Backgrounder

Prabowo-Gibran’s masterplan in motion to avoid run-off

In the high-stakes arena of Indonesian politics, presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto and his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka seem to have made strategic and calculated attempts to secure victory after one round in next month's election. Their most recent bold political maneuver was the much-awaited inclusion of East Java Governor Khofifah Indar Parawansa in their campaign team, which many believe will significantly impact their electoral bid. Khofifah's alliance with Prabowo and Gibran will be crucial for the pair to win the battleground in East Java and clinch the presidency in a single round.

Govt sets ambitious EV target for 2024 as adoption below par

The Indonesian government has major work ahead for its EV ambitions as fewer than 1,000 units of fuel-based motorcycles were converted to electric ones in 2023, far below the 50,000-unit target. For 2024, a more ambitious target of 150,000 units has been set. Concurrently, the government appears to be prioritizing investments from foreign carmakers to boost the domestic adoption of electric cars.

Edition

January 12, 2024

Debate reveals little foreign policy, more on candidates’ characters

Anyone looking for a clue about the direction of Indonesia's defense and foreign policy in the next administration would have been utterly disappointed when these issues were brought into the spotlight in Sunday's presidential debate.

Fertilizer subsidy increase suspected to be politically motivated

The government has decided to raise the portion of its state budget for fertilizer subsidy, one of the current administration's last actions ahead of the upcoming 2024 elections. The decision brought attention due to it being in contrast with the second period of President Jokowi's government, which had previously opted to cut fertilizer subsidy. It also raised concerns that the decision was done with political motives ahead of the elections.

Edition

January 5, 2024

A run-off in the presidential election is possible

While polls have indicated that the Indonesian presidential race will most likely be a two-round affair because three pairs are contesting, the leading ticket in electability ratings maintains that winning the election outright in February is still possible.

Safety standards under scrutiny after explosion in Morowali

The occupational safety and health (OSH) standard at the nickel-focused Indonesia Morowali Industrial Park (IMIP) is under scrutiny after explosions blasted in Tsinghan subsidiary Indonesia Tsingshan Stainless Steel's (ITSS) nickel furnace located in the industrial park. The deadly incident adds to the series of OSH incidents in the industrial park, raising concerns over its OSH regulation implementation.

Edition

December 22, 2023

Conservative ulamas’ endorsement cuts both ways for candidate Anies

By signing an "integrity pact" with a group of conservative ulamas (Islamic scholars), presidential candidate Anies Baswedan may be gaining some extra votes. But he could also lose the support of a large segment of voters who are not comfortable with the group's Islamist agenda.

Govt relaxes local content requirements, incentives to investors

Aimed at attracting more electric vehicle (EV) manufacturers to set up shop in Indonesia and boost the local industry's EV production capacity, the government recently revised a presidential regulation (Perpres) to relax local content requirements (LCR; TKDN in Indonesian) and expand fiscal incentives for developing EV infrastructure, such as public EV battery exchange stations (SPBKLU). The revisions have, however, disappointed an existing investor in the EV manufacturing sector.