Jon Lamb – Twenty years ago, on December 11, 1989, the Australian and Indonesian governments signed the Timor Gap Treaty (TGT), giving the go-ahead to energy corporations to exploit the

M. Hilaly Basya, Leiden – Based on the Hijriyah (Islamic) calendar, on 8 Dzulhijjah 1430 (Nov. 26, 2009), Muhammadiyah will mark the one hundredth anniversary of its existence.

When Ahmad Dahlan founded Muhammadiyah in 1912, he shocked his compatriots with the "Western" style of his organization.

If you are going to steal, make sure you steal big. You're more likely to get away with it, or get off lightly, compared to what a small time thief will get.

Usman Hamid, Jakarta – The newly sworn in Army Chief Lt. Gen.

Jonathan Pearlman – As dawn was breaking across the Indonesian province of Papua on a Saturday last July, an Australian mine worker, Drew Grant, set out with friends along the winding r

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar (Bali) – The honeymoon ended for Indonesia's President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono less than a month into his second term.

Attempts to shed light on the controversial bailout of a private bank got a minor boost Tuesday after legislators asked a plenary session to set up a special inquiry committee.

Fabio Scarpello, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is widely expected to use his strong electoral mandate to push reforms in his second term to attract foreign inv

It's all getting a bit out of hand. As the world's third-largest democracy, Indonesia's legal system seems to have taken on a Wild West character.

Sara Schonhardtm Jakarta – Thousands of Indonesians have taken to the streets in the past week to protest the arrests of two anti-corruption commissioners and demand that President Susi

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – Only a few short months since Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono was re-elected with an overwhelming mandate on an anti-corruption platform,

Jakarta Globe – The war between the Corruption Eradication Commission and almost every other government institution allegedly responsible for enforcing the nation's laws fulfills all th

The tape recordings played publicly by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Tuesday at the order of the Constitutional Court sent a chilling shudder through the spine.

The arrogance of power is something we did not expect to see in a democratic setting like today's Indonesia.

John McBeth, Jakarta – Florida's Dade County police special weapons and tactics (SWAT) squad conducts as many as five forced entries a day.

Carmel Budiardjo, London – As Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono begins his second term as President, it is worth considering the prospects for dialogue to resolve Indonesia's most intractable co

Jacqueline Hicks, Jakarta – Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's announcement late on Wednesday of his government's new cabinet was a function of a complicated political calc

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono on Tuesday took the presidential oath of office before Indonesia's 240 million people, marking the beginning of his second term in of

Debnath Guharoy, Consultant – Election fever has died down. A new Cabinet is in the making. And a new poll reflects an upbeat Indonesia.

On a scale of one to 10, what would be a fair score for President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Vice President Jusuf Kalla as they end their five-year term on Monday?

Indraswari, Kuala Lumpur – On Wednesday, Sept.

Al Araf and Anton Aliabbas, Bandung – The swearing-in ceremony of the 2009-2014 House of Representatives' members is a sign that democratization in Indonesia is a continuing process.

Sara Schonhardtm Jakarta – Similarities in culture, language and religious customs should make Indonesia and Malaysia good neighbors.

Nurrohman, Bandung – Allowing adulterers to be stoned to death is not just improper but is generally perceived as uncivilized nowadays.

Pandaya, Jakarta – Their main job has been to make laws but while they were doing it the House of Representatives legislators often stirred bitter controversies that ended up with the n

Jon Lamb – During August and September, Australian and international media outlets ran numerous articles, opinion pieces and commentaries marking the 10 years since the people of East

Usman Hamid and Yati Andriyani, Liquisa, East Timor – Mentioning Timor Leste not only brings to mind a state that was once Indonesia's 27th province, but also a place where gross human

Hanta Yuda A.R., Jakarta – Who will replace outgoing Vice President Jusuf Kalla as the next chairman of Golkar when the party holds its congress in October?

R. Kristiawan, Jakarta – The recently passed film law shows up an irony for democracy in Indonesia, especially in the quality of the public sphere. The old law, Law No.

James Thomas – In seeking the truth behind the deaths of six Australian Journalists in East Timor in 1975, actor Anthony LaPaglia and Kevin Rudd have something in common.

Sara Schonhardt, Jakarta – Police dealt a blow to Indonesia's main terrorism network Thursday after confirming the death of top-ranked Islamic militant Noordin Mohammed Top following a

Tom Allard, Jakarta – The death of Noordin Mohammed Top is unquestionably a fantastic result for Indonesia's counter-terrorism authorities.

Rizal Sukma, Jakarta – Combating corruption has been often cited one of the most important "successes" of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first administration.

Joe Cochrane & Nurfika Osman – There was no doubt about it this time.

Who wants to visit Aceh – for pleasure, not mere curiosity?

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – When the global financial crisis was at its height last November, Indonesia's Century Bank faced a severe liquidity crisis.

Paul Daley – The former Coalition government had a vastly different idea of how independent our near neighbour should be than what eventuated.

Germany reminds us that human rights and justice have no time limits.

Twenty-five years ago, Sept.

Noor Huda Ismail, Semarang – Based on my interviews with the actors of past attacks – both inside and outside prisons – there are three primary factors that will keep their movements go

Thomas Barker and Veronica Kusuma, Jakarta – Unless you have been living under a rock for the past decade, you would have noticed that in terms of annual output, the Indonesian film ind

Usman Hamid and Paul Barber, Yogyakarta/London – In October 1999, the International Commission of Jurists (ICJ) published a report, Ruler's Law, that described how Indonesia's first two

Pandaya, Dili – Timor Leste President Jose Ramos-Horta's refusal of demand for an international tribunal to try perpetrators of serious crimes against humanity in East Timor between 197

Damien Kingsbury – It is hardly novel that a politician looking back at the glory days of office will want to ensure that their political legacy looks as positive as possible.

Kartika Jahja – Marhaban ya Ramadan. Welcome oh Ramadan. The holy month to abstain from our worldly desires. The blessed month to purify our souls.

Janeman Latul & Muhammad Al Azhari – Economic and political analysts said over the weekend that the Rp 6.7 trillion ($663.3 million) Bank Century bailout controversy would not gener

[Excerpted from "The March of Patriots" by Paul Kelly, Melbourne University Press, to be published next week]

Paul Kelly, Editor-at-large – The Howard government decided in early 1999 to work for East Timor's independence but concealed this from the Indonesian government, John Howard and Alexan

Patrick Guntensperger, Jakarta – If the purpose of the recent terrorist attacks in Indonesia was to undermine democracy and rattle investor confidence, the July bombings of the luxury J