Nobody would expect the government to take a gamble in its decision to begin the new normal era, despite some requirements not having been met.

The rupiah’s recent moves from Asia’s best performing currency pre-COVID-19 to the worst during the pandemic-driven global market rout and now back again to the region’s best performer validates beliefs about the asset’s volatility and sensitivity to external factors.

Greater Jakarta, with more than 30 million people, sends more than 14,000 tons of waste to the eight landfills every day.

Democratic progress has certainly given us liberal legislation such as the Freedom of Information Law but citizens must be constantly on their guard as those in power repeatedly find excuses to dictate what we should know and how we should think.

Despite the progress, however, it will be too risky to confine a few community units while allowing many others to ignore, if not defy, the strict health protocols.

Students in “red zones” with high confirmed cases and deaths must continue remote learning, which will be more challenging in areas with poor communications infrastructure.

The truth of the matter is that the world is indeed watching, but it is not laughing at those brave and well-intentioned mayors and the Democratic Party presidential candidate. The world is laughing at Trump’s leadership, or its lack thereof, during the country’s national crisis.

The government is set to provide a Rp 25 trillion (US$1.68 billion) stimulus package including airfare and hotel discounts to speed up the recovery of the travel industry.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo keeps talking about living in the new normal, but without sufficient preparation, people will only return to the old normal — to their crowded and unhealthy, and likely more risk-filled, lives. Like in any other critical time in the country, he has ordered the deployment of police and military personnel to ensure discipline in provinces with the highest cases and deaths. This sounds quite like the old times.

From a health perspective, December is not the right time to hold simultaneous regional elections. 

It is high time that the government accelerates the disbursement of financial incentives to medical workers, the unsung heroes in our battle against COVID-19. 

Employers and unions, or any workers’ representative body, can look to businesses in other countries that have designed their own health protocols and to the World Health Organization’s website, which issued guidelines for the workplace in March.

Celebrating Idul Fitri modestly this year not only makes religious sense, but can also help in the fight against COVID-19.

The days ahead of the Idul Fitri holidays, expected to fall on May 24-25, and the 10 days to June 4, still carry great risk.  

President Jokowi has in recent weeks taken measures that could weaken the basic foundations of democracy and rule of law.

Though the government has banned the exodus out of town to prevent the escalation of infection rates outside the capital, Greater Jakarta itself remains precarious. 

We must feel confident that the government is properly addressing public health before focusing on the economy.

Legal technicalities aside, the government must have expected the outrage, coming in the face of hardships under the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The ruling coalition reigns supreme in the House and with the strange amity between political parties and the military in the country so far, the draft presidential decree looks set to go unchallenged.

We believe civil society organizations and environmental NGOs will challenge the revisions through a judicial review petition with the Constitutional Court, especially regarding the guaranteed contract extensions and the concession size. But a judicial review would not annul the law as a whole, only the revised provisions.

These founding principles are important to ensure that all the debts issued to finance this Rp 318 trillion (US$21.3 billion) program are funneled to the businesses most affected by the crisis, and do not result in moral hazard. 

Most of the layoffs should have been done by MSMEs, as they have thin cash buffers, rely mainly on short-term loans with high interest rates, while their cash flows have virtually stopped under the current public health crisis and melting economy. 

Whether Tegal has harvested what it has sown, it has nevertheless taught us a lesson that a tough response is the only option in dealing with COVID-19; giving even little room to compromise will only put many lives at stake.

In Indonesia as millions become deeply fearful about how to feed their families in the coming weeks, hopes are high that the economy can slowly resume.

In this critical juncture, the race to find medicines can easily turn into a competition to control access to the drugs.

As demand for online shopping increases, users are well aware of the risks in the digital sphere when they agree to the terms and conditions, but this does not mean digital platforms and the government can evade responsibility.

Initiatives by local communities, civil society and faith-based groups have filled the gap the government has failed to cover.

Garuda Indonesia deserves not only government but also lender support because it is a state-owned company and Indonesia’s largest carrier. It is encouraging that the new management installed earlier this year was doing a demonstrably good job before the pandemic hit the country in March.

People urgently need help, but officials in charge of social assistance risk criminal charges if the aid distribution does not follow particular rules.

It appears that President Jokowi could live up to his reputation as a popularly elected leader of a burgeoning democracy. Yet in the past few days, many have expressed concern if authoritarian tendencies have begun to creep in.