Mar 17, 2025 Last Updated 7:38 AM, Feb 24, 2025
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Politics

Crime and criminality

Crime and criminality
This edition of Inside Indonesia explores the complex politics of illegality

An unholy alliance

An unholy alliance
Political thugs and political Islam work together in Banten

Inside Yudhoyono'€™s anti-corruption machine

Inside Yudhoyono'€™s anti-corruption machine
Despite attempts to re-engineer Indonesia’s governance mechanisms, corruption remains a chronic problem

A sibling rivalry

A sibling rivalry
Since their institutional separation, the relationship between the police and the military has been troubled

Personality cults

Personality cults
Foreign news coverage needs to focus on Indonesia’s people, not just its leaders

A different kind of party

A different kind of party
PKS gets serious about recruitment in Malang

Music for the fight, movements for the soul

Music for the fight, movements for the soul
Fight-choreography in West Java is a source of cultural pride

Seeking Soeparno

Seeking Soeparno
A man who left his home to work in a plantation half-way around the world

When is a public holiday not a holiday?

When is a public holiday not a holiday?
The 100 year anniversary of Indonesia’s ‘National Awakening’ fails to inspire

Oey Hay Djoen (1929-2008)

Oey Hay Djoen (1929-2008)

Trouble in Paradise

Trouble in Paradise
A land conflict on the tourist island of Gili Trawangan dates back decades

Corruption Inc

Corruption Inc
Controlling local corruption is one thing; tackling the big guys in Jakarta is quite another

Policy drift

Policy drift
Ten years after Suharto, the economy is not recovering fast enough

An evening with Abu Bakar Ba’asyir

An evening with Abu Bakar Ba’asyir
Firebrand preacher’s audience doesn’t burn with enthusiasm

Teaching and remembering

Teaching and remembering
The legacy of the Suharto era lingers in school history books

How far to meaningful democracy? - 1

How far to meaningful democracy? - 1
What you see is what you get.

Stable but unpopular

Stable but unpopular
Indonesians have a love-hate relationship with their political parties.

Roots of democracy

Roots of democracy
Political parties have stronger social roots in Indonesia than elsewhere in the region.

The peace dividend

The peace dividend
With no internal wars to fight, Yudhoyono can afford to reform the military.

How far to meaningful democracy? - 2

How far to meaningful democracy? - 2
Democracy is feasible, but only if Indonesia’s democrats take on the elite.

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