Backgrounder

Indonesia ups pressure for mass COVID-19 vaccination

Good news is hard to come by as the nation struggles to contain the spread of COVID-19 and to stop the country from falling into deeper economic recession. That’s why the recent government’s announcement that Indonesia will begin massive vaccination at the end of 2020 came as a breath of fresh air. However, public discussion instead shifted to questions about the distribution of the vaccines, pricing and even post-pandemic Indonesia.

Pertamina loses $761 million, Ahok in hot water

Pertamina booked a net loss of US$761.24 million in the first semester of this year as the company suffered from the pandemic, a reversal from a profit of $746.68 million in the same period of last year. This loss – although it is well understood by many considering the pandemic – has put chief commissioner Ahok in hot water with haters pointing their fingers at him and Ahok himself blaming management for not being transparent.

Edition

August 28, 2020

AGO on fire amid investigation into high-profile cases

Fire razed the main building of the Attorney General’s Office in South Jakarta over the weekend, destroying mainly the human resources, legal and planning departments as well as the AGO’s intelligence office. As the blaze came when the AGO was investigating several high-profile cases, many have speculated it was a case of arson to obliterate traces of big names allegedly under the investigators’ spotlight.

OJK facilitates Kookmin to control Bukopin, Bosowa goes to court

OJK prevented conglomerate Bosowa Corporindo, a controlling shareholder of trouble-ridden Bank Bukopin, from voting during the bank’s extraordinary shareholders meeting on Tuesday (Aug. 25) to facilitate KB Kookmin Bank to become the majority shareholder through private placement to save Bukopin from going further down the drain. Bosowa, nevertheless, refused to bow down and took the case to court to annul the private placement.

Edition

August 21, 2020

Healthcare capacity nears limit amid COVID-19 surge

Now in the seventh month of the pandemic, Indonesia has recorded a nationwide COVID-19 tally of 144,945 confirmed cases with 1,902 new cases on Wednesday. The country’s positivity rate and case-fatality ratio (CFR) have been rising since the government relaxed the PSBB in early June, and are now starting to overwhelm the national health system as hospitals face imminent overcrowding and medical workers face fatigue from overwork.

New mining regulator faces tough challenges against coal barons

Ridwan Djamaluddin, a former deputy to Coordinating Minister Luhut Pandjaitan, has been appointed the mineral and coal mining (Minerba) director general at the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to implement the controversial, newly amended 2020 Minerba Law. Many believe Ridwan would have no other choice but smoothen the renewal process of concessions belonging to the first-generation coal mining giants.

Edition

August 14, 2020

Prabowo fortifies power, reinforces 2024 presidential bid

Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto retained his post as chairman of the Gerindra Party during its extraordinary congress held on Aug. 8. Prabowo’s reappointment, many argue, carries implications about not only Gerindra’s future but also his position in President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s administration and his alleged presidential bid in 2024.

BPJS Kesehatan deficit may end as MA supports premium hike

BPJS Kesehatan has been suffering big deficits every year since its launch in 2014. And last year, the deficit swelled to Rp 17 trillion from Rp 10.9 trillion in 2018, bringing the total cumulative deficit to Rp 50.9 trillion by the end of last year. The chronic problem of the deficits may likely come to an end this year after the Supreme Court recently approved the government’s second attempt to raise the JKN premium by almost 100 percent.