The wealth of public officials is in the spotlight. Recently it was the former director general of taxation who is now chairman of the Supreme Audit Agency (BPK), Hadi Poernomo.

The government, under pressure from the House of Representatives, has asked the state electricity company (PLN) to postpone the implementation of its tariff policy for big household cus

Tobias Basuki, Jakarta – Indonesia, the third-largest democracy in the world, may be facing gloomy days ahead.

From its inception we understood that the House of Representatives' inquiry committee into the Bank Century bailout would be a political process rather than an attempt to unearth legal

The country's easternmost territory has been a bane of security and development for a long time.

When you call my name, it's like a little prayer, sang Madonna, the diva with a Catholic background who later followed the Kaballah faith, which is based on an ancient Jewish belief sys

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – United States President Barack Obama will make a much-anticipated official visit to Indonesia in March, raising speculation of a possible upgrade in bilateral

The fate of two senior leaders is hanging in the balance pending the findings of the inquiry committee of the House of Representatives on the Bank Century bailout.

Max Lane – On December 23, the Indonesian Attorney General's Department announced the banning of five books.

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – An estimated 7,000 to 10,000 people gathered across Jakarta on Thursday to mark the 100th day of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's second term in office.

Don't be deceived by the loud protests and criticisms that we have been hearing these days as President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono marks the first 100-days of his second term in office on

Julia Suryakusuma, Jakarta – Remember Johnny Castle?

Maire Leadbeater – My introduction to West Papua was flying for many kilometres over the vast grey tailings deposition area created by the infamous Freeport McMoran gold and copper mine

Cunding Levi, Jayapura – Linked to terror acts that often happen around the mining area of PT Freeport Indonesia in Tembagapura, Mimika Regency, the Papua Traditional Council and the Pa

We bet most people are not happy about the burning of churches in North Sumatra on Friday night. As a Muslim-majority nation, we are a proud democracy.

A family friend came to the rescue to mediate, helping end the 30-hour military police's siege of a general's residence smoothly without a single bullet being fired.

For the devout, religion is a way of life. They look to what is condoned in their religion for what to eat, what to wear, whether to use contraceptives, etc.

The moment millions of Indonesians were waiting for finally happened on Thursday when one of the most feared – but most beloved by several police generals and senior prosecutors – corru

John Roosa, Vancouver, Canada – When I heard the news that the Indonesian translation of my book, Pretext for Mass Murder: The September 30th Movement and Soeharto's Coup d'etat in Indo

We hear all kind of stories about life behind bars. Mostly unpleasant or horrific, they reflect the rough conditions of prison life.

This question should make it into a pocketbook of party jokes: What is it that students hate, teachers dislike, parents abhor, the public decries, but bureaucrats love?

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar (Bali) – Praise poured in to honor Indonesia's fourth president, Abdurrahman Wahid, on his death last week at the age of 69.

Many of us are grappling with Twitter and the language of the young, which increasingly resembles an obscure Morse code with a brazen and come-what-may sense of ethics.

Evan A. Laksmana, Jakarta – "To defend everything is to defend nothing." There is a lot of wisdom in this old military axiom.

Greg Poulgrain – When Indonesia officially became independent of the Dutch 60 years ago this week, Australia's role as midwife was crucial.

The year 2009 is coming to an end and given the spat of bad news these past 12 months, it is probably better to count our blessings than the missed opportunities, of which there are cer

Jakarta – Like previous years, 2008 was marked by a variety of actions by students who took to the streets opposing government policies that they believe harm the people.

Endy M.

As we put out the last issue of the Jakarta Globe for the year, we take a customary look back on the 12 months gone by and reflect on how the drama, tragedy and comedy of 2009 reveal th

There is justice after all.

Tom Allard, Jakarta – As anti-corruption rallies swept Indonesia's main cities this month, the two villains in the protesters' sights were readily identifiable.

Disciplinary action against police officers involved in abuse of power and other crimes often falls far short of the general public's sense of justice.

Famous American politician Henry Adam's observation "practical politics consists of ignoring facts" aptly describes the mindset of most members of the House of Representatives' special

Ashlee Betteridge – This year in Indonesia has been rather eventful, with terror bombings, terror raids, legislative and presidential elections, two major earthquakes and a raging corru

Usman Hamid, Jakarta – Final days of each year are always the best opportunity to reflect on what happened during the year in order to predict or project the future.

Adam Gartrell, Jakarta – Australia and Indonesia kicked off 2009 with an orgy of bilateral backslapping.

Damien Kingsbury – The shooting of one of West Papua's independence leaders, Kelly Kwalik, has opened up new opportunities for a negotiated resolution to that troubled territory's long-

Wendy Bruere – A young Jose Ramos-Horta, shown as the foreign minister of a newly independent East Timor, implores Roger East, an aging Australian journalist, to travel to his country t

Theo Hesegem and Chrisbiantoro, Jakarta – Even though Papua became a province of Indonesia by an ambiguous referendum in 1969, peace between the indigenous Papuans and Indonesia's secur

John McBeth, Jakarta – Something strange has happened to Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono since his sweeping victory in July's presidential elections, showing a side of him

There is not a single reason why the Film Censorship Board should ban the screening of Balibo at the current Jakarta International Film Festival.

Sara Webb, Jakarta – Indonesia's improving political and economic outlook was a big draw for investors this year, but a fight between reformers and cronies may prove to be a tipping poi

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's political troubles are being compounded by a street movement led by several of the democracy-promoting n

Censoring a film is a step backward for the Indonesian democratic progress.

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Amsterdam – Balibo is just one shameful chapter in our Indonesia's past, but it could be viewed as a symbol for so many human wrongs, for so many shameful things, t

Simon Montlake Bangkok – A movie that depicts Indonesian war crimes in East Timor has become a lightning rod for free-speech activists in Indonesia, who have defied a government ban on

Riyadi Suparno, Jakarta – An alliance of mysterious forces is aligning its power to unseat Vice President Boediono and/or Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati.

This weekend, the 11th Jakarta Film Festival kicks off again with exciting promises for movie buffs.

Former Australian Foreign Minister Gareth Evans has been appointed Chancellor of The Australian National University by the University Council today.

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – The image of a giant condom draped in Indonesia's national red and white colors towered over the opening ceremonies of National Condom Week in Jakarta.