The appointment of KH Zulfa Mustofa as acting chairman of PBNU has been framed publicly as an administrative step to fill a leadership vacuum. In reality, it marks a decisive political shift inside Nahdlatul Ulama (NU)—a shift that reflects a deeper confrontation...
The public feud between a DPR member and Ferry Irwandi—triggered by a dismissive remark questioning Ferry’s Rp10 billion humanitarian contribution—may look like yet another political squabble in Jakarta’s crowded noise chamber. But the uproar it generated reveals...
The proposal in the House of Representatives for the Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs (Komdigi) to establish a special body to counter “misleading narratives” on social media may appear, at first glance, to be a pragmatic response to the flood of...
To this day, the Indonesian government still refuses aid from foreign countries despite growing concerns over the post-disaster condition in Sumatra. The National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) is said to have an adequate budget for emergency response, but...
Repeated natural disasters have always revealed two things at once: the fragility of our disaster-management institutions, and the eagerness of political figures to fill that vacuum. The latest example comes not from a minister or national agency, but from former West...
Latest data from the National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure (BNPB) showed that the death toll from recent floods and landslides in Sumatra rose to 836 as of December 5, 2025 at 10.54 Jakarta local time. Some areas are still isolated due to the damaged...
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...
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...
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...
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...
