From gang-related violence, to the uphill battle against drugs, and up through the gubernatorial election in Jakarta, the Jakarta Globe is taking a look back at five big issues that spent most of 2012 grabbing nationwide attention and making headlines on our pages.
Against all odds
Smear campaigns and religious and ethnic slurs marred an otherwise peaceful and dignified gubernatorial election in Jakarta this year, one which also saw an underdog triumph against the more politically connected incumbent.
It was a long and arduous battle for small-town Mayor Joko Widodo before he eventually secured the post of leader of Indonesia's capital, and its biggest and wealthiest city.
The year started with Joko being the relatively unknown, partnering with the even lesser-known lawmaker Basuki Tjahaja Purnama.
But after a series of campaign visits to Jakarta's slums as well as the use of his iconic madras shirt, Joko was able to win the hearts of many, and came out on top of the first leg of the election in July, silencing political experts and survey groups who earlier predicted an easy win for Fauzi Bowo.
But the road to governorship for Joko proved to be a hard one as his opponents began attacking his running mate's religion and Chinese ethnicity through sermons, advertisements and pamphlets. Fauzi even threatened not to assist a group of people who lost their home to a fire if they didn't vote for him.
But even with great power and large financial and political support at his disposal, Fauzi could do little to stop Joko's growing popularity and lost.
Aviation safety
A five-year effort to improve the country's aviation safety was nearly shattered on May 9, when a Sukhoi Superjet passenger aircraft crashed into a dormant volcano south of Jakarta during a demonstration flight.
A total of 45 people, which include Russian crew members, airline officials and journalists, were killed that day.
The National Committee for Transportation Safety (KNKT) last week concluded its seven-month investigation, concluding that the pilot ignored the plane's warning system and descended to 6,000 feet in a mountainous region more than 8,000 feet high.
Last month, the Transportation Ministry validated a certificate for the aircraft to be used as a passenger jet in Indonesia but many said the certificate would not be enough to regain people's confidence on the aircraft.
There would be several more incidents after the Sukhoi crash including one where an army aircraft crashed into a military housing complex in Jakarta, killing all seven crew members and three civilians in June.
But questions about Indonesia's seriousness in improving aviation safety peaked this month when Jakarta's Soekarno-Hatta International Airport's radar system was disrupted in a blackout.
The outage caused two Lion Air planes to nearly collide in midair as they were approaching Indonesia's largest airport. The two aircraft were diverted to Semarang, Central Java, as officials rushed to get the radar working again.
Gangs of Jakarta
In January, Jakarta was shocked by the murder of 50-year-old businessman Tan Hari Tantono, also known as Ayung, who was found with stab wounds on his neck and stomach at the Swiss-Belhotel in Central Jakarta.
Police soon learned that this was no "ordinary" murder case. Caught by the surveillance camera was John Refra Kei, a notorious gang leader convicted many times for murder and racketeering.
Police said John was hired by Ayung's longtime rival to kill Ayung over a business dispute. Five of John's henchmen were later arrested, including two who surrendered voluntarily, but it took more to take the infamous gang leader.
Police said they had to shoot John in the thigh as he tried to attack police officers who were trying to arrest him at a hotel on Feb. 17. After a long investigation and trial, prosecutors sought a 14-year prison term for John in December.
In February, a group of 10 mourners at Gatot Subroto Army Hospital was attacked by a rival gang of 50 people, leaving two people dead and four injured. Eight people were later arrested, including Edward Tupessy, also known as Edo Kiting, a suspected drug kingpin. Police said the attack was linked to a drug transaction debt of Rp 320 million ($33,000).
Politicians and city officials were horrified that such a brutal attack could occur at a hospital owned by the army, saying that it showed that thugs in Jakarta had no fear of the authorities or law enforcers.
Fight against drugs
Indonesia's battle against drugs saw major achievements and stumbles this year.
In June, authorities conducted one of the biggest drug busts in recent years with the discovery of a container filled with 351 kilograms of methamphetamine, with an estimated street value of Rp 702 billion, as it left North Jakarta's Tanjung Priok Port.
But antidrug activists believe that the record bust also indicates that drug abuses are becoming more and more rampant in Indonesia, with drug smugglers bringing in bigger and bigger shipments from overseas.
The National Narcotics Agency (BNN), said recently that Indonesia's illicit drug trade has reached staggering levels, with the latest measurements putting the industry's annual value at Rp 42.8 trillion.
Police also said that they have been investigating a record number of drug-related cases across the country this year with more than 32,000 suspects charged.
Politicians and activists believed that the fight against drugs was being undermined by none other than President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, who was providing clemency to a number of drug convicts on death row.
The criticism peaked in November when authorities learned that Meirika Franola, whose sentence was reduced to life in prison on Sept. 26, was reportedly caught running her drug business from behind bars.
Subsidized fuel
The proposal was simple and based on a solid argument: with international oil prices soaring, Indonesia needs to cut down its fuel subsidy to save the country from a swelling budget.
But getting that message across to millions of protesting Indonesians and members of the legislature was not so simple.
The House of Representatives rejected the plan to increase the price of subsidized fuel from Rp 4,500 to Rp 6,000 per liter on March 31. That rejection opened up a floodgate of other problems including on how to preserve the year's subsidized fuel quota of 44 million kiloliters.
Provinces like East Kalimantan were the first to experience fuel shortage and the problem gradually started to affect major cities like Jakarta, which exhausted its subsidized fuel quota recently, leading to fuel scarcity across the capital.
The House, however, blamed the government for the scarcity instead of pointing fingers at itself for rejecting plans to slash fuel subsidy.
The government has tried to cut down on the consumption of subsidized fuel by banning its use for vehicles owned by government offices and state owned companies, but enforcement of the measure is rare if not non-existent.
Politically, the House decision also led to pressures from inside Yudhoyono's coalition to oust the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), a coalition member that took the opposition role in the fuel price hike plan.
Although the party has withdrawn from the ruling coalition, three PKS politicians are still a member of Yudhoyono's cabinet.