A case dismissed—but a question unresolved
The Constitutional Court (MK) recently declared a judicial review of the Police Law inadmissible, the ruling seemed, at first glance, procedural. The petition, which challenged the absence of a fixed term for the National Police chief, was rejected not on substance but on form—deemed legally “unclear” or obscuur.
The Hery Susanto Case
Hery Susanto was inaugurated as Chairman of the Ombudsman RI for the 2026-2031 term on April 10, 2026. Barely six days into his tenure, he was named a suspect and detained by the Attorney General’s Office over alleged bribery and corruption tied to the governance of nickel mining operations in Southeast Sulawesi. For lack of a better word, his career aged like milk. But how did he pass the selection process in the first place?
Outsourced regulation, imported crisis
The Rp755 billion fine imposed by Komisi Pengawas Persaingan Usaha (KPPU) on 97 peer-to-peer lending platforms has triggered predictable outrage. Industry players argue the decision misreads the nature of fintech lending. Lawmakers hint the ruling could still be overturned. Economists warn of investor flight.
Decentralizing truth: When data becomes power in villages
Lawmakers are once again attempting to fix a chronic governance problem: unreliable data. Through the proposed Satu Data Indonesia Bill (RUU SDI), the House of Representatives—particularly the Badan Legislasi DPR(Baleg)—seeks to elevate villages from passive data objects into active data producers, managers and even interpreters.
Fuel shortage or market engineering?
Recent findings by the Komisi Pengawas Persaingan Usaha (KPPU) suggest a more troubling possibility: what if scarcity is not merely an accident of the market, but a byproduct of how the market itself is designed?
Expanding protection, or diluting justice?
Government’s revision of the Law on the Protection of Witnesses and Victims (RUU PSdK) promises a long-overdue shift in the country’s criminal justice system. By expanding protection beyond witnesses and victims to include whistleblowers, experts and other parties involved in legal proceedings, lawmakers claim to be strengthening justice. But, does broader protection necessarily mean better justice?
When the Hajj becomes a competition
Thousands of people rush to access an online ticketing portal at the same time, hoping to secure a seat at their favorite artist’s upcoming concert. This is the familiar scene of a so-called “ticket war”; a cut-throat competition where speed determines success. So when the Ministry of Hajj and Umrah floated the idea of a similar “ticket war” to shorten the ever-growing Hajj queue, one can’t help but wonder. What would the mechanism look like? And would it truly solve the existing problem?
Fiscal squeeze or a new corruption model?
The corruption case surrounding Tulungagung Regent Gatut Sunu Wibowo raises a deeper question than individual wrongdoing. Is this scandal a symptom of tightening fiscal space in regional governments? Or does it signal something more troubling — the emergence of a new model of corruption in Indonesia’s decentralized system?
Fuel, power and timing
For over a decade, the shadow of Pertamina Energy Trading Limited has loomed over Indonesia’s oil imports—whispered about in audits, debated in Parliament, and quietly buried in reform narratives. The decision by the Attorney General’s Office to finally name Riza Chalid as a suspect should be read not only as a legal milestone, but as a political signal shaped by today’s energy realities.
Concrete, contracts and silence
Jakarta High Prosecutor’s Office entered the offices of the Ministry of Public Works and Housing this week, they were not just searching for documents. For over a decade, infrastructure has been the crown jewel of development policy under Joko Widodo. Toll roads, dams, irrigation systems, and urban infrastructure projects have reshaped the country’s physical landscape. But behind the concrete and ribbon cuttings lies a more uncomfortable question: who really benefits from Indonesia’s infrastructure boom?