Citizens need to scrutinize attempts to discourage hard-won freedom of speech and opinion.

With a score of 6.39, Indonesia fell 20 places in the index from 48th to 68th, making it the worst performer among the 165 independent countries and two territories surveyed in 2017, sliding from “flawed democracy” toward the “authoritarian” end of the scale.

Our total exports of only US$169 billion in 2017 pale compared to the $214 billion earned by Vietnam, which started building its economy only in the late 1970s, let alone to the more than $230 billion each booked by both Thailand and Malaysia.

The ugly facts on the ground severely challenge our diplomats striving to campaign for Indonesia to be recognized as the world’s “partner for peace, security and prosperity.”

Ministerial Regulation No. 108/2017 should not be regarded as the government acting in favor of conventional transportation providers, but rather opting for fair competition and passenger safety. 

After the merger between Pertamina and PGN, the latter will acquire Pertamina’s gas subsidiary PT Pertamina Gas (Pertagas) either through a merger or acquisition. 

The government should fully support the initiative of the House of Representatives, which is drafting a bill on the development of renewables.

We appear to be witnessing the emergence of “Trumpism”, where spinning hate is becoming the new norm in Indonesian politics. What a sorry state of affairs.

Like Indonesia’s recent doctrine of “global maritime fulcrum,” India has its own maritime policy called the sagarmala, or “ocean garland,” which focuses on improving access to ports. 

40 percent of the country’s 11 million hectares of oil palm plantations are owned by smallholders, the industry directly employs almost 6 million workers and annually generates US$20 billion in export earnings.

People should not be lining up from 2 a.m. to acquire a basic need in this digital age.

The council is referring to online media, which has been mushrooming over the last few years only to produce fake news for political purposes. 

As critics among Papuans reiterate, most Indonesians care about the rich land much more than their Melanesian brothers and sisters living too far from the capital and other more developed areas.

The problem is there have long been great doubts about the accuracy of the production data provided by the Agriculture Ministry and the Central Statistics Agency (BPS).

Bambang’s immediate leadership test is looming now that the House’s inquiry into the KPK is reaching its finale.

The dramatic revelation by East Java gubernatorial aspirant La Nyalla Mattalitti of the alleged political dowry that cost him the coveted ticket last week was relatively unsurprising, except that he attacked Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto, billed as the strongest contender for incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in the 2019 race.

Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has decided to review tax holiday and tax allowance facilities for direct investments and will study more thoroughly what kind of incentives investors really need most in their respective sectors of operation.

Indonesia Aid would coordinate with all existing technical cooperation programs already in place for several developing countries in Africa, Asia and the West Pacific. The new agency will be allotted Rp 1 trillion (US$70 million) to start with.

The Youth and Sports Ministry said it would soon disburse Rp 514 billion (US$40.35 million) or 70 percent of the budget for 2018 Asian Games training programs. 

Despite Indonesia’s harsh laws on child abuse, the multimillion dollar business of child porn continues, child advocates say. 

Yet oil prices will likely continue to increase this year because of robust economic growth in developed and emerging economies.

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has also made a priority of squashing smear campaigns, fake news and hoaxes. 

According to the Tourism Ministry, more than 9 million Indonesians traveled overseas last year, notably to the free trade areas of Singapore and Hong Kong, and such travelers were well known for their high propensity for buying souvenirs for relatives at home and luxury fashion items.

Put briefly, macroeconomic stability has been strengthening with a stabilizing rupiah exchange rate, inflation under control, interest rates falling steadily and the government’s debt-to- GDP ratio down to less than 30 percent.

The rules of the game have bred regional heads who owe a lot to party oligarchs. 

Measures harking back to the New Order’s “mysterious shootings,” or Petrus, confirm our old addiction to violence instead of rehabilitating anyone.

Fitch Ratings raised the country’s sovereign rating to BBB investment grade last week.

We reject all efforts to impose a ban on the greeting, as we embrace our precious heritage as a diverse people who struggled together as one nation.

It has been less than two weeks since Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto assumed the top post at the Indonesian Military (TNI), but he has already sprung a surprise.

As a party founded by president Soeharto to serve as his political machine, Golkar has never been able to fully escape the shadow of the strongman’s authoritarian past.