New ministries create old problems

Sep 25, 2026 | Politics

President Prabowo Subianto’s preference for a larger and more specialized government structure was visible from the beginning. His original Red and White Cabinet already contained 48 ministries, with several portfolios created by splitting functions previously housed...

Google’s Rp784 billion question

Sep 25, 2026 | Law, Market

The Jakarta High Court’s ruling in the Chromebook corruption case has created a peculiar legal situation that could reverberate far beyond former education minister Nadiem Makarim. The court reduced Nadiem’s prison sentence from 10 to 9 years and his restitution...

Where are the Cooperatives?

Sep 25, 2026 | Market

Government’s ambitious Red-and-White Village Cooperatives (Kopdes Merah Putih) program presents an extraordinary paradox: the debt is already real, while the businesses it is supposed to finance are barely operational. The Finance Ministry has prepared Rp37.7 trillion...

Nusantara Sawit & suspicious ownership changes

Sep 25, 2026 | Market

Try search NSSS (Nusantara Sawit Sejahtera) in the website of Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), you will get report about ownership change almost every day from names linked to the same group Samuel: PT Samuel International, PT Samuel Sekuritas, and PT Samuel Tumbuh...

Redesigning Our Democracy (2)

Sep 25, 2026 | Politics

The electability survey on political parties and the ongoing debate over parliamentary threshold are two closely correlated political dynamics that often dominate national headlines, drawing public focus to immediate electoral prospects and tactical party maneuvering....

KKRI, military involvement in education

Sep 25, 2026 | Politics

The Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education has officially launched the Republic of Indonesia Cadet Corps (KKRI) extracurricular program for high schools and equivalent institutions. Framed as an initiative to strengthen student character, the program will involve...

Due Date

Sep 25, 2026 | Market

The government is due to make the first instalments of Rp37.7 trillion to state banks for the loans taken by PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara (APN) in the development of President Prabowo’s village cooperatives (KDMP) on September 25, 2026.  Minister of finance Suahasil...

BSDI: New agency again?

Sep 24, 2026 | Market

The Satu Data Indonesia bill, now consisting of 138 articles, proposes the Badan Satu Data Indonesia (BSDI), described as a national “orchestrator” coordinating data supervisors, producers, custodians and users. The bill is intended to end fragmentation that has long...

Shopee’s quiet war against TikTok

Sep 24, 2026 | Market

The partnership between Pinterest and Shopee announced this week may look like another addition to Indonesia’s crowded affiliate marketing business. It is potentially much more than that. It shows how Shopee is quietly changing the battlefield of e-commerce from...

Papua’s deadly paradox

Sep 24, 2026 | Politics

Indonesia has spent years trying to bring the state closer to Papua through new provinces, infrastructure, public services and an expanding security presence. Yet the latest figures from Papua Highlands expose an uncomfortable paradox: the state may be getting closer,...