Prabowo’s farmland decree and the coming policy collision
President Prabowo Subianto’s decision to expand protected rice fields across almost the entire country may sound like a long-overdue correction to Indonesia’s shrinking agricultural base. But behind the promise of food security lies a looming collision of state priorities that the government has yet to reconcile.
Gerindra’s friction for Prabowo’s vice presidency
The race for Indonesia’s 2029 presidential election has not officially begun, but early signs of tension are already visible inside President Prabowo Subianto’s own political house. While the ruling coalition appears united behind the idea of a second Prabowo term, the real battle is quietly shifting to the vice presidency. And this time, the friction may come not only from coalition partners, but from within Gerindra itself.
Public reaction to plans for the Umat Tower
In politics, timing is everything. After initially urging the government to withdraw from the Board of Peace, major Islamic institutions in Indonesia ultimately endorsed the decision to join. Days later, Prabowo Subianto unveiled plans to build a 40-story tower for MUI and other Islamic institutions in the HI Roundabout area. To the public, this sequence feels far too convenient to be mere coincidence. Instead, it is widely read as a symbolic exchange of power.
A skyscraper for faith, or a tower of political control?
President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to build a 40-story headquarters for Islamic institutions in the heart of Jakarta is being framed as a grand gesture of respect for the country’s Muslim majority. Placing the building near the iconic Hotel Indonesia roundabout, one of the capital’s most prestigious locations, is meant to signal that religious institutions deserve a central place in the national narrative.
When social programs wear uniforms
President Prabowo Subianto’s recent address at the TNI–Polri leadership meeting sent a clear political message: the military and police are expected to become the front line of the government’s flagship programs, from the Free Nutritious Meals initiative to the Merah Putih cooperatives and the proposed Sekolah Rakyat. On paper, this sounds like a call for national unity. In practice, it raises a far more uncomfortable question: Why are social programs increasingly placed in the hands of uniformed institutions?
Vice-presidential race is quietly taking shape
Indonesia is only a short time into the Prabowo Subianto–Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration, but early signals for the 2029 election are already emerging. The latest survey from Indikator Politik Indonesia (IPI) not only shows a high approval rating for President Prabowo, but also hints at a growing pool of figures being discussed as potential vice-presidential candidates. These names, drawn from technocrats, ministers and regional leaders, suggest that the next vice president may come from a different political mold.
Prasasti: Blurred lines between research and lobbying
Like many think tanks, Prasasti presents itself as an independent institution committed to data-driven analysis and objective policy recommendations. In practice, however, it also acts as a bridge between corporations and the government–a role that, by design, places Prasasti in a grey zone, where policy facilitation could easily turn into lobbying. This blurs the boundary between public-interest research and private-interest advocacy.
Parliamentary threshold: An insiders’ shield against outsiders
As Indonesia prepares to revise its Election Law, the parliamentary threshold has returned as one of the most divisive issues in the political arena. But beyond the technical language of electoral design, the debate is exposing a deeper conflict: a struggle between political insiders who benefit from the current system and outsiders who are trying to break in.
Popularity is not performance
The latest survey by Indikator Politik Indonesia shows President Prabowo Subianto enjoying a strikingly high approval rating of 79.9 percent. On paper, that number looks like a political landslide. In reality, it may tell us less about government performance than about the structure of Indonesian politics today.
Universal healthcare under pressure
Many beneficiaries of Indonesia’s health insurance contribution assistance scheme (PBI Jaminan Kesehatan) found their coverage abruptly deactivated without prior notice. Now they are forced to navigate a time-consuming re-registration process, even when they need immediate access to a medical treatment. BPJS Kesehatan (operator of the universal healthcare) attributes this issue to an update of the National Socioeconomic Single Data (DTSEN). But in a broader sense, it reflects the impact of shifting government priorities that quietly sacrifices non-priority programs in the name of fiscal reallocation.