Te Aniwaniwa Paterson – On Papuan Independence Day we discuss protests against Indonesia's transmigration programme, environmental destruction, militarisation, and the struggle for self-determination.

On December 1, 1961, West Papua's national flag, known as the Morning Star, was raised for the first time as a declaration of West Papua's independence from the Netherlands.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – The Confederation of All-Indonesian Trade Unions (KSBSI) welcomes the 6.5 percent increase in the Provincial Minimum Wage next year. KSBSI President, Elly Silaban, hopes that business owners will accept the decision announced by President Prabowo.

Jakarta – Four-term lawmaker Effendi Simbolon has been expelled from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) for endorsing a rival candidate in the Jakarta gubernatorial election, the party confirmed on Saturday.

Prisma Ardianto, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has allocated a budget of Rp 10,000 ($0.63) per portion per day for his flagship program providing free nutritious meals to schoolchildren and pregnant women. This amount is lower than the initially expected Rp 15,000 due to budget constraints.

Iim Halimatusa'diyah, Aptiani Nur Jannah, Grace Rachmanda – COP29, the multilateral decision-making forum on climate change in Baku, Azerbaijan, has just concluded, yet the Prabowo government's commitment to achieving its goal of net zero emissions remains unclear.

Jakarta – Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia has revealed that the new fuel subsidy scheme would involve a combination of subsidized goods and direct cash transfer (BLT). This hybrid model aims to strengthen purchasing power while ensuring that subsidies are effectively targeting those who truly need them.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Sugiono met with his Ukrainian counterpart Andrii Sybiha this week in a bilateral meeting in Italy, where they discussed plans for peace amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Salman Mardira, Jakarta – The 2024 Jakarta gubernatorial election recorded the lowest voter turnout in the city's history of direct elections, with abstention levels soaring to unprecedented heights. The lack of public engagement has raised alarms about the growing disconnect between Jakarta's electorate and its political elites.

Abdul Alim Muhamad Zamzami, Sragen, Central Java – The body of 16-year-old Gamma Rizkynata Oktafansy was exhumed on Friday by the Central Java Police as part of an investigation into allegations that a police officer fatally shot the high school student.

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Jakarta – Major General Ariyo Windutomo was sworn in on Friday as the chief of the Presidential Secretariat, joining the growing number of active and retired military officers in President Prabowo Subianto's administration.

Intan Setiawanty, Jakarta – The Press Council has ruled that Tempo magazine's cover and main coverage on online gambling, published in its November 18-24, 2024, edition, adheres to the Journalistic Code of Ethics.

Vendro Immanuel G, Jakarta – Chairperson of the Association of Online Ojek Drivers Garda Indonesia, Igun Wicaksono, condemns the statement of Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources Bahlil Lahadalia, who plans to retire fuel subsidies for online ojek, or online motorcycle taxis.

Anastasya Lavenia Y, Jakarta – The recent Jakarta Regional Elections saw a high number of voters abstaining. Asep Hasan Sadikin, a researcher at the Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem), attributes this low voter turnout to a mismatch between public aspirations and the candidates endorsed by political parties.

Antara, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is now authorized to probe corruption cases within the Indonesian Armed Forces (TNI) as long as the anti-corruption agency initiates the investigation.

Jihan Ristiyanti, Jakarta – The Ministry of Protection for Indonesian Migrant Workers (P2MI) has recently proposed a plan to collaborate with the Ministry of Immigration and Deportation of Indonesia to issue special passports for Indonesian migrant workers (PMI).

Jamal Abdun Nashr, Semarang – Hundreds of people staged a protest in front of the Central Java Regional Police Headquarters gate on Thursday evening, November 28, 2024.

The people crowded Pahlawan Street, Semarang City, closing one of the road's lanes.

Sapto Yunus, Jakarta – Member of Commission III of the House of Representatives (DPR) RI Nasir Djamil considers the proposal to place the Indonesian National Police or Polri under a ministry irrelevant. He cites several factors that make it irrelevant, including incomplete legal development, weak legal culture, difficult public economy, and low educational level.

Isaac Nellist – The Australia West Papua Association (AWPA) and supporters raised the West Papua flag at Leichhardt Town Hall on November 29, to show their solidarity with West Papuan's struggle for self-determination.

Jakarta – Public Housing and Settlements Minister Maruarar "Ara" Sirait plans to coordinate with state-owned railway operator PT Kereta Api Indonesia (KAI) to develop a program for organizing residential areas around Manggarai Station in South Jakarta.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – As global economic pressures intensify, Bank Indonesia (BI) has projected that Indonesia's economy will remain resilient despite challenges arising from geopolitical tensions and global market fluctuations.

M. Rizki Yusrial, Jakarta – Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources, Bahlil Lahadalia, said that online ojek or online motorcycle taxis are not the target for fuel subsidy.

"Motorcycle taxis are used for business, why must businesses be subsidized?" he said when met at his residence after casting his vote in South Jakarta on Wednesday, November 27, 2024.

Daniel A. Fajri, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has announced a salary increase for teachers in 2025. He emphasized the pivotal role of education and teachers in the nation's progress.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Association for Elections and Democracy, Perludem, has uncovered serious allegations of widespread money politics during the campaign and quiet period of the 2024 regional elections in North Sumatra, Central Java, and Jakarta.

Jakarta – The agreement between Prabowo and Xi Jinping to jointly manage the region of overlapping claims disadvantages Indonesia.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – Retired police general Ahmad Luthfi, backed by former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, is set to win the 2024 Central Java gubernatorial election, securing nearly 60 percent of the vote in a region long considered a bastion of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Annisa Febiola, Jakarta – Megawati Sukarnoputri, General Chairperson of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), has sharply criticized the conduct of the 2024 regional elections, asserting that the people's sovereignty is being manipulated for the sake of power.

