While many communities came together to reach out a helping hand to their neighbors during pandemic lockdowns, we should also do so as a matter of course.

Even if the ban is lifted, nickel mining firms will not automatically export their nickel ores because most are tied up with domestic processing/smelting companies. 

Enforcement and monitoring are again the twin issues in ensuring that all property across the archipelago meet the country's mandatory building code.

Some religious minorities, including followers of the Ahmadiyah and Shia, continue to be the subject of officially sanctioned persecutions. 

The results of Saturday’s election showed that identity politics remained an effective tool to win the hearts and minds of voters, especially the majority Malay Muslims. Some observers even believe Malaysia is experiencing a surge of political Islam.

It is not an exaggeration to call the World Cup an ideal pause for those in conflict to lay down arms and return to the negotiating table.

The membership will pave the way for Timor Leste, Indonesia’s former colony, to accelerate its economic development and boost its international credentials as a member of one of the world’s most successful regional organizations. 

The stakes are high, considering the experience we had in the past two national elections, in which nationalist and Islamist rhetoric were both used to exclude others, paving the way for the rise of both hyper-nationalism and Islamic populism.

The successful conclusion to the G20 Bali Summit on Wednesday and the issuance of the Bali Leaders' Declaration are testament to the Indonesian brand of diplomacy in bringing parties together. Now, it must use its weight to drive the implementation of commitments achieved during its 2022 G20 presidency.

Judging the two-day Group of 20 Leaders’ Summit mainly from the contents of their declaration we may misunderstand the dynamics, potential and limitations of the multilateral forum.

When the two most powerful countries on Earth collaborate, the rest of the world can take comfort and even profit from the peace and stability that this generates

The Myanmar issue has been holding back ASEAN’s entire progress, including the group’s move to becoming a community and in addressing many pressing issues in the economy, public health and common security.

When President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo traveled to Rome in late October, it was only five months after the Delta variant wrought havoc in the country where daily infections topped 50,000. 

As industry players have pointed out, there has yet to be written rules for event organizers nationwide to comply with.

Biden can fly to Bali to attend the Group of 20 summit on Nov. 15-16 in a much more confident mood.

Under the shadow of the global inflation crisis and the Ukraine war, governments and companies have refrained from making big promises during the first week of United Nations climate conference (COP27) negotiations.

The Manpower Ministry and the National Wage Council must decide on the level of the rise in the nationwide minimum wage median for 2023 before the end of the third week so that provincial administrations can immediately begin local tripartite consultations for the new minimum wage.

The arrest of two men in September for posting videos of the torture of long-tailed macaques is further proof of Indonesia’s shameful and disproportionate role in the proliferation of animal abuse content on social media.

This gap makes it difficult for Indonesia to build world-class start-ups because what matters is not only the quality, but also the quantity of the human capital to support the ecosystem.

The mandatory resignation for government officials, military and police officers who wish to pursue political careers through elections was devised to avoid any conflict of interest and ensure clean and fair competitions.

Without significant progress in the development of renewable energy, efforts to retire the coal plants mean taking them off PLN's books, rather than reducing the country's emissions.

Lula’s victory means the majority of people in Brazil exercised their common sense rather than succumbing to fake news and hatred.

It is up to the religious leaders now to convince that they are not interested in sharing power, but more in incorporating moral teachings and values that come with religions in the search for solutions to problems affecting humankind.

If the G7 implements the cap, the group will bar all allies and G7-affiliated companies from shipping, financing or insuring oil from Russia to its buyers. 

Abbas’ UN mission is very clear, but the big question is how Palestine can apply for full UN membership if they remain unable to maintain national unity.

Millennials and Gen-Zers, who will make up for more than 50 percent of voters, could change this in the 2024 elections if they play more active roles in politics to challenge the status quo.

The BPOM, as the Ombudsman has so terrifyingly found, has no meaningful control to ensure safety, having relinquished medicinal testing to the pharmaceutical companies. This simply means the state has given up its authority.

Xi led the transformation from the peaceful rise of China that we saw in the first decade of the millennium to the more assertive rise of an empire with ever-expanding tentacles.

Now it is time for the regional grouping to go to the next level by inviting the official representative of Suu Kyi’s government. 

The involvement of lawmakers and politicians in the OJK, the LPS and BI will only allow political and ideological motives to guide decision-making.