Nobody would expect the outrage to flare up in Papua, but the incidents clearly show that many things need to be done to remove barriers separating us from our brethren in the country’s easternmost territory.

Fiction is one of the best ways for readers to experience the lives of those from other cultures, times and places. If reading fiction does not give you the tools to be more empathetic to the plights of others, then we don’t know what will.

Set against the global economic downturn and rising protectionist trend, President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo presented to the House of Representatives a 2020 draft state budget that is rightly designed to focus on maintaining macroeconomic stability and mitigating downside risk from external factors.

For decades, Indonesia has practically been competing with itself and, seeing the glass half-full, it has made some progress. The nation, however, is still lagging behind some of its closest neighbors.

As the country celebrates its 74 years of independence on Saturday, Indonesians must ask a difficult question: Whether they are to continue on the path of moderation or risk losing some of their freedom. It may require the courage of our forefathers who chose between merdeka (freedom) or mati (death) to answer this question.

Unlike Jokowi, who will become a lame duck president near the end of his term in 2024, Megawati will continue to exercise power, particularly in choosing Jokowi’s successor.

ASEAN countries, including Indonesia and Malaysia, share islands and borders, making it impossible to exclude one another from the haze crisis. This is why it is important to coordinate resources and efforts to act together to resolve the problem.

Jokowi’s top priorities have by and large addressed the main factors that globally are considered the main determinant of long-term growth: institutions, infrastructure, technological readiness, macroeconomic context, health, education and skills, product and labor market, financial system, market size, business dynamism and innovation.

Graft watchdogs have slammed the selection committee for allowing a number of police generals with “questionable” track records to advance in the selection process. 

Without some form of restricting motorists, people would always opt for private vehicles. Government data also says emissions from motor vehicles contribute 70 to 75 percent of air pollution.

And while some experts have dismissed the notion that Indonesia is responsible for the creeping haze that has reportedly blanketed Singapore and parts of Malaysia in recent weeks, a diplomatic gesture by the President during his visits there would help alleviate public pressure.

The latest reports of suspected corruption in university rector elections are reminders of the country’s stagnant campus culture, to say nothing of a lack of university funding and lack of scientific papers and research progress

With the aforementioned female athletes already opening the path to global glory, Indonesian female athletes have an equal opportunity to follow in their footsteps. They have the potential. What they need is the opportunity.

True, electricity is a basic need and should be controlled by the government for the benefit of the majority of people. But controlling should not mean a monopoly by a state company because monopoly is always inimical to good governance and the economic viability of production.

As an archipelagic country with an ocean area larger than its land territory, Indonesia is more vulnerable to oil spills than other countries in the region.

Since tourism does not play a major role in the local economy, the whole environment around Lake Toba and Samosir Island is not ready to serve a large number of foreign tourists because of the lack of even such basic facilities such as accommodations, clean toilets and healthcare services.

The government’s decision to establish the Special Operations Command (Koopssus) — a joint unit of selected soldiers of elite forces of the three military branches about as big as a military battalion — has received mixed reactions. Many have expressed support, while others exercise caution prior to approving the new unit of the Indonesian Military (TNI).

And as solar power generation is more about technological innovation than fuel to generate power, prices should continue to fall, as they have for cell phones.

Such a strong message should be promoted and embraced by the government and the wider Muslim community in Indonesia — whether grassroots or fringe — so that it reflects the face of tolerant Islam in Indonesia.

The paper proposed 10 solutions, among them are: restriction of groundwater extraction, natural and artificial recharge of aquifers, development of alternative water supply (instead of groundwater) and improving governance and decision-making.

An election is a mechanism for people to exercise their political rights and make their own choices, but the prevalence of vote-buying needs to be addressed soon, just to make sure elections represent the true voice of the people.

Whether the justification is for “public order” or a region’s “cultural” or “religious” values, the freedom or abuse of freedom to make such rules has led the National Commission on Violence Against Women to identify and list over 400 policies and local rules that it said discriminated against women and other minorities.

The meeting between Megawati and Prabowo has further sent a strong signal that despite their differences, their commitment to national unity remains intact.

The combination of inadequate infrastructure and inefficient seaport operations has made Indonesia’s logistics costs the highest in the ASEAN region, making its exports much less competitive.

The speedy growth of the digital industry, however, makes users, both players and consumers, vulnerable to cybercrime, while the law does not adequately protect them.

After nearly 65 years of independence, today’s children have every right to expect much better lives than their forebears. They are digital natives with so many possibilities within their reach. The elders should listen to them, rather than fail them.

The acid attack against Novel Baswedan was no ordinary crime with the top Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigator the sole victim. It was, first and foremost, an attack against a state-sanctioned body established for a single mission: to root out chronic corruption plaguing the archipelago.

Lawmakers say the restrictions and penalties for foreign researchers who broke the rules or who would potentially violate rules were necessary to protect the nation’s researchers and Indonesia’s rich biodiversity.

The long-delay in the issuance of the new regulation has not only caused legal uncertainty but also threatens six major mining firms in Kalimantan, which together account for almost 40 percent of national coal production of more than 500 million tons a year.

The new Criminal Code, with all its contentious articles that could have multiple interpretations, would be an anachronism in this open era.