Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The Public Works Ministry has canceled plans for comparative studies on building designs in Indonesia's new capital, Nusantara, due to budget efficiency measures. Minister Dody Hanggodo said the review will instead rely on online resources.

Jakarta – Four months into his term, it seems that President Prabowo Subianto is thrusting hard his merciful image by pushing his administration's plan to pardon thousands of prisoners across the country.

Agencies, Jakarta – Hundreds of students and activists rallied in major cities across the country on Friday as part of the Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) protests, which oppose President Prabowo Subianto's policies, including Rp 306.7 trillion (US$19 billion) in spending cuts that the protesters claim undermine their support systems.

Jakarta – Several government buildings in Purbalingga regency, Central Java were vandalized in an act allegedly related to the recent brouhaha surrounding Sukatani, a punk band from the regency, and its song criticizing the police.

BeritaSatu, Yogyakarta – Several newly elected mayors and regents from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) gathered in Yogyakarta on Friday, opting to skip a presidential retreat in nearby Magelang.

Eka Jaya Saputra, Antara, Bekasi – Japanese electronics company Sanken Electric has announced plans to shut down its factory in Cikarang, Bekasi, leading to the inevitable layoff of over 450 workers.

The factory is set to cease operations in June 2025 as part of Sanken's strategy to refocus on its core business operations in Japan.

Jakarta – "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap) student actions have again hit the streets on Thursday February 20 in a number of regions around the country after the first, second and third day of demonstrations on Monday February 17, Tuesday February 18 and Wednesday February 19.

Intan Setiawanty, Linda Trianita, Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Muhammad Isnur believes that the move by police to force the punk band Sukatani to apologise for the song "Pay Pay Pay" (Bayar Bayar Bayar) is a form of silencing freedom of expression.

Protesters began gathering at Taman Ismail Marzuki (TIM) arts and cultural centre in Cikini on Friday afternoon, February 21, ahead of the climax of the Dark Indonesia actions at the Horse Statue in Central Jakarta.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students from a Dark Indonesia protest action were still standing in front of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building in the provincial capital of Bandung on Friday February 21 even though it was raining in the area.

Advist Khoirunikmah, Jakarta – The 'Dark Indonesia' protest took a volatile turn as participants hurled firecrackers and Molotov cocktails at police officers stationed near the Horse Statue area. This chaotic escalation occurred following the Civil Society Coalition's delivery of their demands on Friday night, February 21, 2025.

Jakarta – Hundreds of students and activists rallied in some major cities for more "Dark Indonesia" protests on Friday, opposing President Prabowo Subianto's policies including $19 billion of spending cuts that they say undermine their support systems.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Chairperson of the National Economic Council (DEN), Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, signaled a plan to eliminate subsidized fuel by 2027. He proposed a unified fuel pricing system to President Prabowo Subianto.

Celvin Moniaga Sipahutar, Olena Wibisana, Budiman, Magelang – At least 47 local leaders were absent on the first day of a retreat program with President Prabowo Subianto in Magelang on Friday, following a boycott call from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Advist Khoirunikmah, Jakarta – The 'Dark Indonesia' (Indonesia Gelap) rally returned to the Horse Statue (Patung Kuda) area near the National Monument, Central Jakarta, on Friday, February 21, 2025.

Today's demonstration drew participants from diverse backgrounds, including private sector employees and students.

Melynda Dwi Puspita, Jakarta – The hashtag #AdiliJokowi has been trending across social media platforms in recent days. Users of X (formerly Twitter) are using it to demand authorities take legal action against Indonesia's 7th president, Joko Widodo (Jokowi).

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – The Jakarta Provincial Government is affected by the budget cut mandated by President Prabowo Subianto through Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2025 regarding Budget Efficiency in the Implementation of the 2025 State Budget and Regional Budget. Jakarta Deputy Governor Rano Karno revealed that the city's managed funds have been reduced by Rp38 billion.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The decision of PT Sanken Indonesia to close its factory in Cikarang, West Java, by mid-2025 has come as a blow to the 459 employees who have worked there for decades. The factory's closure is due to the parent company Sanken's intention to shift to a semiconductor producer in Japan. As a result, hundreds of workers are at risk of layoffs.

