President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo speaks to Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at Suntec Convention Centre, Singapore on Nov. 14, 2018.

Indonesia will take a big step on the global stage – are Australians paying attention?

The theme for the summit in Bali will be “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”. We can all hope this will more closely match global realities by then.

4 years ago

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Indonesia's future derivatives market

When the onshore derivatives market becomes more lucrative, market participants will more actively hedge their financial position, thereby developing more efficient risk management and providing space for market expansions. ...

4 years ago

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Should we close down Garuda?

No matter its profitability, the existence of a national airline is considered mandatory to tell the world, “We still exist!” ...

4 years ago

The Latest

Chevron workers inspect an oil and gas facility at the Rokan Block in Riau at an unspecified date. Photos were handed out on March 2020.

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Oil majors are leaving Indonesia: Should we be concerned?

We should be worried about the steady fall in the oil production to as low as 660,000 barrels per day (bpd)) last year, as against the total national need of 1.4 million bpd.

4 years ago

The biggest solar rooftop in Central Java is in place on the Danone-AQUA factory in Klaten regency. The solar power plant generates 2,919 kilowatts peak.

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Regional governments key to tackling climate change

The governance system is decentralized and requires the participation of the regional governments in the clean energy transition processes.

4 years ago

Pushed to limit: Work continues at Cipeundeuy, West Java on the construction of the Jakarta-Bandung high-speed rail network on Nov. 21, 2018. PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) had expected to complete the 142-kilometer project in 2021 but is now saying the train will be running by June 2023.

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Renegotiating train deal

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo said last week the railway would only enter operation by the end of June 2023, or four years later than the original schedule.

4 years ago

Green energy target: A worker inspects solar panels on top of the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry Electricity Directorate General’s office, in Jakarta, on Monday. The government is drafting a presidential regulation on renewable energy and energy conservation that will set a 23 percent renewable energy target for the country’s energy mix.

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Asia’s emissions-reduction plan for the world

By significantly shortening the life of coal-fired power plants, the energy transition mechanism will unlock new investments for sustainable and renewable energy.

4 years ago

People wait to be vaccindated against COVID-19 at Discovery vaccination site in Sandton, Johannesburg, on December 15, 2021. Two shots of Pfizer's Covid vaccine offers around 70 percent protection against severe disease from Omicron, according to results of a study published December 14, 2021 in South Africa.

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COVID-19 shows sustainable financing of WHO is needed to deliver health for all

Today, just 16 percent of WHO’s finances are provided by governments through their membership dues, with “no strings attached”.

4 years ago

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Nusantara as a smart, innovative and green city

The President envisions Nusantara as an innovation hub. It will be the focal point of improvements to the country’s economic development in health care, education and business.

4 years ago

Virtual or real?: A man wears a VR headset during the DCentral Miami conference at the Miami Airport Convention Center, in Miami, Florida, the United States, Dec. 1, 2021.

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Is Metaverse a new threat to higher education?

Higher education is humanity’s most valuable weapon against any kind of domination that technology could introduce to life.

4 years ago

A doodle from the archive of the artist FEWOCiOUS, due to be sold as an NFT at Christie's auction house, is pictured in this handout obtained on June 14, 2021.

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NFT bubble: How long will it last?

While the NFT business has seen a boom during the pandemic, players should realize that no bubble business is sustainable.

4 years ago

President Joko Widodo gives a speech at the World Leaders Summit on forests and land use at the United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, on Nov. 2, 2021.

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Pandemic and carbon tax regime to kick-start green economy

The carbon tax will raise the output price, particularly for energy-intensive products, which makes a detrimental impact on competitiveness, notably in worldwide commerce-exposed industries.

4 years ago

A computer-generated image of one possible plan for the new presidential palace in Nusantara, East Kalimantan.

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Jokowi’s successor may stall Nusantara city plan

It is not impossible that Jokowi will seize the opportunity of the constitutional amendment to extend his term of office to give him more time to see to the new capital’s development.

4 years ago

Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen gestures during a press conference at the Peace Palace in Phnom Penh on Sept. 17, 2021, as the country begins vaccinating children aged between six and 12.

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A human rights test for Hun Sen and ASEAN

While we cannot generalize with certainty specific countries’ situations, the overall picture is grim, and Southeast Asia is certainly not a torch bearer on the human rights front.

4 years ago

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‘Bersiap’: Ignoring Dutch colonialism

Former foreign minister Roeslan Abdulgani recalled that bersiap was preceded by weeks of British bombing during the holy month of Ramadhan in 1945.

4 years ago

Between neighbors: Cambodia’s Prime Minister Hun Sen (right) shakes hands with Myanmar military chief Min Aung Hlaing during a dinner in Naypyidaw on Jan. 7.

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The ‘normalization’ of the junta’s rule In Myanmar?

The visit of Hun Sen, and its outcomes, raised a lot of questions regarding the ability of ASEAN to stay united in trying to resolve the problem of Myanmar.

