Double down on MBG: Subsidized housing for SPPG employees
Following the controversy over the electric motorcycle procurement, reports surfaced that the Ministry of Housing and Settlement (PKP) planned to allocate a quota of 1,000 subsidized housing units for SPPG employees, specifically SPPI graduates. Although both BGN and BP Tapera have denied this, given the chaotic coordination between government agencies, it is not impossible that this “rumor” could eventually evolve into a concrete plan.
From assistant to observer: When AI starts watching your screen
When OpenAI quietly introduced its new “Chronicle” feature inside Codex, the headline sounded deceptively simple: an AI that can “see” your screen to better assist you. But beneath that promise lies a far more consequential shift—one that could redefine the relationship between humans and machines.
Waskita yet to see the light
Waskita Karya (WSKT), the troubled state EPC firm, booked net loss of Rp678 billion in the first quarter of 2026. It fell 45.5% from the corresponding period last year, but mostly due to non-cash gain from debt restructuring of Rp411 billion.
Rupiah undervalued?
Rupiah opened lower at Rp17,220 this morning even after Bank Indonesia declared the currency is undervalued, which prompted the central bank to splash billions of US dollars of the country’s foreign exchange reserves in recent months to defend rupiah.
Layoffs in 2026
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia (GIAA) dismissed 128 workers in the first three months of the year after letting go 309 people last year. Waskita Beton Precast (WSBP) was more aggressive, cutting 25% of its workforce in the first quarter alone.
Garuda ‘improved’ in Q1, but still in red
Flag carrier Garuda Indonesia (GIAA) booked net loss of US$46.48 million in the first quarter of 2026, dropped by 39% from the corresponding period last year. Full impact of higher aviation fuel price and disruption of tourism industry, however, will only be seen in the second quarter onwards.
Supply chain disruption for petrochemicals
PT Lotte Chemical Indonesia (LCI), which operates the second largest petrochemical centre in the country, has secured a naphtha supply from Malaysia to ensure the continuity of production amid disruption of global supply chain due to conflicts in the Middle East.
A missing link in the Chromebook case
In the latest hearing in the Chromebook case, held on Monday (20/04), three Google executives testified as defense witnesses for Nadiem Makarim, the former Minister of Education. They denied any connection between Google’s investment in GoTo and discussions with the Ministry of Education and Culture regarding Chromebooks. While the case continues to unfold, one crucial link remains missing: Jurist Tan, who is still on the run.
Electric dreams, taxed reality
Electric vehicle (EV) push is beginning to look like a policy contradiction. At the very moment the government reiterates its ambition to accelerate the energy transition, it is quietly allowing a key incentive to erode. With the issuance of a new regulation through the Ministry of Home Affairs, regional governments are no longer bound to keep EV taxes at zero. Instead, they are given discretion to impose or reduce levies such as vehicle ownership tax (PKB) and transfer fees (BBNKB).
Data highway or digital toll road?
Indonesia is racing to build its digital future—but beneath the rhetoric of artificial intelligence and smart governance lies a more fundamental question: who will control the infrastructure that powers it? As the country embraces real-time data systems and platforms offered by companies like Confluent, the vision of a “data highway” risks quietly morphing into something else entirely—a digital toll road.