Arnoldus Kristanus, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani said on Tuesday the government is decentralizing fiscal policies to promote social justice and improve government services for the people.

Dio Suhenda, Jakarta – With average temperatures expected to rise with the return of the El Nino climate pattern to Indonesia, the Health Ministry has warned about a rising threat of dengue fever, as the hotter weather is expected to increase the incidence of mosquito bites by up to five times the average.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – President director of flag-carrier Garuda Indonesia Irfan Setiaputra provided an explanation about why Garuda offers its airfares higher than other carriers. He implied that it is due to the bargaining power Garuda has.

Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition is asking President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo not to meddle (cawe-cawe) in the 2024 elections.

Coalition member Arif Maulana from the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) said that the call was made in a proclamation that will be sent by mail to Widodo today, Wednesday June 14.

Muhammad Beni Saputra – Indonesia's capital of Jakarta is notorious for being among the cities with the worst traffic congestion in the world. Yet the traffic horror there is nothing compared to that in the Sumatran province of Jambi, at least for the past few years.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Reports of human rights violations continue to mount around a major tourism development on the Indonesian island of Lombok, two years since the United Nations first flagged problems there.

Riza Salman, Kolaka, Indonesia – Ansal grabbed a makeshift raincoat, an empty rice sack, and ran home as the rain began to pound the fields of Pomalaa. A few hours later, after the rain stopped, the 49-year-old returned to his fields.

"Everything is red," Ansal told Mongabay Indonesia, here in Kolaka district in the province of Southeast Sulawesi.

Jayapura, Jubi – The deployment of military troops to Papua has prompted calls for evaluation. The presence of numerous troops has intensified the armed conflict in the region and heightened tensions.

Anum Latifah Siregar, the director of the Democracy Alliance for Papua, stressed the importance of assessing the deployment procedures for these troops.

Manokwari, Jubi – In a solemn gathering held at the Secretariat of the Papua Customary Council in Wondiboy District, 20 individuals including 15 survivors and their families commemorated the Bloody Wasior Tragedy. It was to honor those whose lives were lost 22 years ago due to the alleged sweeping, arrest, torture, and killing by state apparatus.

Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – Indonesian Corruption Watch (ICW) Coordinator Agus Sunaryanto says it's inappropriate for House of Representatives (DPR) members to ask for business class seats from Garuda Indonesia Airlines to travel to Saudi Arabia to perform the Haj.

Mohamad Said, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said on Wednesday his government will soon declare Covid-19 as an endemic, thus ending the pandemic status which has haunted the country's economic and social activities in the last three years.

Muhammad Ghafur Fadillah, Jakarta – State-owned construction company Pembangunan Perumahan, better known as PTPP, has secured contracts worth Rp 3.76 trillion ($252.54 million) for the development of the National Capital Nusantara (IKN) to date.

Antara, Jakarta – The Jakarta provincial government is encouraging the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in the capital city so that the worsening air pollution recorded of late can be reduced.

Antara, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo will kick off the non-judicial settlement of cases of past gross human rights violations in Aceh, said Coordinating Minister for Politics, Law, and Security Mahfud Md on Monday, June 12.

Antara, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) calls for an alert to the potential for drought in the regions of Java, Bali, West Nusa Tenggara (NTB), and East Nusa Tenggara (NTT).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – City-owned bus operator Transjakarta is planning to expand its electric bus fleet by adding 70 more emission-free vehicles by the end of this year.

Indah Handayani, Jakarta – Bank Indonesia said Tuesday that retail sales grew in May as reflected in the Real Sales Index (RSI) which stood at 234.2, up slightly by 0.02 percent year-on-year.

BeritaSatu, Jakarta – President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo recently praised singer Putri Ariani who has grabbed the attention of many Indonesians and beyond after getting a golden buzzer at the 2023 America's Got Talent.

Muhammad Fajar and Aninda Dewayanti – Youth organisations in Indonesia have attracted some attention to climate change issues. But they need to widen their reach into the country's political parties to drive their green agenda forward.

Singgih Wiryono, Jakarta – Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) Chairperson Muhammad Isnur says that the drafting of the Draft Law on Healthcare (RUU Kesehatan) is almost the same as the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (Cipta Kerja).

Between 2018 and 2022, rice production in Timor-Leste more than doubled, while the area devoted to the crop grew by almost 47%, according to unreleased government data seen by the Portuguese news agency Lusa.

Jakarta – Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) Chairperson and Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has reminisced about the birthday of Indonesia's 2nd president Suharto, who he considers to have been a hard worker, very disciplined and thorough.

Nabire, Jubi – Meepago Regional Customary Council (DAW) has declared that the recent conflict occuring in Uwapa District's Topo, Nabire Regency, as not being a tribal war. Marko Okto Pekei, the Council's chairman, made this statement based on his observation and assessment, which revealed the absence of typical characteristics associated with tribal warfare.

Antara, Jakarta – The Indonesian Ministry of Health advised everyone to be aware of the impact of El Nino. This is the phenomenon of warming sea surface temperatures that causes drought, which may lead to a spike in cases of dengue fever in Indonesia.

Basten Gokkon, Legian, Indonesia – Indonesia is developing tuna farming in an effort to boost its aquaculture sector and lift some pressure from the world's largest marine tuna fisheries.

Sebastian Strangio – Yesterday, Reuters news agency reported that Indonesia's Constitutional Court will soon rule on an attempt to change the country's voting system ahead of next year's presidential election.

