Satgas PKH’s new ‘acquisitions’
President Prabowo’s Forest Area Enforcement Task Force (Satgas PKH) has recently seized nearly one thousand of hectares from two plantation companies, one controlled by SGX-listed Wilmar International Ltd and the other was previously owned by Malaysia’s Sime Darby Plantation but now linked to one of Indonesian conglomerates, and one coal mining firm.
The Coordinated Fight Back for Nicko Widjaja
The public battle surrounding former venture capital executive Nicko Widjaja is no longer centered inside a courtroom. It has evolved into something far larger: a coordinated narrative war across Indonesia’s startup ecosystem.
Safety or surveillance
The Ministry of Communication and Digital (Komdigi) plans to require users to provide mobile phone numbers when creating social media accounts. The objective is clear: to strengthen identity verification and enhance accountability for the content users share online. Yet the implications may extend far beyond its stated goals.
The ghosts behind Kalimantan’s bauxite permits
The arrest of businessman Sudianto alias Aseng, the beneficial owner of PT Quality Sukses Sejahtera (QSS), is not merely another mining corruption case. It exposes a deeper problem that Indonesia has never fully solved: the political economy of regional mining permits.
The end of anonymous?
Government says it wants social media users to become more “accountable.” The latest proposal from the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs would require social media accounts to be linked to phone numbers and eventually verified digital identities. Officials argue that anonymity enables online gambling, fraud, deepfakes, hoaxes and cybercrime.
NTT Docomo fined by KPPU
Business Competition Supervisory Comission (KPPU) has recently fined NTT Docomo Rp2 billion for delaying notification of its acquisition of Intage Holdings. The verdict was read out during the hearing of case No. 16/KPPU-M/2025 last week.
Redemption, privilege and the Sambo theology debate
The revelation that former police general Ferdy Sambo is pursuing a Master’s degree in theology from prison has reopened an uncomfortable debate. Where exactly is the line between rehabilitation and privilege?
Banning tribal warfare, misreading Papua
The government’s latest push to ban tribal warfare in Papua Pegunungan may sound, at first glance, like a reasonable attempt to stop violence. No modern state can simply tolerate recurring armed clashes that leave civilians dead, schools abandoned and communities displaced.
Soldiers vs movie (2)
“We did not ban the screening of Pesta Babi.” That statement from Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendrawas intended to calm public controversy surrounding the documentary film. Instead, it exposed a deeper and increasingly visible problem inside democracy: the widening disconnect between official democratic rhetoric and the reality experienced by citizens on the ground.
Selective compliance in digital regulation
As the government pushes platforms to improve protections for minors online, social media companies have largely moved toward compliance. E-commerce platforms, however, are asking for negotiation, flexibility and gradual implementation. On the surface, such requests may appear reasonable given the technical and operational complexities involved. But politically and legally, the situation raises a deeper concern: will the government apply the same standards to all digital industries, or will economic power determine how regulations are enforced?