OPINION

Money politics is spreading like wildfire. It plays a paramount role in the elections of village heads, regents, governors and presidents. The public has become familiar with “serangan fajar”, a local term for money politics. Banknotes of Rp 20k, Rp 50k and Rp 100k are customarily dispensed a few hours before the voting time. 

The observation by the Governor of Lemhannas Andi Widjajanto is a growing new concern: he pointed out that the IKN Nusantara area is more susceptible to air attacks. In response, the Commander of the Indonesian National Armed Forces, General TNI Andika Perkasa, released his own statement on the matter. 

The lines are being drawn in what is increasingly being seen as the onset of a new cold war.

Still in celebration of “Old Age Day” of May 29 I would like to write a column about living old age in dignity. Aside from the celebration, I also becoming more aware that life expectancy for Indonesians stretches longer and longer than historical norms.

Almost a quarter of a century ago, in the midst of the Asian financial crisis in May 1998, Indonesia’s economy literally came to a standstill. The rupiah had crashed, tycoons were going bankrupt and losing their business empires. University students were filling the streets of cities across the entire archipelago demanding the resignation of then President Suharto, and after the tragic shooting of students in the yard of Trisakti University in Jakarta, protests became even larger and led to complete chaos. Indonesia was literally on the brink of collapse. 

Our state energy company is at a crossroads. Its deficit is predicted to reach IDR 190 trillion throughout 2022 and the Government still has not paid off Pertamina’s 2021 deficit, which reached IDR 109 trillion. Pertamina’s debt to the Government will total a colossal IDR 299 trillion by December 2022. 

The recent news about Elon Musk wearing a T-shirt when meeting Indonesian President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has attracted attention in this country. Many have shared their two cents’ worth – some positive but mostly negative – about Elon Musk’s T-shirt. 

Jakarta, IO - In a recent opinion piece in the Jakarta Post, ‘After Philippines, Indonesia too is ripe for return to authoritarianism’, senior journalist Endy Bayuni argues the rise of Ferdinand ‘Bongbong’ Marcos Jr. as the Philippines new president-elect “signals voters growing discontent with liberal democracy and a penchant for a strong ruler.” Bayuni also intimates that Indonesia could also see a return of authoritarian rule such as it experienced during Soeharto’ New Order, only this time if a figure like Prabowo Subianto were to win the 2024 presidential election. 

Compared to the Army and Navy, our Air Force is a relatively “new” one. In the Armed Forces, the Air Force can be considered “The New Kids on the Block”.

The Russian invasion in Ukraine is entering a new phase, with new developm

A polemic on comparing administrations of different eras in the history of Indonesia has surfaced after the chairman of the All - Indonesian Student Executive Board Alliance (BEM SI) blundered by comparing the aspects of freedom and welfare between the New Order Era and the Reform Era. The issue of freedom, in particular, has caught the public’s attention. The Chairman remarked that freedom did in fact exist in the New Order Era. Then the public went wild.