The Indonesian rupiah yesterday fell to its lowest level since the Asian financial crisis of 1998, reflecting concerns about the government’s fiscal trajectory and the uncertainties about incoming U.S. tariffs. According to The Jakarta Post, the rupiah momentarily fell to around 16,654 against the U.S. dollar, its weakest since JuneContinue Reading
JAKARTA: Activists have called for press freedom to be protected in Indonesia and demanded an investigation after a magazine critical of the government was sent a pig’s head and decapitated rats. Weekly magazine Tempo, a top Indonesian publication since the 1970s, has been critical of the policies of President Prabowo Subianto,Continue Reading
Unlike President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, Indonesia’s new president, Prabowo Subianto, has yet to introduce a coherent national maritime strategy. In fact, following his inauguration in October, Prabowo began his administration by dissolving one of Jokowi’s main maritime legacies: the Coordinating Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Investment (Marves). Established during Jokowi’sContinue Reading
Indonesia’s parliament today passed a suite of controversial amendments to the country’s military law, which human rights groups say will likely remove hard-won checks on the power of the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI). The changes to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law expand the government’s ability to appoint servingContinue Reading
Indonesia’s finance minister has been forced to deny rumors of her imminent resignation, after the country’s stock exchange yesterday fell to its lowest point in years. Speaking at what Reuters described as a “hurriedly called press conference” yesterday afternoon, Sri Mulyani Indrawati said that she remained in her post andContinue Reading
Traditionally, Indonesia has adhered to a “bebas dan aktif” – “free and active” – foreign policy, whereby Jakarta keeps a careful balance in its foreign relations with rival great powers. However, the new Indonesian president, Prabowo Subianto, aims to implement a more active foreign policy compared to his predecessor, PresidentContinue Reading
CENTRAL JAVA: Rasjoyo could only watch in silence as his small wooden boat sailed through Semonet, a sleepy fishing village in the northern coast of Java he once called home. The coast has receded about 1.5km inland in the last two decades, submerging 54 houses and hundreds of hectares ofContinue Reading
JAKARTA: A remote island prison for those convicted of corruption charges. That was the threat volleyed by Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto on Thursday (Mar 13) as he doubled down on his stance against those convicted of such crimes. Speaking during a visit to the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education inContinue Reading
Indonesia’s government appears to have backed down in its attempt to legalize the appointment of serving military personnel to civilian government positions, after an outcry that the administration was seeking to undermine post-Suharto norms about the role of the country’s military. Yesterday, President Prabowo Subianto’s administration introduced a diluted versionContinue Reading
Vietnam has upgraded its diplomatic relations with Indonesia to a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership (CSP), ahead of a similar upgrade with Singapore later this week. The elevation took place yesterday at the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta, where To Lam, the general secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam (CPV), was onContinue Reading