4 years ago

Winds of change: Rain clouds fill the sky above a wind farm inaugurated by President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo in Sidrap regency, South Sulawesi, on July 2, 2018. JP/Andi Hajramurni

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Indonesia can lead G20 in sustainable energy transition

Indonesia needs close to $20 billion of clean energy investments in its energy system every year from 2021 until 2030 to achieve deep decarbonization.

4 years ago

Show of solidarity: ASEAN leaders pose during the opening ceremony of the 34th summit of the regional grouping in Bangkok on June 23, 2019. During the summit the leaders approved the ASEAN Outlook on Indo-Pacific.

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ASEAN is poised for post-pandemic inclusive growth and prosperity – here’s why

ASEAN also recorded a decline in foreign direct investment (FDI) in 2020 to US$137 billion, down from its highest-ever inflow of US$182 billion in 2019 when it was the largest recipient of FDI in the developing world.

4 years ago

Women celebrate International Women's Day 2020 in Sarinah, Central Jakarta, on March 8 2020.

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Gender equality in Indonesia: The rising tide that lifts all boats

Women won a major victory with the passing of the Elimination of Domestic Violence Law in 2004. The backlash occurred very quickly with the passing of the Pornography Law in 2008, pushed by the Islamist parties.

4 years ago

Coal boom: Coal barges line up to be pulled along the Mahakam River in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, on Aug. 31, 2019.

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Meet coal, Indonesia’s natural resource curse 2.0

Lest we forget, two months earlier, Indonesia joined other countries in pledging to phase down the use of coal, the world's dirtiest fossil fuel, as part of a campaign to stem global warming.

4 years ago

Kazakhstan's ambassador to Indonesia Daniyar Sarekenov.

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We will build a new Kazakhstan

The income of the population should increase as the economy grows but, in the case of Kazakhstan, this seemingly immutable axiom did not work

4 years ago

Close marking: Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) investigators and police officers escort three people arrested in connection with a bribery case in Penajem Paser Utara regency in East Kalimantan to the interrogation room at the KPK building in South Jakarta on Jan. 13.

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Corruption perception index: Moving up or slipping down?

The government’s continuing efforts to make Indonesia more attractive to investments and be more business-friendly may not be enough to pump our corruption perception index back up.

4 years ago

United States Air Force F-15 fighter jets fly over Vierville-sur-Mer, northwestern France, on June 6, 2020, as part of D-Day commemorations marking the 76th anniversary of World War II Allied landings in Normandy.

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What’s behind Indonesia’s choice of F-15, Rafale and its implications

Indonesia’s shift to consider F-15EX and/or Dassault Rafale as potential candidates for its airpower modernization program indicates Jakarta’s pragmatic approach to defense modernization.

4 years ago

Extreme patience: COVID-19 patients are left waiting at the emergency unit of Cengkareng city-owned hospital in West Jakarta as hospital employees check bed availability on June 23, 2021.

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Give ‘second, reduce harm’ a chance in post-pandemic era

In one study, vaccination markedly reduced adverse outcomes, with non-ICU hospitalizations, ICU hospitalizations and deaths decreasing by between 63 percent, 66 percent and 69 percent, respectively, across the same time period.

4 years ago

A woman receives a booster dose of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine in Jakarta on January 12.

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Indonesia’s critical role in reforming global health system

Building global system resilience is a priority that must be taken into account in our attempt to reform the global health architecture.

4 years ago

Future currency?: A representation of virtual currency Bitcoin and US dollar banknotes are seen in front of a stock graph. Some central banks have warned about the significant speculative elements of bitcoin and other crypto assets.

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How Indonesia’s G20 presidency should cope with digital currencies

It is predicted that in the near future, more and more people will switch to cryptocurrency assets and make crypto currencies as popular as conventional currencies, such as the dollar and euro.

4 years ago

Mutual understanding: United States Secretary of State Antony Blinken (left) and Foreign Minister LP Retno Marsudi speak as they sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) on maritime cooperation at the Pancasila Building in Jakarta on Dec. 14, 2021.

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Indonesia’s diplomacy in 2021: Robust but down to earth

Competition between major powers is also not good for business, especially if they force countries to take sides in doing business.

4 years ago

Liberian President George Weah attends the 56th ordinary session of the Economic Community of West African States in Abuja on Dec. 21, 2019.

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Spirit of Bandung Conference lives on in RI-Liberia relationship

Liberia is considered one of Indonesia’s oldest relationships on the African continent. This is because Liberia was one of three Sub-Saharan African nations that attended the landmark 1955 Asia-Africa Conference in Bandung, West Java.

4 years ago

Desk ready: Students of SD 010 Batam Kota state elementary school in Batam, Riau Islands attend in-class learning on Jan. 10. The local authorities allow schools to welcome back all their students following low rates of COVID-19 cases.

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Why children's health assessment post-COVID-19 matters

Our efforts to contain the transmission of COVID-19 have resulted in a decrease in parental income, so the quantity and quality of food provided to children may have also declined.

4 years ago