Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto's recent budget cut to save over Rp 306 trillion (US$18.9 billion) to fund his administration's priority programs is incomprehensible.

Being fiscally prudent amid these uncertainties is a good thing, but the manner and scale of these cuts raise serious questions about their urgency, rationale and long-term impact of such a decision.

Jakarta – Amid concerns of harmful content over social media and the platforms' impact on their children's development, some parents conveyed their support for the government's move to introduce age restrictions on social media users.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – In the past month, Aldo Simanjuntak's coffee shop in South Jakarta has only had about one third of its typical number of customers. His one-time regulars, mostly university students and employees of a nearby state-run bank, have been coming by less and less frequently.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Indonesia has maintained a trade surplus for the 57th consecutive month since May 2020 as the country's exports surpassed its imports by $3.45 billion in January, according to the Central Statistics Agency (BPS) on Monday.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto revealed Monday that Indonesia's foreign exchange reserves would skyrocket by tens of billions of American dollars this year as the government would soon require all resource exporters to hold its proceeds onshore.

Hendro D Situmorang, Jakarta – Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer on Monday joined a rally of motorcycle riders and car drivers demanding Ramadan bonuses from the ride-hailing companies they work for.

Iwan Kurniawan – Maxwell Ronald Lane is still very active and gutsy at the age of 74. A researcher at the ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute in Singapore, he is known as the translator of the works of Indonesia's foremost author Pramoedya Ananta Toer and other books he has written about Indonesia.

Roger Peet – I recently spent two weeks in Yogyakarta, Indonesia, collaborating with the artists of Taring Padi on a new artist book about the legacy of the political genocide of 1965.

Juan Ardya Guardiola, Bogor – The newly established sovereign wealth fund Danantara will finance 35 large-scale national projects throughout this year, a close ally of President Prabowo Subianto said on Saturday.

Iwan Kurniawan – In 1979, shortly after being released from Buru Island in the Maluku Islands, Pramoedya Ananta Toer, a writer and member of the People's Cultural Institute (Lekra), together with Hasjim Rachman and Joesoef Isak, founded the Hasta Mitra publishing house.

Hendro D Situmorang, Ricki Putra Harahap, Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto welcomed his predecessor, Joko "Jokowi" Widodo, as a special guest during the 17th anniversary celebration of his Great Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra) on Saturday evening. He thanked Jokowi for his support during last year's elections, saying it played a significant role in his victory.

Jakarta – The Judicial Commission introduced on Feb. 14 a work from home (WFH) policy for its employees in an effort to cut costs amid President Prabowo Subianto's budget efficiency drive across various government institutions, both central and regional.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Rp10.28 trillion budget reduction for the Ministry of Agriculture may hinder efforts to achieve national food self-sufficiency, Minister Amran Sulaiman stated during a working meeting with the House of Representatives' (DPR) Commission IV on Thursday night, February 13.

Eka Yudha Saputra, Jakarta – Former President Joko Widodo or Jokowi said that President Prabowo Subianto is so powerful that no one dares to criticize him. Jokowi made this remark during his speech at the 17th anniversary of Gerindra in Sentul, Bogor, West Java.

Nabiila Azzahra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto stated that not all political parties need to join the government to contribute to effective governance. He suggested that parties can offer valuable assistance from outside the cabinet by providing constructive criticism and oversight of the Red and White Cabinet's performance.

Linda Yulisman, Jakarta – Ms Rinda (not her real name to protect her identity) and around 30 of her colleagues have worked for the past week with most of the lights in the office switched off, after President Prabowo Subianto ordered budget cuts for ministries and government agencies.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto addressed criticism of his 109-member "Red and White Cabinet," which has been labeled as "bloated." Prabowo's cabinet is the largest since 1966, when Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, formed an administration with 132 ministers.

Ricki Putra Harahap, Bogor – President Prabowo Subianto announced that Indonesia's budget efficiency measures will continue in three phases, targeting total savings of Rp 750 trillion (approximately $44 billion).

Yovanda Noni, East Kutai – The Dayak Wehea Indigenous Community in East Kutai Regency, East Kalimantan, shares a very close relationship with the nature and forests around them. They not only protect the forest as part of their cultural heritage but also as a vital source of life.

Nusantara – The National Capital Nusantara Authority is offering free land to foreign governments that establish their embassies in the new capital before 2028.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Denpasar – Climate change is putting the future of palm oil production at risk, as extreme heat threatens the survival of Elaeidobius kamerunicus, the primary pollinating beetle for oil palm.

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto recently told the World Governments Summit that his government had saved up to $20 billion in state spending amid mixed reactions towards his cost-cutting measures.

Jakarta – The Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) has highlighted the culture of land ownership in Asia which has changed significantly and fundamentally in the last 70 years. Walhi Executive Director Zenzi Suhadi said the communal ownership systems for waters and land is heading towards privatisation.

Giffar Rivana, Jakarta – Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has indicated that Indonesia's 2026 state budget (APBN) will follow the efficiency measures implemented in 2025, with significant spending cuts across ministries and government agencies.

Faisal Maliki Baskoro, Denpasar – The palm oil industry faces mounting challenges from climate change, with prolonged droughts and rising temperatures threatening yields in major producing countries.

