The people of Indonesia & their culture, politics, economy and environment - Inside Indonesia: The peoples and cultures of Indonesia

National Politics

Labouring in vain?

The Labour Party (Partai Buruh) was revived in the wake of opposition to the Omnibus Law on Job Creation, but failure in the 2024 election shows they failed to connect with the workers they aim to represent

The Jokowi-Luhut alliance

A business alliance forged in 2008 between Joko Widodo and Luhut Pandjaitan formed the basis for a major axis in his presidency

Prabowo's record in need of review

Letter to the Editor

Obstacles to realising the right to health

Why has the government failed to do more to adopt health policies consistent with the right to health?

Languages of propaganda

Cyber troops both for and against the government leverage Pancasila as a weapon in their pseudo-moral bickering

Normalising the New Normal

The government’s New Normal campaign has been lucrative business for buzzers

Organisation and funding of social media propaganda

Politicians and entrepreneurs spend big on hiring online mercenaries, or ‘buzzers’, to manipulate public opinion on social media in their favour

Review: Bicultural leader Siauw Giok Tjhan

Photo essay: Alive, but not living

Refugees in Makassar protest the sudden increase in heavy policing by immigration authorities

Mining – who benefits?

Two carts rest on a mining site path. The photo is taken at an angle where the path appears to be going down from left to right.

Mining law changes in decentralising Indonesia raises new challenges and opportunities for local communities

The life and death of Indonesia’s mineral export ban

President Joko Widodo speaks at a podium, with a red banner as a backdrop.

The Jokowi government’s policy shift contributes to pervasive regulatory ambiguity in Indonesia’s mining sector

Resource nationalism as imperialism

A worker at a mining site points to the low-hanging clouds.

Foreign investment in large-scale mining has encountered serious obstacles

Review: The ideology of the family state

David Reeve reviews David Bourchier’s important contribution to understandings of political thinking in Indonesia

Indonesia’s diaspora citizens

A panel of six sit on a small stage in front of a banner at the 4th Congress of Indonesian Diaspora. (Yearry Panji Setianto)

After decades of neglect, Indonesia’s diaspora demands more rights

Esai: Mencari identitas, memetik I.N.D.O.N.E.S.I.A

Keeping promises

Disability rights activists have called on Jokowi to account for his pre-election promises

United in disappointment

Labour rights have suffered under the Jokowi administration

The politics of compromise

The Reconciliation Committee has dashed hopes that Jokowi could improve Indonesia’s human rights record

Human Rights under Jokowi

Jokowi’s first 15 months in office have disappointed human rights advocates

Review: Democracy, corruption and the politics of spirits in contemporary Indonesia

Nils Bubandt brings an exciting new approach to the study of Indonesia's politics

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Lontar Modern Indonesia

A selection of stories from the Indonesian classics and modern writers, periodically published free for Inside Indonesia readers, courtesy of Lontar.