual People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) plenary meeting at the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta.

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Did Prabowo’s fiscal vision leave people behind?

For a leader democratically elected by the people and with historic legislative support, it is ironic that President Prabowo Subianto finds himself on the line in less than a year of his tenure.

1 month ago

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

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Honoring history, cherishing peace and creating a brighter future for humanity

History serves both as the best textbook and dose of sobriety.

1 month ago

Demonstrators hold illustrations of Affan Kurniawan during a protest in front of the Surabaya Police headquarters in East Java on Aug. 30, 2025, two days after the ‘ojol’ (motorcycle transportation) driver was killed when he was run over by a tactical vehicle of the Jakarta Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob).

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UNGA: Human rights and Prabowo's political test

Following the mass demontrations earlier this month and its devastating toll, the government needs to take proactive steps toward accountability, or the President's appearance at the UN General Assembly next week could be met with a negative response over Indonesia's pattern of state impunity.

1 month ago

Newly appointed Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa waves to journalists following his inauguration on Sept. 8 at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta.

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Sri Mulyani vs Purbaya: Balancing speed with discipline

To translate fiscal policy into soccer terms, former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati played defense while her predecessor Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa prefers offensive play.

1 month ago

A farmer harvests arabica coffee beans at his farm at the foot of Mount Puntang, Bandung regency, West Java.

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How Europe’s deforestation law could change global coffee trade

On the ground, the rule change could transform how coffee is grown, traded and sold.

1 month ago

(Source: Henry Cruz and Lili Vallejo, 2023, ‘The Prioritization of External Security as a Means of Guaranteeing Multidimensional Security and Economic Growth’)

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The world is back to the 1930s war economy

The United Nations has issued a five-point agenda in an attempt to redefine security but the bottom line is that war is profitable and it is the same old battle of short-term vs. long-term gains, pitted against the very survival of our species.

1 month ago

Residents wade through floodwaters in their neighbourhood following heavy rainfall on Sept. 10 in Denpasar, Bali.

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Rivers, rituals and rubbish: Can Bali stay beautiful?

Can ecotourism be part of the fix? Yes, if Bali uses the legal framework, community willpower, and tourism revenue.

1 month ago

A female student holds a poster listing demands during a protest on Sept. 9 in front of the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta. The action was carried out to advocate for the 17+8 people’s demands.

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Inequality and the demand for emancipatory democracy

This striking disparity renders democracy meaningless. On one hand, people have the right to vote, on the other, they are trapped in an increasingly alienating economic and political system.

1 month ago

Former members of Jamaah Islamiyah (JI) perform ‘asar’ (afternoon prayer) on Dec. 21, 2024, during an event to declare the terrorist group’s disbandment held in the convention hall at Tirtonadi bus terminal in Surakarta, Central Java.

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When minors become targets of violent extremist groups

Radicalization in the digital age doesn't fit neatly into a prescribed box of right-wing extremism, and protecting minors vulnerable to online influences begins with offline efforts at home to reach out, connect and listen to the multitude of mixed issues at the root of adolescent angst.

1 month ago

Old and new: Former finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati (left) and her successor Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa greet journalists on Sept. 9 after a ceremony to mark the transfer of authority in Jakarta.

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Cabinet reshuffle: Prabowo’s move to realize 8% growth target?

Purbaya’s appointment is to address public frustration with Indonesia's economic conditions, particularly regarding tax increases, unemployment and layoffs, issues that Sri Mulyani failed to resolve.

1 month ago

Participants carry the flags of Palestine (left) and Indonesia on July 27, 2025, during a pro-Palestine rally held by civic organizations and the Banda Aceh administration in Banda Aceh, Aceh.

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R2P without consistency is complicity

Indonesia has been consistent and steadfast in its efforts to support the Palestine cause by ultimately ensuring that it remains an international agenda and highlighting its multidimensionality, especially with regard to the UN principle of the Responsibility to Protect.

1 month ago

University students hold a poster at a rally on Sept. 4 outside the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta that reads #WargaJagaWarga (Citizens guarding citizens) and a picture depicting Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old motorcycle ride-hailing driver who was run over and killed on Aug. 28 by a police armored vehicle during protests over lawmakers' lavish pay and allowances.

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Digital sovereignty or digital chaos? Lessons from the unrest

Digital amplification forces us to confront an uncomfortable truth about freedom of expression in the internet age.

1 month ago

A resident harvests okra pods on April 9 from a crop on a communal patch of land where villagers from Milore village grow food crops due to its proximity to a nearby dam in Kilifi County, Kenya.

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Fighting poverty must not stop

Combating poverty is not just a moral imperative, it is also crucial for economic stability, conflict prevention and long-term development.

1 month ago

European Union flags flutter on Sept. 12, 2024 in Frankfurt, Germany.

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Europe could escape the bond ‘doom loop’, US not so much

Unlike European countries, the US appears to have no interest in decreasing its deficits.

1 month ago

Academia

Deadly Nepal protests reflect Gen Z activism across Asia

Nepal's so-called Gen Z protests, which resemble similar youth-led protests in the region, have managed to create a historic opportunity for their active participation in charting the country's future course in governance, though this presents new challenges that require a whole other set of skills and experiences.

1 month ago

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

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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.

1 month ago

President Prabowo Subianto (right) inaugurates Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa (center) as finance minister at the State Palace in Jakarta on Sept. 8, 2025.

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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.

1 month 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?

1 month ago

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.

1 month ago

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