There are concerns that the new government will face a period of political instability as soon as president-elect Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and vice president-elect Jusuf Kalla take office o

Marsen S. Naga, Banda Aceh – The passing of Qanun Jinayat, an Islamic criminal code bylaw, by the Aceh legislative council has revived discussion on the formalization of sharia.

Amid all the fracas of late, it is hard to believe that things could get any worse in Indonesian politics.

In Indonesia, people have always been forced to vote for figures they do not exactly know as their representatives.

The National Commission on Violence against Women is pushing for the annulment of the new Criminal Code bylaw passed last week in Aceh, as the commission says it does not provide protec

Edited transcript of Herb Feith Annual Memorial Lecture 2014, Melbourne, 20 August 2014

Ary Hermawan, Tucson, Arizona – It is ironic that at a time when it has been hailed as politically mature, reformasi is facing its own death at the hands of the man who was midwife at i

Jess Melvin, Melbourne – Joshua Oppenheimer's latest film is truly shocking.

Just as most Indonesians believe they had entered a new, better era after electing Joko Widodo as their president, they will wake up one of these days realizing they are living under an

In the space of five days, the Red-and-White Coalition has savored two consolation wins that clearly serve as a warning: that despite its failure to secure the presidency, its political

Instead of progressing, Indonesian democracy is regressing after the House of Representatives voted early Friday to seize the right to elect regional leaders from the people and give it

The ugly process by which the House of Representatives reached a decision in the early hours of Friday to pass a bill that takes away from the people the right to vote for regional head

Once dubbed a young, smart and promising politician with the potential to help fill the country's deficit of national leaders, Anas Urbaningrum has instead fallen from grace at just 45

Many have paid too much attention to the heated debate over the controversial bill on regional elections, but have overlooked the equally crucial bill on regional governments, which, if

Jeff Kingston – In July, Joko Widodo, universally known as Jokowi, won a decisive victory in Indonesia's presidential elections.

Evan A.

Evan A.

The body of one of West Papua's most prominent freedom fighters, John Ondawame, was buried in Port Vila Thursday afternoon.

Azis Anwar Fachrudin, Yogyakarta – How do we deal with the so-called jilboobs, an Indonesian term for Muslim women wearing the jilbab (Islamic headscarf) while at the same time wearing

An ungracious, ungrateful politician is the image portrayed of Jakarta Deputy Governor Basuki "Ahok" Tjahaja Purnama by his former party, Gerindra, which was founded by losing president

Jet Damazo-Santos, Jakarta, Indonesia – After losing in the July 9 presidential elections, as well as in subsequent attempts to challenge its results, Prabowo Subianto and his allies ha

The post reformasi generation is leading the way forward toward a new Indonesia where falling in love should not be tantamount to a crime.

Richard Ackland – Already we have a taste of what lies in wait once the new bundle of Asio laws are passed.

The elite's betrayal of reformasi is visible through its "structured, systematic and massive" efforts to pass a regional election bill that will allow it to seize back sovereignty from

Papang Hidayat, London – Today marks exactly 10 years since Indonesia lost one of its most courageous and compassionate voices – Munir Said Thalib.

Ary Hermawan, Tucson, Arizona – At first, it was just another ludicrous Internet story.

Clinton Fernandes – Australia has been flouting international law since 2002, taking billions of dollars in oil revenue that should rightfully belong to East Timor.

John M.

Pat Walsh – Since its foundation as a modern state in the 1940s, Indonesia has been plagued by a series of conflicts that have threatened the dream of a united republic, inflicted griev

Max Lane – The Indonesian Constitutional Court has rejected all components of a legal challenge by Prabowo Subianto to the July presidential election results.

Indonesia gained new momentum for harnessing its 28,000 megawatts (MW) of potential geothermal power after the House of Representatives surprisingly approved on Tuesday a new Geothermal

Phelim Kine – Outgoing President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono broke his long silence on violent religious extremism the other day, describing it in an Aug.

It will likely be just a matter of days before most of Prabowo Subianto's supporters completely abandon him after his failure to embarrass Indonesia in front of the international commun

There are at least two pieces of good news from the proposed Rp 2.02 quadrillion (US$172 billion) state budget for the 2015 fiscal year beginning in January.

At the end of their terms, a number of House of Representatives lawmakers have had to face the music at the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) over allegation of fraud in the organ

Instead of focusing on improving public transportation, the Jakarta administration has finally decided to go ahead with its plan to construct six inner-city toll roads next year, which

Shannon Gillies, Dili – After decades of Indonesian occupation, East Timor is touted as a success story for the United Nations.

President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has left another ticking time-bomb for his successor when he signed a government regulation on reproductive health that requires women getting pregnan

In the months leading up to the new government administration, does Indonesia hope to improve the management of its religion-and-state affairs?

Indonesia has caught up with the rest of the world in responding to the threat following the declaration of the new Islamic State (IS) last month.

Lawmakers supporting Prabowo Subianto have launched a political move to discredit the election result submitted by the General Elections Commission, or KPU, at the House of Representati

Gerry Van Klinken – The quote I love best about Jokowi's win came from Lamb Of God singer Randy Blythe, posted on Instagram: "Holy crap!

Pat Walsh – The day after the result of Indonesia's presidential election was announced, I joined crowds of excited Indonesians at the Proclamation Monument in central Jakarta to celebr

Edward Zachary Albrecht and Eric Plese – New and encouraging developments in the struggle for independence of West Papua have been unfolding in the past week.

When, on Tuesday, the people of Indonesia should have been cherishing the end of a prolonged national divide and moving on to extend olive branches to each other, losing presidential ca

The 32 years of Suharto's New Order regime had a deep impact on the lives of most Indonesians, and continue to do so more than a decade and a half since its fall from power as one of th

This Latin phrase, translated as "the voice of the people is the voice of God," in an Indonesian context simply means that the nation has decided to entrust Joko "Jokowi" Widodo and Jus

Alison Martin – Over 130 million Indonesians voted in the recent presidential election, and notwithstanding the losing candidate Prabowo Subianto's continued refusal to concede, the wor

Michael Bachelard – In the almost two weeks since Indonesia's presidential election on July 9, the big question in Indonesia has been: "What does Prabowo Subianto think he's doing?"

Dili – Timor-Leste's current stability could be undermined by a sharp decline in oil revenues and leadership challenges if the country's first president and current prime minister Xanan