The arrest of Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel “Noel” Ebenezer in a graft sting by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) marks more than just a personal scandal. It is a political earthquake that reverberates through the early days of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration. For Prabowo, this moment is both a crisis and an opportunity: a chance to prove that his government will not repeat the transactional politics that became the hallmark of his predecessor, Joko Widodo. 

In the 2026 Draft State Revenue and Expenditure Budget (RAPBN), free nutritious meal (MBG) program is one of the priorities with almost 100% of budget increase from 2025, amounting to more than Rp 300 trillion. People are now questioning the necessity of this plan considering that there have been several problems and complaints regarding the program.

Minister of Villages, Development of Disadvantaged Regions and Transmigration Yandri Susanto has officially issued Ministerial Decree No. 10 of 2025 concerning the approval mechanism for village cooperative financing on August 12. It is stated that 30% of the village...

Ino Samsul: From DPR to the Constitutional Court In August 2025, DPR nominated him as the sole candidate to replace Justice Arief Hidayat at the Constitutional Court (MK), who will retire in 2026. Inosentius Samsul was born in Pembe, East Manggarai, East Nusa...

Amidst the suffocating land and building tax that causes misery to the people, members of the House of Representatives (DPR) get to enjoy all sorts of allowances provided to them. In addition to the increased rice and fuel allowances, they are now also given housing allowance worth Rp 50 million per person, which in turn aggravates the public even more. This doesn’t seem fair, by all accounts.

President Prabowo Subianto revealed major plans in the education sector in the annual session of the People’s Consultative Assembly last Friday (15/08), from building more People’s Schools and Garuda Schools to providing Smart TV as a learning device. As always, it received mixed reactions from the public who were partly appreciative, partly skeptical.

When 100,000 to 150,000 residents of Pati, Central Java province, filled the streets on August 13, 2025, calling for Regent Sudewo’s resignation, it looked like the perfect storm for a political reckoning. In many democracies, a leader facing that scale of opposition—after a viral public confrontation and a botched policy rollout—would be in immediate danger of losing office. Yet, in Pati, the political machinery remains conspicuously still.

President Prabowo Subianto plans to evacuate 2,000 wounded Gazans to Galang Island, where they will be provided medical treatment and temporary shelter. While the Indonesian government is waiting for approval from the Palestinian and other Middle East countries’ authorities, the public is torn between supporting the humanitarian cause and criticizing what seems to be a misplaced priority.

Over the weekend, President Prabowo Subianto inaugurated six new Regional Military Commands (Kodam) along with dozens of new territorial and operational units. The ceremony in Batujajar, West Bandung, was filled with berets, polished boots, and generals adorned with stars—reminding us that, in Indonesia, prestige is still measured by military rank.

The ongoing corruption investigation into Indonesia’s 2024 hajj quota has taken a sharp political turn. The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recently summoned Yaqut Cholil Qoumas, Religious Affairs Minister from 2020 to 2024, for questioning. The case is not only significant because of his former ministerial role, but also because he is the younger brother of KH Yahya Cholil Staquf, the current chairman of Nahdlatul Ulama’s Central Board (PBNU)—the country’s largest Muslim organization.