4 d. ago Indonesia’s Bali subway plan stalls over investor concerns and feasibility

A US$20 billion plan to build an underground light rail in Indonesia’s Bali has stalled due to wary investors and concerns over land scarcity, throwing into question whether the island’s long-promised solution to solve its notorious traffic gridlock would ever get off the ground. More than a year after its ceremonial groundbreaking, the “Bali Urban Subway” remains in the feasibility-study phase. Officials once hailed the project as a game changer that would ease congestion and preserve the...

Economics

6 d. ago Will Indonesia’s plan to join Brics bank lead to heavier debt burden?

Indonesia’s plan to join the Brics-led New Development Bank (NDB) and fulfil a payment requirement for membership has spurred a debate on whether the move is feasible given the country’s strained finances to fund President Prabowo Subianto’s priority projects. Earlier this year, Prabowo announced that Indonesia was planning to join the NDB “to boost the national development transformation” after he met the bank’s chairwoman, Dilma Rousseff, in Jakarta. “The Indonesian government has decided to...

Economics

1 week ago Did Indonesia fall into ‘diplomatic trap’ over Trump’s Gaza peace plan?

Indonesia has backed US President Donald Trump’s controversial plan to end the war in Gaza, presenting it as a constructive step towards resolving the two-year conflict and easing humanitarian suffering in the besieged enclave. But the decision has stirred backlash at home, with analysts suggesting that Indonesia – long a vocal supporter of Palestinian statehood – may have stepped into a “diplomatic trap” that benefits Israeli and US interests more than those of Palestinians. “The government’s...

Politics

1 week ago Indonesian governor’s plan to shame ‘laziest’ staff on social media spurs debate

An Indonesian official is planning to shame the “laziest” civil servants in his province on social media in a bid to push them to improve their performance, with the move drawing praise from the public and criticism from several politicians. West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi intends to publish the details of underachievers on the provincial government’s social media accounts from next month, according to a Jakarta Globe report. He also plans to put out a monthly list of top-performing...

Politics

2 w. ago Indonesia’s grand capital plan gets a downgrade as Nusantara is redefined

Six years after Nusantara was unveiled as Indonesia’s future capital and a symbol of national transformation, President Prabowo Subianto has redefined its purpose, prompting debate over the fate of the megaproject and the legacy of his predecessor. Under a presidential regulation Prabowo signed in late June, but made public only in September, Nusantara has been reclassified as Indonesia’s “political capital” – a phrase absent from existing legislation. The regulation, which outlines development...

Politics

2 w. ago One account, many concerns: Indonesia’s social media plan sparks alarm

A proposal to restrict Indonesians to just one account per social media platform has drawn strong criticism from digital rights advocates, who warn the move could stifle dissent, endanger privacy and undermine civil liberties in the world’s third-largest democracy. Analysts say the plan reflects a growing appetite within Indonesia’s political elite for greater control over the digital sphere, especially ahead of a changing political guard and rising online activism among youth. The idea first...

Events

2 w. ago 1 account, many concerns: Indonesia’s social media plan sparks alarm

A proposal to restrict Indonesians to just one account per social media platform has drawn strong criticism from digital rights advocates, who warn the move could stifle dissent, endanger privacy and undermine civil liberties in the world’s third-largest democracy. Analysts say the plan reflects a growing appetite within Indonesia’s political elite for greater control over the digital sphere, especially ahead of a changing political guard and rising online activism among youth. The idea first...

Events