Backgrounder

Supply shortage and antivaxxers may slow COVID-19 national vaccination

The COVID-19 national vaccination is slowly picking up pace this week with the rollout of the AstraZeneca vaccine, the second of four brands of vaccine the government is using in the program. The ambitious program however may be shot down by the slow delivery of the vaccines, and some opposition from the public, with one survey showing nearly 30 percent of respondents said they refused to be vaccinated.

KCIC reshuffles its directors amid delays, cost overrun

Railway developer PT Kereta Cepat Indonesia China (KCIC) has announced the reshuffle of its board of directors amid mounting problems on its widely anticipated Jakarta-Bandung high-speed railway. Fresh faces in KCIC are expected to accelerate the completion of the project, which has been plagued with multiple delays and cost overrun, by 2022.

Edition

March 19, 2021

Moeldoko pushes his luck for presidential ambitions

Presidential Chief of Staff Moeldoko may have been acting in a personal capacity in taking over the chairmanship of a decaying political party, but his behavior has inevitably rubbed off on the reputation of his boss, President Jokowi. The President, who has nothing to gain from the ongoing troubles besetting the Democratic Party, now faces growing pressure to dump Moeldoko. If he becomes too much of a liability, Jokowi may have to fire the senior member of his inner circle.

Govt sides with coal, palm oil businesses in new waste regulation

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has excluded coal and palm oil waste from a government list of hazardous and toxic (B3) waste, despite opposition from environmentalists. With the exclusion, businesses have no obligation to treat them as hazardous waste, which subsequently reduces their costs and allows them to utilize the leftover material for commercial use.

Edition

March 12, 2021

Row may push Democratic Party further into oblivion

The split in the Democratic Party of former president Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has widened after his rivals held an extraordinary congress on March 5 to elect a new chair to replace his son and incumbent party chair, Agus “AHY” Harymurti Yudhoyono. The party had lost many supporters since Yudhoyono’s second and final presidential term ended in 2014, and with reconciliation now impossible, the break-up will push it further towards political oblivion.

KPK tax office probe implicates three major firms, more to follow

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) recently investigated alleged bribery at the tax office amounting to billions of rupiah that has implicated coal miner PT Jhonlin Baratama, PT Bank Pan Indonesia (Panin Bank), and Lampung-based sugar company PT Gunung Madu Plantations. Sources said more companies affiliated to big-name groups were involved, but that the anti-graft body was focusing on these three companies for now.

Edition

March 5, 2021

Nurdin’s bribery case shows depth of Indonesian political corruption

The arrest of South Sulawesi Governor Nurdin Abdullah by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) on Saturday has added yet again to the list of the country’s public officials involved in graft cases. The arrest is shocking considering Nurdin’s track record as a champion of the country’s anticorruption drive, raising questions about the severity of corruption in Indonesia.

Jokowi amends investment list amid alcohol backlash

President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has signed presidential regulation (Perpres) no. 10/2021, to which a priority investment list was attached, as an implementing regulation of the Job Creation Law. However, the inclusion of alcoholic beverages on the list led to a strong backlash from certain Muslim organizations and Islamic political parties that prompted Jokowi to alter the investment list while keeping the rest of the Perpres intact.