Internet quota lawsuits
Over the past two months, several lawsuits have been filed with the Constitutional Court (MK) challenging the practice of expiring prepaid internet quotas, on the grounds that it violates consumer rights. Paid internet data is the property of consumers, and the state has a constitutional obligation to protect it. At the same time, the government must formulate proportional policies that safeguard consumers without having to impose unwarranted burdens on internet operators.
Manipulated stocks: Those being investigated
Police detectives (Bareskrim) have named two suspects in insider trading implicating PT Narada Asset Management. In a related development, police investigators also searched the office of PT Shinhan Sekuritas.
Digital healthcare needs more than technology
Indonesia’s push to integrate artificial intelligence into healthcare is often framed as a story of progress: efficiency gains, better diagnostics, and improved patient outcomes. The recent collaboration between IDCloudHost and Edelweiss Healthcare Group to build AI infrastructure for hospital systems fits neatly into this narrative. On the surface, it looks like a promising example of domestic digital capability supporting a critical public service.
When criticism is punished, democracy quietly retreats
The controversy surrounding a job vacancy at Indonesia’s Ministry of Communication and Digital Affairs should have been an ordinary episode of bureaucratic correction. Instead, it has become an unsettling case study of how the state reacts when citizens scrutinize public policy in the digital age.
Persistently undervalued BNI: Why?
Shares of state bank BNI (BBNI) ended higher by 2% to Rp4,590 yesterday (Feb 3) when the company announced full year 2025 results, where its net profit declined by 6.6% to Rp20.04 trillion.
Rupiah, forex reserves & trade surplus (2)
Indonesia reported trade surplus of US$41.05 billion last year, increased by US$9.72 billion from 2024, but why Indonesia’s forex reserves inched up only by 0.2% in the past 12 months? Why Indonesia’s forex reserves ratio to GDP is substantially smaller than Vietnam and even the Philippines?
Rupiah, forex reserves & trade surplus (1)
Finance minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa indirectly blamed Bank Indonesia (the central bank) for the depreciation of rupiah against US dollars while regional peers mostly gained grounds. Purbaya said rupiah should have appreciated because of net capital inflow since October 2025, weeks after he was appointed minister to replace Sri Mulyani Indrawati. Seriously?
When reform rhetoric masks a rent-seeking machine
The corruption trial surrounding the procurement of Chromebook laptops at Indonesia’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Research and Technology has stripped away the language of reform and exposed something far more familiar: a sprawling rent-seeking network operating behind the banner of digital transformation.
Warnings from coal miners
Gold, silver, and copper regained grounds in Asian trading this morning, but thermal coal retreated 1.3% from its recent peak. Newcastle thermal coal has gained 10% since third week of December when Indonesian government announced its plan to significantly cut production, but reflecting 0.3% gain year-on-year.
Blurred lines in Himbara accountability
If the boards of state-owned banks grouped under Himbara are indeed believed to have harmed the state, the first question should not be who must be replaced, but who is speaking and why. When the allegation is voiced not by the minister responsible for state-owned enterprises, nor by the head of the state asset holding agency, but by Defense Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, Indonesia risks confusing power with process and authority with accountability.