What explains the vastly different tone in foreign and Indonesian reporting on the Indonesian government’s response to Covid-19? Dr Dirk Tomsa explores the issue with Indonesian journalist Febriana Firdaus and ABC journalist Max Walden in the latest episode of Talking Indonesia.
The annual mass exodus that occurs at the end of Ramadan could be disastrous for the spread of Covid-19. Dimas Budi Prasetyo and Lury Sofyan that if the government had provided clear and direct messaging, more Indonesians might have changed their behaviour.
Why did the recent closure of a McDonald’s in Jakarta cause such a stir? A look at the history and pattern of urban development in Jakarta gives some clues, writes Catriona Croft-Cusworth.
Political and business elites are exploiting the Covid-19 crisis to further increase their power and material resources, write Rafiqa Qurrata A’yun and Abdil Mughis Mudhoffir.
Dissatisfied with the official response to Covid-19, a group of business workers are pursuing a class action lawsuit against the government. The case shows the public are willing to hold those in power accountable, writes Laras Susanti.
As the economic impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic begin to take their toll on Indonesia’s poor and vulnerable, what is the government doing to assist these groups? Dr Jemma Purdey chats to Athia Yumna in the latest episode of Talking Indonesia.
Muhammad Afif Qoyim writes that social restrictions are having profound social and economic consequences for poor and marginalised residents of Jakarta, such as the fishing community of Kali Adem.
Constant reporting on the potential for “disaster” has failed to acknowledge that many of the factors that amplify the risks of Covid-19 for the Indonesian population are structural, writes Associate Professor Linda Rae Bennett.
Cameron Sumpter and Jordan Newton write that a recent upsurge in militancy in Poso demonstrates the resilience of Mujahidin Indonesia Timur (MIT), and the troubling degree of community support it continues to enjoy.
It is overly simplistic to label those who defy recommendations on physical distancing to worship at mosques, churches and temples as radicals or extremists, writes Dr Nadirsyah Hosen.
Recent weeks have seen questions raised about the “millennial” special staffers in President Joko Widodo’s inner circle. Ibnu Nadzir writes that these controversies are more than simply matters of poor governance.
Dominique Tasevski examines the history of the Australian Communist Party’s problematic and inconsistent position on Indonesian control over West Papua.
Prominent public intellectual and leading critic of the Soeharto regime Arief Budiman died on 23 April. Professor Vedi Hadiz reflects on the life of the dissident academic and Foundation Professor of Indonesian Studies at the University of Melbourne.
What considerations have informed the government’s response to Covid-19? What challenges does it face, and does the crisis threaten the government’s legitimacy? Dr Dave McRae chats to President Joko Widodo’s former deputy chief of staff Dr Yanuar Nugroho in Talking Indonesia.
