Agrinas Palma, a giant in the making?
By late 2025, state-owned company PT Agrinas Palma Nusantara (APN) controlled 1.7 million hectares of area, including forest areas seized by Satgas PKH, a task force established by Prabowo administration. Big portion of the areas will be developed into palm oil plantation by cooperatives.
Revisiting Danantara Sumberdaya (DSI)
Starting January 1st, 2027, all export of coal, palm oil and ferro alloy, will go through PT Danantara Sumberdaya Indonesia (DSI). Recently, however, Danantara leaders said DSI is not a trading company. Then, what is it?
One Data, One State? The Risks of Digital Centralization
Indonesia’s proposed One Data Bill is being presented as a long-overdue solution to a familiar problem: fragmented government databases. Ministries often produce conflicting figures on poverty, education, agriculture, and social assistance, undermining policy effectiveness and wasting public resources. Few would dispute that better data governance is urgently needed.
Trust before expansion
The announcement by National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo that the National Police (Polri) aims to build 1,500 Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) by the end of 2026 was intended as a message of commitment. According to the plan, the kitchens will support the government’s flagship Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program, serve millions of beneficiaries and create tens of thousands of jobs.
Hashim Effect
So, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, brother of President Prabowo Subianto, has officially been appointed chairman of ICT infrastructure company Solusi Sinergi Digital (WIFI). The shares ended slightly lower by 0.31% to Rp1,600 on Wednesday (Jul 1) to make a market cap of Rp8.5 trillion.
Going downhill (2)
Rupiah opened lower at Rp18,026 per USD this morning on more depressing news. Indonesia dropped significantly in the World Competitiveness Ranking 2026 to 48th out of 70 countries, below the Philippines (47), Vietnam (27), and Malaysia (15). The country’s manufacturing PMI for June, meanwhile, fell to 46.9, the deepest contraction year-to-date.
Lackluster tourism growth
Indonesia welcomed 1.38 million foreign tourists in May, an increase of 10.7% from the previous month, but 5.83% growth only year-on-year. Vietnam, in the meantime, welcomed 1.78 million tourists in the same month with 17% growth year-on-year.
Indonesia turns to trade deficit
For the first time in many years, Indonesia recorded trade deficit of US$1.61 billion in May 2026 due to 5.7% decline in export, while import surged by 22.2%. That doesn’t help in the context of rupiah, which has been under pressure for several months now.
The Nadiem verdict and the dangerous precedent for public policy
On Tuesday, Corruption Court handed former education minister Nadiem Makarim a 10-year prison sentence over the procurement of Chromebook laptops during the pandemic. The ruling immediately became one of the most consequential corruption verdicts in recent years—not only because it involved one of Indonesia’s most recognizable technology entrepreneurs, but because of the legal principles the court chose to establish.
The Controversy of Cybersecurity Draft Bill
The latest Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Bill (RUU KKS) has reignited a familiar dilemma: how can the state strengthen its cyber defenses without expanding its power to monitor citizens? The controversy is not about whether Indonesia needs a cybersecurity law. It unquestionably does. The real debate is whether several provisions in the bill grant authorities broad surveillance powers without providing equally robust safeguards against abuse.