OPINION

I tried to listen very carefully different reports on television and newspapers, as the one on CNN with Errin Burnett OutFront, and several others, and heard gleefully but not surprisingly that former President Donald Trump is very unlikely to be able to participate in 2024 Presidential Election, the reason being obvious: among the different legal cases he faces, one regards his efforts to overturn the results of the 2020 election to make him the winner and stay in power; this has been decided by a Judge in a session on January 2, 2024. 

In July 2023, Antonio Guterres, Secretary General of the United Nations, reminded leaders and the world community about the record July temperature – the hottest in history. Not far behind, recently the people of the city of Jakarta were reminded by various reports that referred to the research results of an organization producing airborne monitoring technology products about the high level of air pollution in the city of Jakarta. This organization even named the city of Jakarta as the city with the highest pollution level in the world. 

The Indonesian Government and state-owned PT Pupuk Indonesia are working on changing the fertilizer subsidy scheme to cash transfers that will be directly made to the farmers’ bank accounts or digital wallets. This plan is President Joko Widodo’s response to the March 15, 2023, meeting demanding a single price of fertilizers in the market. What happens now is that identical products can be sold at different prices, both subsidized and non-subsidized. The significant price disparity has become one of the sources of moral hazard. 

In fewer than two hundred days, Indonesia go to the polls, vote and then have those votes counted, in the 2024 election, recorded as the largest one-day simultaneous election in the world. The General Elections Commission (KPU) released a figure of 204,807,222 voters registered on the Final Electoral Roll (DPT), consisting of 102,218,503 men and 102,588,719 women. 

Controversies surrounding the National Search and Rescue Agency (Basarnas) have sparked after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) conducted a red-handed operation on the procurement of goods and services at Basarnas, involving two businessmen and military members. The news spread like wildfire on social media, after the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) Headquarters objected to the suspect-naming process of the military personnel. The KPK responded and met with TNI officials. It ended up with the KPK apologizing to the TNI Headquarters for its investigators’ “error or negligence” by naming the military personnel suspects and detaining them.

The sensational and well-publicized “family feud” among Lee Kuan Yew’s heirs is not over yet. Lee Hsien Yang, the youngest sibling, continues to criticize his eldest brother, incumbent Prime Minister of Singapore Lee Hsien Loong. 

Discussions have been going on for quite a while on how to create regulations on Artificial Intelligence (AI), a discipline which has been progressing very rapidly. However, along with progress, warnings have been raised by its creators, since the costs of human beings losing control of personal data on the one hand, and increasing cases of hacking and disruption that are becoming more common is frightening. In a way, it becomes out of control: the creator can no longer control the behavior of the created machines. 

Maritime Affairs Law 32/2014 is to be revised. This is a “nothing-out-of-ordinary” step taken by the Government as the Executive and initiated by the Legislative branches: the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Regional Representatives Council (DPD). Although it may seem ordinary, the revision – proposed by the DPD – is stirring up controversy among the domestic maritime community. This essay will try to unravel the root of the problem that has caused the ruckus. 

Social security is a constitutional right for all Indonesians; therefore, everyone has the right to benefit from all current social security programs, including the Health Insurance Program (JKN), Workers Accident Compensation (JKK), Death Benefits (JKm), Old-Age Security (JHT), Pension (JP) and Job Loss Security (JKP). 

The first-ever Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) meeting on Youth Activity in Indonesia has just concluded, under the patronage of the OIC Secretary General and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia. The Indonesian Government, operating through the Ministry of Youth and Sport, in coordination with all related Ministries, Regional Governments and Higher and Professional Institutions, hosted the OIC Youth Conference on Cultural Activity, an effort that promotes cooperation on multicultural programs among members. The program ran from 7 to 14 July 2023, and was held simultaneously in Jakarta Special Region Province and East Kalimantan Province.

Leading in popularity polls against his opponents Ganjar Pranowo and Anies Baswedan, presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto is riding a tide that will more than likely result in his becoming Indonesia’s eighth head of state.