Bambang Ismoyo, Jakarta – The Indonesian government has granted Freeport Indonesia a limited export permit to ship copper concentrate overseas for the next four months, Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Bahlil Lahadalia announced on Friday.

Jakarta – Dozens of students in South Sumatra and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT) fell ill on Tuesday after consuming meals provided by the government's free meals program, marking the third and fourth food poisoning incidents in less than two months since the program's launch.

Wijayanti Putri, Solo – Former President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Friday all newly installed governors, mayors, and regents should honor an invitation for a brainstorming session with his successor, Prabowo Subianto, despite a call from the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) to boycott the retreat program.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Constitutional law expert from Andalas University, Feri Amsari, stated that President Prabowo Subianto has compromised the independence of the judiciary by recently meeting with Supreme Court judges and providing them with directives.

Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – The establishment of the Investment Management Agency Daya Anagata Nusantara (BPI Danantara) will alter the way State-Owned Enterprise (SOE) profits and losses are managed, effectively removing the burden from the state.

Arlina Arshad and Stania Puspawardhani, Jakarta – Nationwide student protests against Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto's budget cuts continued in Jakarta on Feb 21, marking a key test of his leadership.

Yogyakarta, Indonesia – Thousands of students staged Dark Indonesia protests in cities across the country on Thursday (Feb 20) against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto, fearing they will undermine social support systems and their futures.

Jakarta – Punk band Sukatani has removed their viral song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" (Pay Pay Pay) from streaming platforms after issuing a public apology to the National Police. The song's lyrics criticize rogue police officers who abuse their authority.

Advist Khoirunikmah, Jakarta – The atmosphere of the 'Dark Indonesia' (Indonesia Gelap) mass action on Friday afternoon, February 21, 2025, heated up albeit rain had briefly poured over the Horse Statue area in Central Jakarta from 15:49 to 16:22 WIB (Western Indonesia Time).

Jakarta – Scores of Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) politicians who were recently inaugurated as regional heads said they would not join a retreat organized by President Prabowo Subianto this weekend in a show of solidarity to the party's secretary general Hasto Kristiyanto who has been named as a graft suspect on Thursday.

Jakarta – As we try to live up to the state motto Bhinneka Tunggal Ika (Unity in Diversity), given today's political landscape in Indonesia, we may want to emphasize diversity rather than unity. We may even want to rephrase it to "diversity within unity". The difference is more than semantics.

Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja, Jakarta – A new manufacturing plant producing floating solar panel systems was officially launched in Batam on Feb 14 to tap opportunities created by a major deal to supply solar power from the Indonesian island to Singapore.

Ilham Oktafian, Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Jakarta – The Indonesian punk scene is buzzing after Sukatani, a raw and defiant duo from Purbalingga, issued a public apology over their song Bayar Bayar Bayar, a critique of alleged police extortion. The track – now pulled from circulation – had struck a nerve, turning into a rallying song ahead of a mass protest on Friday.

Yustinus Paat, Jakarta – The Free Health Check program, an initiative of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, is not yet running optimally in several regions due to a lack of health facilities and medical personnel, according to Felly Estelita Runtuwene, Chair of Commission IX of the House of Representatives.

Zhai Kun – The year 2025 holds significant promise for ASEAN as Malaysia takes on the role of the organisation's Chair. Among the anticipated milestones is the potential ascension of Timor-Leste from an observer state to a member state.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – The Minister of Immigration and Corrections, Agus Andrianto, said thousands of foreigners committed administrative violations on immigration throughout 2024.

