Backgrounder

Jokowi scouting next TNI chief

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has reportedly moved to select the new Indonesian Military (TNI) chief as the current commander, Gen. Andika Perkasa, will reach his retirement age of 58 on Dec. 21 and Jokowi does not seem to consider an extension of Andika’s military service.

PLN restructuring paves way for subsidiary privatization

State-owned electricity company PT PLN recently formed four sub-holding companies, two that consolidate all its power generation assets, one that integrates primary energy management and one that develops services beyond electricity. The two power generation companies will share two new business entities in renewable energy, which are likely to be privatized.

Edition

September 23, 2022

Constitutional and ethical issues with Jokowi running for VP

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s supporters have figured out another way to extend his political career beyond 2024, namely by having him run as vice president. The idea gained traction when Constitutional Court spokesman Fajar Laksono raised the issue, but observers say it is just a bad idea from the lens of ethics and, perhaps, the Constitution itself.

Jokowi issues renewable energy regulation with unattractive pricing scheme

Presidential regulation (Perpres) No. 112/2022 on renewable energy, which had been teased since last year, is finally out. However, the reaction to the regulation has been bleak. There is no feed-in tariff and the ceiling price set for electricity purchased by state-owned electricity company PLN is lower than expected, disappointing renewable energy developers.

Edition

September 16, 2022

Protests over fuel price hike continue but unlikely to be effective

September has been marked by massive waves of street rallies, protesting against the government’s decision to increase subsidized fuel prices. With the Labor Party making a name for itself by spearheading the demonstrations, the protests are likely to carry on, but unlikely to force the government to bow down to their demands.

Jokowi toying with possibility of importing Russian oil

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has floated the idea of importing discounted Russian crude oil to suppress the ballooning fuel subsidy amid rising international crude oil prices. Some quarters, however, have warned the government of the consequence of importing Russian oil without the blessing of the United States. But all indications show that the government is likely to back down.

Edition

September 9, 2022

Supporters keep hope alive for Jokowi to stay beyond 2024

Die-hard supporters of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo held a congress in Bandung on Aug. 28 to keep their hopes alive for him to continue to serve the nation beyond 2024 when his current term in office ends, in defiance of the constitutional two-term limit.

Fuel price hike met by demos, but not politically endangering -- yet

The government’s recent decision to increase the prices of subsidized fuels by around 30 percent has sparked protests and demonstrations across the country; and yet, there is no indication of political fallout, as all political parties in the government coalition support the decision.