Amid Indonesia’s conservative turn, the moral panics of the 2010s and the introduction of the draconian Criminal Code in 2022, LGBTQI+ people are as vulnerable as at any time in the country’s modern history.
Commentary
“When you see the problems, you run to the problems, you face the problems, you overcome the problems.”
In mid-February 2025, a song titled Bayar, Bayar, Bayar (Pay, Pay, Pay) by post-punk band Sukatani sparked a nationwide call for greater freedom of expression under President Prabowo’s increasingly authoritarian administration.
The establishment of Danantara, Indonesia’s new sovereign wealth fund (SWF), has sparked both optimism and scepticism. Modelled after successful SWFs like Singapore’s Temasek and Malaysia’s Khazanah, Danantara is expected to optimise the management of state-owned assets, drive economic growth, and enhance national welfare.
The students list a number of demands, from human rights to environmental issues, but the trigger for these protests lie in deep budgetary cuts initiated across the public service, to the tune of US$44 billion. The worst ministries and agencies — including the Ministry for Manpower and the Ministry for Public Works — have proposed cuts of up to 55%. The National Consumer Protection Agency is being cut a whopping 73%. Meanwhile, the National Police, the Ministry of Defence and the Supreme Court are seeing cuts of around 15-16%.
The idea of creating a ‘superholding’ of state-owned enterprises (SOEs) – promoted during his presidential campaign by Prabowo Subianto – is now becoming a reality.
The COVID-19 pandemic affected people and the economy in unprecedented ways. Mobility restrictions and the resulting economic slowdown dramatically increased unemployment rates and dragged millions of households below the poverty line.
Today I announce the appointment of Ms Lydia Santoso as Chair of the Australia-Indonesia Institute.
The AIC’s Indonesia director Kevin Evans examines the pros and cons of presidential and parliamentary systems. This follows comments last year by President Prabowo Subianto that governance of the country should return to some form of parliamentary system.
In this 5000-word analysis, Evans answers how best to structure the roles of head of state and head of government, and whether there should be separate positions of president and prime minister.
In his inaugural speech on 20 October 2024, President Prabowo Subianto stressed that Indonesia’s democracy must be ‘uniquely Indonesian’, rooted in the country’s history and culture.
In discussions about Indonesian diaspora, they are often seen as ‘assets’ that contribute to Indonesian economy.
On Friday, 5 December 2024, Monash University, Indonesia and the Agency of Domestic Policy Strategy of the Ministry of Home Affairs (“BSKDN Kemendagri”) made a mutual commitment to support capacity building for the regional government leaders.
Prabowo has appointed 112 members to his Red and White Cabinet, comprising 48 ministers, 5 ministerial-level officials, and 59 vice ministers.
The difficulty of collecting reliable statistics in Indonesia is compounded by the fact the Indonesian justice system doesn’t recognise femicide as a distinct crime.
One of President Prabowo Subianto’s bold moves after taking office on 20 October 2024 was granting human rights a separate ministry.
Indonesians voted for their local leaders on Wednesday in their first simultaneous regional elections (pilkada) in 545 provinces, regencies and municipalities across the country.