Effendi Rusli, Pekanbaru – Corruption fugitive Nader Thaher has been arrested after 19 years on the run, finally facing justice for a Rp 35.9 billion graft scandal that caused losses to state-owned Bank Mandiri, a prosecutor in Pekanbaru confirmed on Friday.

Aep, Jakarta – Government budget cuts are dealing a severe blow to Bandung's hotel industry, with businesses reporting significant revenue losses due to cancellations of government meetings and events.

Jakarta – It has been unsettling to see the latest developments in the House of Representatives.

Jakarta – A court in Banten has handed lengthy prison terms to poachers who killed dozens of rare Javan rhinos, court rulings seen by AFP Friday showed, drawing praise from conservationists who said it would help deter lucrative wildlife crime.

Riandy Laksono – The Prabowo Subianto administration begins 2025 with a massive Rp 306 trillion fiscal spending cut, representing over 8% of this year's state budget, delivered by Presidential Instruction 1/2025.

Alfitria Nefi P, Jakarta – The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is among the institutions affected by Prabowo's budget efficiency directive. As a result, the anti-corruption agency had to relinquish a budget of Rp201 billion due to the budget cut.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – Head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN), Dadan Hindayana, said his agency would address the Rp200.2 billion budget cut by borrowing land from various government institutions. He explained that this land will be used to build the Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) for the free nutritious meal program.

Alif Ilham Fajriadi, Jakarta – Criminal Investigation Agency (Bareskrim) of Indonesian National Police (Polri) is investigating a report from the Ministry of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) regarding the seawall in the waters of Bekasi.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Gerindra Party openly announced that newly appointed Chair of Gerindra Party, Prabowo Subianto, will once again run for president in the 2029 general elections.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – The Minister of Industry, Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita, says the number of car owners in Indonesia is far behind its neighboring countries.

M. Raihan Muzzaki, Jakarta – Army Chief of Staff (KSAD) General Maruli Simanjuntak has denied claims that the Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) are exercising a dual function (dwifungsi) within President Prabowo Subianto's administration. He emphasized that the concept of TNI's dual function was a feature of Soeharto's era and no longer applies today.

Indonesia, West Papua – On 7 February 2025, members of the Pumako Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) special unit reportedly opened fire at a Papuan farmer, Mr Marten Anouw, in the Kapiraya District, Deiyai Regency, Papua Tengah Province.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – Indonesian Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati has guaranteed that ongoing government scholarships will not be affected by the budget cuts being implemented by President Prabowo Subianto.

It is known that ministries and agencies are implementing budget cuts based on Presidential Instruction.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto, speaking via video conference at the World Governments Summit 2025 on Thursday, February 13, claimed to have established a government based on talent and meritocracy within his first 100 days of office.

Muhammad Farhan, Jakarta – Migrant Worker Protection (P2MI) Minister Abdul Kadir Karding, has urged young Indonesians to channel their frustrations over limited job opportunities into working abroad, responding to the rising "kabur aja dulu" (just run away first) trend on social media.

Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has once again displayed his penchant for military figures filling strategic posts within his government with the recent appointment of Maj. Gen. Novi Helmy Prasetya as the new president director of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog).

Keith Anthony Fabro – Authorities in Indonesia have made yet another major seizure of smuggled songbirds, highlighting the persistent pressure from a trade with deep cultural roots in the country.

Muhammad Aulia Rahman, Jakarta – A Jakarta judge on Thursday rejected a pre-trial petition filed by Hasto Kristiyanto, the secretary-general of the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), who sought to challenge his designation as a graft suspect by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK).

Jayanty Nada Shofa, Jakarta – Over 4,000 Indonesians are among the millions of foreigners who have received final deportation orders in the US which is currently witnessing mass arrests against undocumented immigrants.

Heru Andriyanto, Jakarta – Copper and gold mining company Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) has delivered its first batch of gold bars to state-owned gold supplier Aneka Tambang (Antam), marking a major milestone in Indonesia's mining industry. The initial shipment weighed 125 kilograms and was valued at approximately Rp 207 billion ($12.7 million).

Erfan Maruf, Jakarta – The Public Works (PU) Ministry has furloughed thousands of contract workers and suspended multiple infrastructure projects following a massive Rp 81.38 trillion ($5 billion) budget cut. The reductions have halted road maintenance, clean water supply expansions, and waste management programs nationwide.

Jakarta – The administration of Prabowo Subianto is busy promoting carbon capture and storage (CCS) technology as a way of mitigating climate change. But is this really to prevent a 2-degree-Celsius rise in global temperatures, or simply an excuse to maintain the dominance of industries based on fossil fuels?

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Unlike Radio Republik Indonesia (RRI) and the Public Broadcasting Institution (LPP) TVRI which had terminated employment due to budget efficiency, the National News Agency (LKBN) Antara did not experience budget cuts even though they are government media.

Dian Rahma Fika, Jakarta – Chair of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Dadan Hidayana said the budget for the free nutritious meal (MBG) program was cut by 0.2845 percent. Initially, BGN received a budget of Rp71 trillion to realize the free nutritious meal program in 2025.

Melinda Martinus – As Indonesia forges ahead with plans to become an advanced economy, an honest reckoning needs to occur, to ensure that it does not squander its vast environmental resources for short-term gain.