Stanley A. Weiss, Jakarta – Five years ago, one of the most respected soldiers in US history died too soon.

Yohanes Sulaiman – Based on quick-count results, Joko Widodo, the mayor of Solo, seems to have defeated incumbent Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo with what could be a significant margin in

Endy Bayuni, Jakarta – Here is a new film that should stir more controversy in Indonesia than the trashy Innocence of Muslims, one that every concerned Indonesian must watch: The Act of

AE Priyono and Teresa Birks, Jakarta – The politicization of religion in the Jakarta gubernatorial election isn't without precedent.

Ati Nurbaiti, Jakarta – An American-made film insulting Islam is expected to attract more protests at home and abroad.

Phil Lynch – It should be a matter of great concern to all Australians that Defence Minister Stephen Smith, says he has "no concerns" about the human rights implications of Australia's

Aboeprijadi Santoso, Jakarta – "It's Jokowi, stupid, not Prabowo!" one friend replied, paraphrasing Bill Clinton's famous slogan, to a colleague who had argued that it was the Prabowo f

Kornelius Purba, Jakarta – How can we believe in President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's ability to realize his promises on big issues when he intentionally broke the pledges he expressed

Hundreds of Indonesians are on the brink of being driven permanently from their homes by fellow citizens, sharing the fate of thousands before them in other sectarian conflicts.

Sue Ingram – On 8 August 2012 the Fifth Constitutional Government of Timor-Leste, formed following Parliamentary elections on 7 July and led by Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao, was sworn i

Richard Di Natale – Severe abuses of human and democratic rights continue in West Papua as the indigenous population struggles for the right to decide their own future as a people.

Asvi Warman Adam, Jakarta – The recent publication of "The 1965-1966 Indonesian Killings Revisited" seminar results in Singapore in 2009, entitled The Contours of Mass Violence in Indon

Tobias Basuki, Jakarta – The country's top officials have finally paid attention to the brutal attack on the Shia community in Sampang, East Java, which not only claimed two lives and d

Calvin Sidjaya, Jakarta – Early last month, the Indonesian government held its first ever congress of Indonesian diaspora in Los Angeles.

Pitan Daslani – The biggest difficulty in Indonesia today is finding capable democratic leaders with statesman qualities.

Pitan Daslani – A powerful wave of aspiration for a total overhaul of the presidential election system has begun to take shape over the past month following appeals by President Susilo

The death toll from traffic accidents involving holiday revelers traveling to and from their hometowns for Idul Fitri had reached a staggering 574 as of Tuesday, with the police predict

In Ramadhan, Muslims are reminded of their obligation to pay alms to the poor.

Prodita Sabarini – Come Ramadhan, mosques in Indonesia bustle with people donating and collecting alms, or zakat, for the fasting month.

Warwick Fry – There has been plenty of warm inner glow around East Timor about the exemplary conduct of the general elections in July.

Jakarta – Scattered across 17,000 islands on the Indian and Pacific oceans, the world's largest Muslim country has found its own blend of Islam: equal parts religion, secularism and con

Fitri Bintang Timur, Singapore – What makes certain countries great while others are not?

Ahmad Najib Burhani – In June, the Fund for Peace issued a failed-states index.

The drama of the last two days at the National Police Headquarters, involving anti graft officers spending the night and having their pre-dawn meals there, before commencing fasting, ha

Endy Bayuni, Jakarta – Last week, the National Commission on Human Rights, an independent state body, released its findings from a four-year investigation into the 1965 purge of suspect

A. Lin Neumann – We hear a lot about the greatness that is just around the corner for Indonesia, and much of it rings true.

It's official.

Khairil Azhar, Jakarta – "What is your conclusion?

Michael Bachelard – In the space of a few minutes at the start of his visit to Indonesia, the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Bob Carr, outlined two apparently contradictory ambitions.

Armindo Maia and Sue Ingram – Hopes and fears of an alliance between Timor-Leste's two major political parties, CNRT (National Congress for Timorese Reconstruction) and Fretilin (Revolu

Six weeks ago, Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao formally nominated two leaders from our oil and gas sector to develop investment policy for Timor-Leste's sovereign wealth fund.

Gary LaMoshi, Denpasar, Bali – A new corruption scandal has shown that Indonesia's crooked politicians and government officials have no sacred cows – or books.

Simon Roughneen – The party of East Timor's prime minister won the majority of seats this weekend in peaceful parliamentary elections, paving the way for him to form another coalition g

Eben Kirksey – West Papua is one of the most difficult places to access on the planet.

Jacob Zenn – Indonesia's Islamic Defenders' Front (FPI) pressure group has this year in turns assaulted Ahmadiya and Christian places of worship, attacked journalists who reported criti

Ahmad Junaidi, Jakarta – Nowadays, people are witnessing the Holy Koran being corrupted not only on the interpretation of its content, but also on its procurement.

Indonesia has a serious rival to the Wall of China – the thicker, longer and more formidable wall of resistance against combating graft.

Oei Eng Goan – The uncongenial relations between the House of Representatives and the Corruption Eradication Commission have again been in the spotlight over the last two weeks, this ti

Damien Kingsbury – In 2010, a senior Timorese political figure remarked in private conversation that Timor-Leste had never been better.

An open letter from Victor Mambor, Head of the Jayapura Branch of the Alliance for Independent Journalists, has been circulated around Papua, highlighting the pervasive involvement of I

Issues on Papua – and its sister West Papua – have always drawn the interest of both domestic and international communities.

Noah Beaudette – In March, Religious Affairs Minister Suryadharma Ali made headlines by announcing plans to ban skirts above the knee, calling such attire "pornographic."

On 11 April 2012 the Indonesian parliament ratified a law on managing social conflict (Penanganan Konflik Sosial – PKS) in order to address Indonesia's experience of dealing with social

Jennifer Robinson – As violence escalates in West Papua, one cannot help but recall East Timor and wonder how much worse it must get before Australia and the international community wil

Oei Eng Goan – The absence of Anas Urbaningrum at the meeting of the Communication Forum of the Democratic Party's founders held in Jakarta last Wednesday has raised public speculation

Riwanto Tirtosudarmo, Jakarta – The problem confronted by Papua, the easternmost province of Indonesia, is structural, rather than developmental as perceived by the current government.

In an effort to solve a problem, a leader has to avoid blowing an issue out of proportion or, in the extreme, playing it down as if everything is fine.

Emma Macdonald – The decision by independence fighters in East Timor to swap guns for diplomacy not only worked in creating the new independent nation of Timor-Leste, but serves as a ca

Endy M Bayuni – Did you know that 2012 is The International Year of the Rhino? No, you didn't miss the news. We, the media, did.

Yanto Soegiarto – Old documents reveal that on Aug. 4, 1965, Indonesia's first president, Sukarno, collapsed in his room at Merdeka Palace.