Luhut Binsar Panjaitan’s recent political maneuvers reflect a man trying—carefully, even gracefully—to avoid open confrontation. His meeting with President Prabowo Subianto as Chairman of the National Energy Council (DEN), followed by a long essay defending the industrial ecosystem of Morowali and IMIP, revealed a statesman attempting to lower the temperature at a time when political frictions inside the administration are rising. His tone was uncharacteristically subdued, almost academic. Despite Luhut’s efforts at restraint, a collision with Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin is becoming increasingly difficult to avoid.

PT Toba Pulp Lestari (INRU) Tbk has been at the heart of a lot of accusations related to the landslide in North Sumatra province. Before the landslide, North Sumatra governor Bobby Nasution already agreed with some community leaders to recommend the closure of Toba Pulp’s operations. 

Indonesia is currently facing a shortage of specialist doctors, with an estimated deficit of around 70,000, while there are only 2,700 up to 3,000 new specialist doctors per year and cases of degenerative diseases are increasing. As part of the effort to address this issue, the Ministry of Health launched a hospital-based residency program, which was instead met with growing apprehension from medical professors.

As of today (02/12), based on the latest data from BNPB’s official website, the death toll in the Sumatra disasters has reached 604, while there are 464 people missing, 2,600 injured, and a total of more than 1.5 million affected. Thousands of houses, schools, and major infrastructure have also been severely damaged. This number is expected to continue to rise considering that several areas are still isolated and the authorities are relatively slow to respond.

The Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) has been developing a content moderation system called SAMAN, designed to monitor user-generated content platforms, such as TikTok, X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. With the rampant spread of illegal content online, SAMAN can be a great tool for ensuring a safe cyberspace for many people. It becomes a problem, however, when the system is accompanied by vague provisions that could potentially harm freedom of expression.

Indonesia’s largest Muslim organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), is facing one of the most disruptive leadership crises in its modern history. The contested “dismissal” of Chairman Yahya Cholil Staquf by the Syuriyah Council has ignited a national debate—not only about internal governance, but about whether Indonesia’s political elite now views civil society, including religious organizations, as strategic assets to be influenced, reshaped, or quietly absorbed.

The sudden spotlight cast by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin on the private airport operated by the Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP), the largest nickel processing center in the country, may look, on the surface, like a routine intervention about aviation safety and state authority.

President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to rehabilitate three former ASDP directors—after their corruption convictions had already become final—is not merely a legal anomaly. It is a political warning shot. Indonesia is sliding toward a system where judicial verdicts matter less than presidential mood, where the courtroom is secondary to the palace, and where the rule of law bends each time the President feels the heat of public pressure or elite discomfort.

The 212 Alumni Group (PA 212), a hardline Islamist coalition that traces its political birth to the massive anti-Ahok demonstration of Dec. 2, 2016, will once again stage a “Reuni Akbar 212” at the National Monument (Monas) on Dec. 2, 2025. The movement is attempting to reclaim relevance under a political landscape that has profoundly shifted. This year’s gathering, however, carries a different kind of political charge: for the first time, the organizers have formally invited President Prabowo Subianto.

Three meetings in five days between President Prabowo Subianto and Deputy House Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad are not “coordination.” They are consolidation. And consolidation does not happen when things are going well — it happens when pressure is building.