When Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) described West Java’s Kertajati International Airport as “big, beautiful, and grand—but in the middle of nowhere,” it immediately sparked public attention. To many, it sounded like a blunt critique of one of the most ambitious...
Indonesia is currently in the process of negotiation and bidding for land acquisition for the promised Hajj Village (“Kampung Haji”) in Makkah, Saudi Arabia. This project aims to reduce the soaring cost of Hajj and to shorten the long queue, with the hope of starting...
Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa’s seemingly harmless remark—“President Jokowi is a bit right”—about the Jakarta–Bandung high-speed train (WHOOSH) may, in fact, be part of a larger political choreography. Behind his modest tone lies a deeper realignment of power...
When the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) announced that creators of positive viral content about the Makan Bergizi Gratis (Free Nutritious Meal) program could earn Rp 5 million, it might have sounded like an innovative communication strategy. In reality, however, it...
When Hasan Nasbi, the former head of the Presidential Communication Office (PCO) who was reshuffled only a few months ago by President Prabowo Subianto, publicly criticized Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa for being “too self-righteous,” the remark at first...
When Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa replaced Sri Mulyani Indrawati as Finance Minister in September, few predicted he would so quickly dominate the political conversation. Within weeks, the once-reserved technocrat began delivering bold, almost combative public...
When President Prabowo Subianto declared that Portuguese should be taught in schools, the announcement came draped in diplomatic symbolism. Delivered during the state visit of Brazilian President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva at the Merdeka Palace, it was a flourish...
Thousands upon thousands of people joked about getting ready for jail, following recent news that Golkar’s youth wings reported at least 30 social media accounts to the Police, accusing them of defamation. These accounts were deemed to have insulted Minister of Energy...
One year after President Prabowo Subianto took office, Indonesia finds itself walking a fine line between firmness and fear. What began as a promise of “strong leadership” has gradually evolved into a system of managed obedience — where dissent is criminalized,...
Deputy TNI chief General Tandyo Budi Revita has increasingly shown us that he is the de facto military commander because of his more visibility than commander General Agus Subiyanto, known for close ties to the previous president Jokowi. Agus, under the previous...