Jakarta – At 4:00 p.m. on Wednesday, three hours after the polls closed, voters could already get a sense of the regional election outcome.

And for those who closely watched the state of the race, there was nothing from the quick count results on Wednesday afternoon that came as a surprise.

Jakarta – Kamisan (Thursday) action protesters in Semarang held a #JusticeForGamma rally on the grounds of the Central Java (Jateng) Regional Police Headquarters in Mugatsari Village, South Semarang sub-district, on Thursday afternoon November 28.

Jakarta – The Jakarta Regional Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD Jakarta) has reported that 51 neighborhood units (RT) across the city are submerged in floodwaters today, November 28. The situation is particularly severe in certain areas, with water levels reaching 2.6 meters.

Eduard Gismatullin, Audrey Wan, and Prima Wirayani – Indonesia's benchmark stock index fell 10% from its year's high, entering a technical correction brought on by slowing economic growth and regional uncertainties after Donald Trump's win in the US election.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto announced on Thursday a 100 percent increase in the basic salaries of state teachers, along with a Rp 2 million ($126) monthly allowance for part-time teachers in state schools, starting next year.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government is likely to delay the planned increase in the Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate to 12 percent, which was initially scheduled to take effect on January 1, 2025, according to Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, Chair of the National Economic Committee (DEN).

Jakarta – The Operation Cartenz Peace managed to arrest Oni Enumbi of the armed criminal group (KKB) operating in Puncak Jaya, Central Papua, on Wednesday, at about 11:15 a.m. local time in front of the Puncak Jaya Police Station.

Operation Cartenz Peace head Brig. Gen. Faizal Ramadhani confirmed that Oni was a member of the KKB that is led by Ternus Enumbi.

Jakarta – Rescuers are searching for passengers trapped in a minibus buried in mud after flash floods and landslides hit several locations in North Sumatra, killing at least 27, an official said on Thursday.

Torrential rain in the province since last week had caused flash floods and landslides in four different districts, Indonesia's disaster agency has said.

Agencies, Jakarta – Candidates backed by President Prabowo Subianto look set to secure victories in key regional elections, with the exception of Jakarta, which analysts said should make it easier to implement his agenda and reinforce his political clout.

Arya Fernandes, Yoes C Kenawas, Muhammad Ahalla Tsauro and Titi Anggraini – As the dust settles on the electoral contestations, we ask experts for their initial assessments of different aspects of the elections. Which oligarchic alliance is "winning" in these elections? Is dynastic politics gaining ground across the nation? Did all the single candidates win against the blank boxes?

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – Former Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan said this year's Jakarta gubernatorial election is "unique" because not all candidates could vote in the capital city, in what was seen as a jab at the Ridwan Kamil-Suswono candidate pair.

Arnoldus Kristianus, Jakarta – Indonesia's government debt reached Rp 8,560.36 trillion ($$539.4 billion) by the end of October 2024, according to data from the Finance Ministry, as outlined in the November 2024 edition of the APBN Kita (Our State Budget) report released on Thursday

Teguh Adi Prasetyo, Jakarta – Indonesia will stop importing salt for consumption starting next year, in line with Presidential Regulation (Perpres) No. 126/2022 on the national salt industry.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – Indonesia's crypto transactions has reached Rp 475.13 trillion (around $29.9 billion) so far this year as of October, according to the Commodity Futures Trading Supervisory Agency (Bappebti).

Basudiwa Supraja, Jakarta – Housing Minister Maruarar "Ara" Sirait has promised a reward of Rp 8 billion ($500,000) for information leading to the capture of Harun Masiku, a fugitive wanted by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK). Using his personal savings, Ara said the initiative aims to demonstrate that no one is above the law in Indonesia.

Negar Mohtashami Khojasteh – For over two decades, domestic workers in Indonesia, the vast majority of them women, have been advocating for their rights to no avail. Millions of Indonesian women and girls work in private households as domestic workers, but despite their critical role in the economy, they remain unprotected under Indonesian labor laws.

Adil Al Hasan, Jakarta – Chair of the National Economic Council Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan has responded to the public outcry over the planned implementation of a 12% Value Added Tax (VAT) on January 1, 2025. He emphasized that President Prabowo Subianto is committed to avoiding additional burdens on the people.

Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) called on candidates and campaign teams to avoid vote-buying practices, commonly known as "dawn raids," ahead of the 2024 regional elections on Wednesday. Despite this warning, allegations of money politics have surfaced in multiple regions.

Bella Evanglista Mikaputri, Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto called for unity as he cast his vote in the 2024 Regional Elections on Wednesday at polling station 008 in Bojong Koneng, Bogor, West Java. Prabowo said that election outcomes should bring people together, with winners leading inclusively and losers collaborating for the nation's progress.

Rizka Ardina Nugraheni, Solo – Joko "Jokowi" Widodo urged elected regional leaders in the 2024 Regional Head Election to maintain a positive and respectful atmosphere after the announcement of the results.

Jakarta – Two motorists died in a multi-vehicle accident in Slipi, West Jakarta, on Tuesday morning at around 7 a.m., adding to a long list of such fatal pileups in the country in the past month.

Harry Suhartono and Haslinda Amin – Indonesia's largest taxi operator expects an upcoming BYD Co. plant will bring electric vehicle prices down as it seeks to expand its fleet.

Jakarta – National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo warned of possible chaos after the vote-counting process for the regional head elections on Wednesday.

The National Police's Security Intelligence Agency (Baintelkam) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) said they had identified areas at high security risk.

Jakarta – Indonesians vote on Wednesday to pick local leaders in the country's biggest simultaneous regional election, in which President Prabowo Subianto seeks to consolidate his party's gains.