Manokwari, Jubi – The alleged human rights violations in the 2001 Bloody Wasior in Papua's Wondiboy District, Wondama Bay Regency, remain unresolved.

President Joko Widodo, who was anticipated to address the Bloody Wasior case, did not bring about any resolution.

Jakarta – The House of Representatives ethics body has moved to question chairman of Commission VII overseeing energy and mineral resources Sugeng Suparwoto, a politician from the NasDem Party, following an allegation that he verbally sexually harassed a fellow lawmaker.

Jakarta – Chairwoman of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Megawati Soekarnoputri said on Monday that the country should emulate North Korea in building its nuclear capacity and called on the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN) to start designing a nuclear reactor.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Indonesian Environment and Forestry Minister Siti Nurbaya Bakar has spoken up about the policy on sea sand dredging and export regulated in Government Regulation (PP) No. 26 of 2023 concerning the Management of Sea Sedimentation Products.

Jakarta – New agreements inked in Singapore last week reflect how there has been more interest in investments for Indonesia's upcoming capital Nusantara, experts told The Straits Times.

They added that more substantive updates to investments for the new city in East Kalimantan, Borneo, will likely come after the archipelago heads to the polls in 2024.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia recently tried to persuade French investors into taking part in the new capital city Nusantara, particularly in its mixed-use project, according to a press statement.

Tenggara Strategics, Jakarta – After failing to win sufficient political support to get his term extended beyond 2024, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is maneuvering to make sure that whoever succeeds him will protect the legacy that he has built since taking power in 2014. Without a political party as his support base, however, he may find limitations to this role as kingmaker.

Finau Fonua – The West Papuan Council of Churches says Kiwi hostage Phillip Mehrtens' life is in danger if negotiations do not take place with the West Papua Liberation Army (TPNPB).

The Council is calling on Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) to cease military operations in West Papua and seek dialogue with TPNPB.

In case you missed it, Indonesia on Friday all but lifted requirements to wear masks in public, marking an official end to a mandate that had been in place since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

(Fewer people have been wearing masks in the past several months in Jakarta anyway, and even fewer beyond the capital, but that's a topic for another discussion.)

Jakarta – No doubt, President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo is a Javanese leader par excellence. He can be ruthless in his power play, but he is never a man of confrontation and hardly expresses his enmity toward his enemies.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – The government on Monday said that the recent export ban on unprocessed bauxite ores did not come out of the blue, adding that the miners already had enough time to prepare and work on their smelters.

Nabire, Jubi – Otto Gobay, the spokesperson for the Puncak and Puncak Jaya Association (Anlabepuja) expressed his desire for a swift resolution to the recent conflict between residents in Uwapa District's Topo, Nabire Regency, Central Papua Province. Gobay urged the local government to address and clarify the boundaries of the region to prevent future conflicts among residents.

Fianda Sjofjan, Tegar Nurfitra, Jakarta – The National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) has declared a commitment to making the 2024 presidential, parliamentary, and regional elections become a human rights friendly event to ensure that all citizens can exercise their voting rights.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – A Bank Indonesia survey recently revealed that the country's consumer confidence index or CCI has risen to 128.3 points in May, up by 2.2 points from April's 126.1.

Riri Rahayu, Jakarta – Indonesia's Nusantara new capital city or IKN Authority claimed that more foreign investors are attracted to invest in the IKN development project. Recently, two Singaporean investors signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) on Thursday, June 8, 2023.

Riri Rahayu (Antara), Jakarta – The Indonesia Tourism Scholars Association (ICPI) expert Azril Azahari stated that the new capital area in East Kalimantan has different characteristics from Bali. He made the statement in response to the government's plans for the development of the new capital city or IKN Nusantara's tourism and the local economy.

Riri Rahayu, M. Julnis Firmansyah, Jakarta – Public policy observer from Trisakti University, Trubus Rahadiansyah, opined that the government of President Joko Jokowi Widodo does not need to rush to pursue the realization of the new capital city or IKN project in East Kalimantan.

Antara, Jakarta – Urban planning expert Yoga Nirwono, on Sunday, June 11, 2023, suggested that the Jakarta Provincial Government should focus on limiting private motorized vehicles to reduce the recent increasing air pollution.

Jakarta – Service members and aircraft from the Indonesian and United States Air Forces are participating in bilateral tactical fighter exercise Cope West 2023 at Roesmin Nurjadin Air Force Base, Pekanbaru, Riau Province, from June 12 to 23.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – The Indonesian government's decision to revoke hundreds of logging, plantation and mining permits across the country is marred with irregularities including companies continuing to operate or engage in conflicts with Indigenous and local communities, according to a new report.

Jakarta – Indonesia's National Defense Forces (TNI) Commander Admiral Yudo Margono underscored the need for personnel to create and share positive contents in cyberspace.

There's a joke in Indonesia: NKRI. The widely used acronym for the republic, in fact stands for breach Negara Kepolisian Republik Indonesia – "Indonesia is a Police State".

Caricatures and memes in social media show how powerful the police are in the Indonesian justice system today.

Sean Goulding Carroll – Indonesia and Malaysia have accused the EU's anti-deforestation law of unfairly penalising small farmers, arguing that the regulation's complex requirements will financially strain those least able to afford it – allegations the European Commission has rejected.

Muhammad Aulia, Jakarta – Disgraced customs official Andhi Pramono was accused of money laundering on Monday, in addition to the corruption charges that have put him under the detention of the Corruption Eradication Commission, or KPK, since last month.