This weekend will see millions of travelers set off on their annual journeys to their hometowns across the country for next week’s Idul Fitri holiday.

The draft amendment includes articles on corruption that are not in agreement with the existing 2002 Corruption Law, and will surely lack a deterrent effect.

The World Bank assessed Indonesia as wellpositioned to deal effectively with the risk of global financial and capital market volatility.

At the regional level, Indonesia has also promoted and initiated the use of military assets to fight terrorism.

In endorsing that voting system — called noken — the local poll body has sacrificed the democratic principle of one man one vote. 

SNP asked for the debt-payment suspension at the Jakarta Commercial Court last month after it defaulted on paying interest on two series of medium-term notes (MTNs) totaling Rp 6.75 billion (US$475,000). 

What’s not to like about the Jakarta Fair, now under way at the Jakarta International Expo (JIExpo) in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta? At the annual festival to celebrate Jakarta’s anniversary, people can find all kinds of favorite treats — old and new.

In many cases, people breach the first principle of Pancasila by denying the freedom of religion of others and their right to profess their faith.

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Jakarta on Wednesday has been much -awaited, and not just by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, who has visited him twice. 

Rice will still be the single most important crop in the country, the key food in diets and a symbol of Asian culture, but it will not be as dominant in coming years. 

Indonesia will soon have a new terrorism law. The House of Representatives had been sitting on the legislation for months, but on Friday, barely two weeks after a series of deadly terrorist attacks in the country, they finished their work. It took a crisis to get our representatives off their backsides.

It has cost the government Rp 35.76 trillion (US$2.55 billion) to prove to the state apparatus that the “Ramadhan blessing” is real.

Vice President Jusuf Kalla, who chairs the Indonesian Mosque Council (DMI), said the nation needed at least 300,000 preachers for Friday prayers alone. 

We hope Sri Mulyani will have the courage to stand up against such a large and wasteful subsidy spending that threatens fiscal sustainability.

Past and current national governments have let this problem of intolerance against minorities fester.

After two decades, the glass is now half full. Three cheers for reformasi.

Security concerns have given a new headache to organizers of the upcoming Asian Games in Jakarta and Palembang following a spate of terror attacks in a number of cities across the country. It is not an exaggeration if the organizers plan to implement stringent security measures to ensure the safety of thousands of athletes turning up for the sporting event and those attending the Games.

Deliberation is important to ensure that no human rights are violated or compromised in the name of national security.

Surveys have revealed that intolerant outlooks condoning violence in the name of religion is widespread in schools, universities and even government institutions.

Fortunately, the government has from the outset designed the 2018 state budget in such a way that there will still be fiscal space for accommodating a bigger fuel subsidy up to a certain level of oil prices.

Many questions remain unanswered today, even after five presidents pledged to settle the gross human rights violations that occurred during the May 1998 riots. 

What happened in Surabaya must serve as a wake-up call for security authorities to ramp up their counterterrorism efforts — and quick.

For those who live off the grid, it may be hard to believe that Jakarta today is any better than it was a decade ago.

Terror detainees who pose a high security risk should be held in separate cells, but the problem of overcrowding has allowed them to come into contact with other detainees.

The government should go all out in bolstering exports to raise dollar liquidity for the economy. 

Japan, China and South Korea are facing serious difficulties in their respective bilateral relations.

China is committed to investing in Indonesia and helping to develop its much-needed infrastructure, which in turn will create jobs, especially for young Indonesians.  

It was a devastating weekend at the National Monument (Monas) and its nearby areas, the heart of the country’s political and business orbits. Only a few hundred meters from the State Palace, and a few minutes’ walk from City Hall, two children lost their lives at Monas Square on Saturday.

Although the current price is still far from the historic high of $115 per barrel recorded in early 2014, many analysts predict the upward trend in crude oil prices will continue.

According to various global media organizations, 32 press workers have been killed in various nations in the first four months of 2018 alone. Last year, 65 were killed across the world.