Tenggara Backgrounder September 28

Jokowi winning the campaign to woo Muslim voters

The 2019 presidential race has just gotten much harder for challenger Prabowo Subianto after an important faction in Nahdlatul Ulama, representing the family of the late former president Abdurrahman Wahid, threw its support behind the incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo.  

Golkar: Teetering on the verge yet again

The Golkar Party is under fire after its chairman Airlangga Hartanto become a target of public scrutiny lately. After two of its politicians were named suspects in the bribery case related to the coal-fired power plant (PLTU) project in Riau, the corruption sage plaguing the Golkar Party will likely to continue.

Resource nationalism triumphant in Freeport deal

Indonesia has officially legalized its ownership over 51 percent stakes in PT Freeport Indonesia after the state mining holding company, Inalum, signed a US$ 3.85 billion sales and purchase agreement (SPA) with Freeport McMoran and Rio Tinto on Thursday. Finding the significant investment in underground mining exploration will be the next challenge for Indonesia’s triumph.

Govt uses moratorium to fight excess supply

Although the Presidential Instruction No. 8/2018 on oil palm plantations expansion prohibition received a laudable response from environmental groups, there are actually a lot of homework for the government to start addressing the underlying problems in the palm oil sector.