Behind the Polri SPPG
Recently, Indonesian social media has been abuzz with discussions about the implementation of President Prabowo’s free ‘nutritious’ meal (MBG) by the Indonesian National Police (Polri), which has established more than 400 operational SPPG (central kitchen) units across the country. A significant number of these units are managed by Yayasan Kemala Bhayangkari, an organization representing the wives of police officers. Given its close ties to the state apparatus, this arrangement has inevitably sparked concerns over potential conflicts of interest and accountability.
High approval & public discontent
A recent survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia finds that 79.9 percent of Indonesians approve of President Prabowo Subianto’s performance. At first glance, this suggests strong public support. Over the past year, however, the country has witnessed nationwide protests, heated fiscal debates, and growing unease among the urban middle class. This contradiction raises a pressing question: if approval ratings remain high, why does public discontent feel so visible?
When cooperatives meet the barracks
The Red and White Cooperative, is increasingly shaped by an unusual actor: the military. What began as a state-driven effort to accelerate rural logistics and food distribution has now openly enlisted the Indonesian Military (TNI), including its territorial apparatus, to help establish cooperatives across villages. The justification is efficiency. The consequence, however, may be far more political.
When student leaders become targets
The latest intimidation reported against the chairman of the Student Executive Board (BEM) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) should alarm anyone who still believes universities are the last bastion of free expression in Indonesia. According to media reports, the student leader received threats after speaking out about the tragic suicide of a child in East Nusa Tenggara, an issue he framed as a failure of the state to protect basic rights.
Shelter Crisis Before Ramadan
Nearly three months after the disaster in North Sumatra, West Sumatra, and Aceh, thousands of survivors remain stranded in emergency tents. They are expected to vacate these shelters before the holy month of Ramadan begins, yet the government’s promised temporary housing (huntara) is still not ready. This leaves survivors trapped in an impossible position where they are told to leave, but having nowhere to go.
Trapped in a never-ending cycle
Recent data from the Central Bureau of Statistics (BPS) shows that Indonesia’s workforce increased by 1.2 million people in November 2025 compared to August 2025, yet it remains dominated by workers who have only completed elementary school or less. Not only does this expose an unequal access to education in the country, but also a systemic failure that reproduces low skills, traps workers in low-productivity sectors, and sustains a cycle of low wages and chronic economic vulnerability.
Prabowo’s farmland decree and the coming policy collision
President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to expand protected rice fields across almost the entire country may sound like a long-overdue correction to Indonesia’s shrinking agricultural base. But behind the promise of food security lies a looming collision of state priorities that the government has yet to reconcile.
Gerindra’s friction for Prabowo’s vice presidency
The race for Indonesia’s 2029 presidential election has not officially begun, but early signs of tension are already visible inside President Prabowo Subianto’s own political house. While the ruling coalition appears united behind the idea of a second Prabowo term, the real battle is quietly shifting to the vice presidency. And this time, the friction may come not only from coalition partners, but from within Gerindra itself.
Public reaction to plans for the Umat Tower
In politics, timing is everything. After initially urging the government to withdraw from the Board of Peace, major Islamic institutions in Indonesia ultimately endorsed the decision to join. Days later, Prabowo Subianto unveiled plans to build a 40-story tower for MUI and other Islamic institutions in the HI Roundabout area. To the public, this sequence feels far too convenient to be mere coincidence. Instead, it is widely read as a symbolic exchange of power.
A skyscraper for faith, or a tower of political control?
President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to build a 40-story headquarters for Islamic institutions in the heart of Jakarta is being framed as a grand gesture of respect for the country’s Muslim majority. Placing the building near the iconic Hotel Indonesia roundabout, one of the capital’s most prestigious locations, is meant to signal that religious institutions deserve a central place in the national narrative.