"Monitoring on foreign nationals shows 5,434 violations," said Agus during a working meeting with House Commission XIII on Wednesday, February 19.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – The Central Jakarta Metro Police deployed 2,460 joint personnel to guard the ongoing demonstration of 'Indonesia Gelap' on Friday, February 21, 2025.

The areas surrounding the National Monument Horse Statue to the front of the State Palace became the primary focus of the joint personnel.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – Civil society groups across Greater Surabaya are once again staging a protest under the banner of Dark Indonesia (Indonesia Gelap) today, Friday, February 21, demanding the government pass pro-people laws and revoke harmful policies.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) has suspected a pattern reminiscent of the New Order regime in the withdrawal of the song "Bayar Bayar Bayar" which criticizes the police by the band Sukatani.

Hanaa Septiana, Jakarta – The Surabaya Metropolitan Police are investigating allegations of police officers arresting and assaulting student demonstrators during the 'Dark Indonesia' protest on Monday, February 17, 2025. The case, involving the alleged police brutality, has been formally transferred to the Surabaya Metropolitan Police for further scrutiny.

Vedro Imanuel Girsang, Jakarta – Protests under the Dark Indonesia banner, which began on February 17, have continued nationwide, voicing dissatisfaction with government policies. As of Friday, February 21, demonstrations have taken place in Jakarta and major cities across Indonesia.

Jakarta

Oyuk Ivani S, Jakarta – Jakarta Vice Governor Rano Karno revealed the message from the Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP), Megawati Soekarnoputri, for his administration and Pramono Anung in Jakarta.

Dani Aswara, Jakarta – The Indonesian government frames the approval of the revised Law No. 4 of 2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (Minerba Law) as an effort to restore the essence of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution.

Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The Chief of the Palembang Metropolitan Police, Grand Commissioner Harryo Sugiharrtono, said 2 groups of protesters would carry out the Indonesia Gelap (Dark Indonesia) rally centered in front of the Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) Office of South Sumatra on Thursday, February 20, 2025.

Pribadi Wicaksono (Kontributor), Jakarta – Thousands of students in Yogyakarta take to the streets on Thursday, February 20, 2025, protesting against various policies adopted by President Prabowo Subianto.

The protest, which began around 11:30 a.m. local time, completely shut down Malioboro, causing police to redirect traffic away from the area.

Nandito Putra, Jakarta – Indonesian punk band based in Central Java city Purbalingga, Sukatani, announced the withdrawal of their song 'Bayar Bayar Bayar' from all music streaming platforms. The song, which criticizes the police, was released as part of their album Gegap Gempita.

Jakarta – If you want to know about the direction of President Prabowo Subianto's environmental policy, just look at how the budget cuts have been applied to a number of ministries related to natural resources. The latest fiscal policy shows even more clearly that the Prabowo administration's policies are not on the side of climate crisis mitigation and conservation agenda.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jeff Hutton – As a summit of Southeast Asian leaders in Jakarta fast approached in September 2023, Indonesia's state-run electricity provider, PLN, partially shut down one of its oldest and biggest coal-fired power plants in the hopes of cleaning up the capital's filthy air.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – More than 75% of the nickel refining capacity in Indonesia, home to the biggest reserves of this critical mineral, is controlled by Chinese companies, many with affiliations to the Chinese government, according to a U.S.-government funded think tank.

Jakarta – Indonesia's current account deficit widened in 2024 as its merchandise trade surplus shrank amid weaker global demand, the central bank said on Thursday, and analysts pointed to a worsening outlook for global trade this year.

Rama Sukarta, Jakarta – The government's Free Health Checkup (CKG) program, which officially launched on Feb. 10, has seen increasing public participation. However, the Health Ministry continues to push for greater public awareness, as many Indonesians still perceive medical checkups as intimidating.

Jakarta – A boy is missing West Kalimantan island after he was attacked by a crocodile, police said on Thursday, the second such attack in the area in two weeks.

The island is home to several species of crocodiles that regularly attack and kill humans.