Now, this nexus of politics and business enters a new arena: the 1.4 GHz spectrum auction. Earlier this week, the Ministry of Communication and Digital announced that only three bidders remain—Telkom, Eka Mas Republik (MyRepublic), and WIFI. What is at stake is not merely bandwidth for wireless broadband, but control of a national resource that will shape Indonesia’s digital economy for the next decade.

Bacteria and viruses found in MBG meals, the biggest disruption in this regime, are said to be the culprits behind the mass food poisoning that affected thousands of children over the past nine months. Head of BGN, Dadan Hindayana, blamed it on SPPG kitchen staff who failed to comply with the standard operating procedure. However, as many experts and observers suggested, kitchen negligence is not the only problem here.

The collapse of a deal between VIVO and APR (BP-AKRA partnership) illustrates the tension in Indonesia’s downstream oil market. Pertamina’s base fuel contained 3.5 percent ethanol—within regulatory limits but below private standards. Accepting it would have meant risking margins and consumer trust; rejecting it triggered accusations of being uncooperative. Either way, Pertamina sets the terms, not the market.

Ministry of defence has on Wednesday (Oct 1) handed over 17.4 million pills to ministry of cooperatives for their nationwide distribution through the so-called KDMP (Red-and-White Village Cooperative). These pills, including multivitamin, were produced by pharmaceutical arms of Indonesian military (Army, Navy, and Air Force).

Indonesia reported trade surplus of US$5.49 billion in August 2025, the highest in more than one year, helping to ease pressure on rupiah. The bigger surplus was attributable to 5.78% growth in export, while import dropped 6.56% year-on-year. 

BUMA International Group (DOID), previously Delta Dunia, claimed significant improvement in the second quarter of 2025 with US$50 million of EBITDA, more than three times those generated in the first quarter. BUMA also claimed positive cash flow of US$24 million in the second quarter against negative of US$19 million in the first.

Rosan P Roeslani, CEO of sovereign wealth fund Danantara and minister of investment, claimed that Freeport McMoRan (FCX) has agreed to divest 12% shares in PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI), the world’s largest copper and gold mine, to Indonesia free of charge. Really?

The case of nickel mining in North Maluku’s small island of Gebe exposes a troubling paradox at the heart of Indonesia’s resource governance. At the center of the controversy stands PT Karya Wijaya, a nickel company that has been granted mining permits over more than 1,100 hectares of land in Central Halmahera. Reports from local media and civil society allege that the company is linked to none other than the province’s sitting governor, Sherly Tjoanda, who is said to hold a controlling stake.

The latest national survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia, conducted on September 3–9, 2025, reveals a striking paradox in the Prabowo-Gibran administration. While public satisfaction with both President Prabowo Subianto (58.9 percent) and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (51.2 percent) remains relatively high, Indonesians are overwhelmingly critical of the country’s economic, political, and legal conditions.

Shares of PT Sejahteraraya Anugrahjaya Tbk (SRAJ), operator of Mayapada Hospital, ended flat at Rp10,625 Tuesday (Sep 30) when the company announced the audited financial report for the first half of 2025, where it posted net loss of Rp65.6 billion against profit of Rp9.7 billion in the corresponding period last year.