Fynn-Niklas Franke, Yogyakarta – Prior to the Independence Day celebrations last month, the international European Association for Southeast Asian Studies (EuroSEAS) conference was held in Vienna,

Laksmi Pamuntjak – As 250 million Indonesians face up to the 50th anniversary of one of the most crushing episodes of our nation's history – the massacre of up to 500,000 or more alleged Communists

Pat Walsh – Like Tony Abbott before him, Malcolm Turnbull is slated to make Jakarta one of his first overseas ports of call as prime minister.

Marlene Millott – Fifty years ago, on September 30, one of the worst atrocities of the 20th century took place on Australia's doorstep.

Hamish McDonald – It was a night depicted in the film "The Year of Living Dangerously"; a time when a reckless president ruled a country in economic freefall.

Greg Poulgrain, Brisbane – Two months ago President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo tried to stop the discrimination still suffered by descendants of family members accused of being linked to the Indonesian C

Michael Vatikiotis, Guest Contributor – Fear of the future explains failure to grapple with the past.

Joshua Oppenheimer – This week marks the 50th anniversary of the beginning of a mass slaughter in Indonesia.

Neles Tebay, Jayapura, Papua – The conflict between the government and indigenous Papuans, particularly those Papuans involved with the Free Papua Movement (OPM), has long been considered an Indone

Chip Henriss – Sixteen years ago on September 20, I was with the Australian Army's 3rd Brigade, the Townsville-based ready Deployment Force.

On Wednesday, the government announced what President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo called the first of a series of regulatory and bureaucratic reforms designed to boost business and economic activity and s

Kanupriya Kapoor and Randy Fabi, Jakarta – As Indonesian President Joko Widodo was preparing on Wednesday to present a grand package of measures aimed at restoring investors' faith in the competenc

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo pledged last week to revise 154 regulations pinpointed by the chief economics minister as major barriers to economic activity.

Ary Hermawan, Tucson, Arizona – At first it was funny, but then just sad.

Regardless of the motives behind the latest major reshuffle within the National Police, there is a pressing need for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to stamp his authority over the law enforcement a

John McBeth – It took 24 hours – and apparently an angry call from a blindsided President Joko Widodo – for Home Affairs Minister Tjahjo Kumolo to revoke a raft of new restrictions on visiting fore

More than six months after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration launched the one-stop integrated investment services (PTSP) in Jakarta, business-licensing processes remain lengthy and co

Vincent Lingga, Jakarta – Publicly listed PT Multi Bintang Indonesia, the country's largest brewery, has put on hold its US$42 million plant expansion projects in East Java after the ban on alcohol

Margareth Aritonang – The relationship between Indonesia and Timor Leste has improved steadily in the last few years.

Kristio Wahyono, Yogyakarta – Timor Leste on Aug. 30 celebrates the anniversary of a historic referendum that resulted in a landslide vote for separation from Indonesia 16 years ago.

On Aug. 26, President Joko Widodo revoked a new regulation that would have imposed onerous restrictions on foreign media in Indonesia.

Back in May both national and international media greeted President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's decision to lift decades-long restrictions on foreign media access in Papua, calling the move a step in th

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Endy Bayuni – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo came up with a short and catchy slogan, Ayo Kerja (Let's Work), to mark Indonesia's 70th Independence Day anniversary on Aug. 17.

If only Jakarta Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama had been eager to listen to a proposal on the kampung susun (elevated village) development in Kampung Pulo, violence would not have marred the

Mong Palatino – Timor-Leste's Ministry of Finance issued a press statement claiming that the small Southeast Asian nation is already among the richest countries in the world.

Bhatara Ibnu Reza, Sydney – Ten years ago at the end of summer in Helsinki, the government and the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) signed a memorandum of understanding to end more than 30 years of the con

Anne-Sophie Gindroz, Denpasar, Bali – "Why are you leaving now? Come back here! I have told the truth but you do not believe me.

Thursday's Cabinet reshuffle was probably the source of the upbeat tone of the first State of the Nation address from President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, presented in conjunction with Independence Day.

Param-Preet Singh, Bangkok – Indonesia's government is preparing to lift the lid on decades of gross human rights violations whose victims have gone without redress and whose perpetrators have neve

Our democracy has remained a work in progress since the beginning of reformasi more than 17 years ago.

The final and binding ruling by the Supreme Court against the Supersemar Foundation led by former president Suharto is historic and crucial because it is the first legal decision against the former

Johannes Nugroho – In late 1945 the first prime minister of Indonesia, Sutan Sjahrir (1909-66), made a radio broadcast to the people of Australia, thanking them for their support at the onset of In

Soe Tjen Marching – This month, it will be 70 years since Indonesia declared its independence from Dutch colonial rule. But what has Indonesia been best known for internationally in recent years?

It's typical Indonesia – or more precisely, it's becoming typical of President Joko Widodo's administration.

William Pesek – Indonesia has come a long way since Oct. 20, when Joko Widodo was sworn in as president. Unfortunately, the distance the country has traveled has been in the wrong direction.

Indonesia made a step forward in its democracy when in 2006 the Constitutional Court annulled clauses in the Criminal Code on defamation of the president and vice president – while many other count

Amid recent criticism, the police, especially the Jakarta Police, deserve credit for their quick move to unveil corrupt practices behind the lengthy dwelling times at Tanjung Priok seaport, which i

Nick Xenophon – East Timor is one of the world's youngest and poorest countries located just off our north-west coast.

Edward Aspinall, Marcus Mietzner & Dirk Tomsa, Guest Contributors – Under 'moderating president' Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, Indonesia's democracy suffered no reverses – but it didn't move forwar

Marking the anniversary of the Attorney General's Office (AGO) on Wednesday, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo warned state prosecutors against extorting individuals under investigation, a practice th

One death was too many.

As a nation, Indonesia has one major piece of unfinished business: providing a solid, unshaken and irreversible foundation for pluralism to flourish across the archipelago.

One of the main foundations of modern Indonesia was the awareness that the nation could only survive if it would accept, respect and accommodate differences.

Johannes Nugroho – Ditching initial plans for a Truth and Reconciliation Commission, the Indonesian government has instead opted for a mere Reconciliation Committee to deal with past state-sponsore

In yet another incident that many fear marks a setback for Indonesian democracy, Judicial Commission chief Suparman Marzuki and his deputy Taufiqurrohman Syahuri will have to undergo a criminal inv

The business community should not be surprised, nor inordinately worried, about the March regulation of the Environment and Forestry Ministry regarding the reallocation of up to 30 percent of indus

Because the Rp 255 trillion (US$19 billion) entrusted to regional administrations has hardly been spent, let's, for the sake of the public, including the poor and needy, protect officials who fear

Gregory B. Poling, Jayapura, Jubi – Ongoing troubles in the West Papua region, and the unwanted attention they have garnered, are a sore spot for Indonesian authorities.

David Robie – The Melanesian Spearhead Group leaders' summit in Honiara this week must go down as the most shameful since the organisation was founded two decades ago.