KEZIA LAKSMONO WRITES – Tesla cars roaming the streets are a common sight for the average Angeleno. Public parking lots with charging stations for electric cars are now the norm here. But for a typical Indonesian like me? I am fascinated by this. While renewable energy has become the second-most…
GABY RUSLI WRITES (in a series of reviews on Indonesian classics) — Corruption. Collusion. Nepotism. The hypocrisy of the wealthy. All odds are stacked against the poor. These are some of the authentic and intriguing themes in Mochtar Lubis’ third novel, Twilight in Djakarta (1963). Lubis’ story challenges an autocratic leader and…
KEZIA LAKSMONO WRITES — So, on April 2nd, in the heart of Jakarta, I strode into a large building where the vaccine was being distributed and almost cried with joy as I got my jab of the Sinovac vaccine. This name might be unknown to you – with all the…
KEZIA LAKSMONO WRITES — My home country is known for many cultural myths and rich folklore. I’ve always been skeptical of such stories. But folklore about New Year’s Day weather? For me, that’s always been an exception. Historically, rain comes pouring down on the city of Jakarta – the place…
SIANY GUNAWAN WRITES – For Indonesia, the world’s two major trading partners -China and the US- and the multiplier effects of their trade war- have intensified pressure on Indonesia’s aim to accomplish its targeted growth goal in Jakarta. Yes, the US-China trade war could end up benefiting the Indonesian economy…
EVA THIO WRITES – President Joko Widodo, whose approval rating has reached a remarkable 68 percent, is looking to cement his reelection with a successful hosting of the Asia Games next year. But is the country and its aging sports infrastructure up to the task? Jakarta and Palembang will host…
EVA THIO WRITES – President of Indonesia, Joko Widodo, also known as Jokowi, officially dispatched aid to the Rohingya refugees. The President sent 34 tons worth of aid to help the displaced Rohingya people fleeing Burma, Myanmar. Four Hercules planes carrying food, family kits, tents, and blankets departed for Bangladesh…
[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”] ELIZABETH SOELISTIO WRITES – In early May, the former governor of Jakarta was convicted of blasphemy and sentenced to two years in prison. This came shortly after he lost re-election to a Muslim opponent in a hard-fought election campaign. To…
MICHELLE VARINATA WRITES – Not a single person thinks that being Chinese and Christian in a homogeneously Muslim majority will make history in Indonesia’s political sphere. Basuki Tjahaja Purnarma, otherwise known as Ahok, is Jakarta’s first governor of Chinese descent. While Jokowi has already left his position as Governor of…
Asia Media International Founder Tom Plate writes in his syndicated column: History never comes to a halt but snakes its way into the future as it wishes – often in unexpected and sometimes tragic ways. Whether via revolution or counter-revolution, any abrupt change in citizen participation and political structure will…
“The United States is an Asian-Pacific nation, and we take our enduring interests there very seriously. We know that America’s security and prosperity are closely and increasingly linked to the Asia-Pacific.” So spoke John Kerry, that peripatetic American diplomat. And so finally, if but for one excellent speech, the secretary…
ASIA MEDIA STAFF WRITES – Congratulations are in order for Joko Widodo, the governor of the massive metropolis of Jakarta. After an arduous nationwide campaign against a tough, determined and extremely well-financed opponent, this personally modest but overly reformist former furniture salesman won by a margin of four-to-five percentage points. In…
Since the 1998 Asian financial and political crisis, the media industry in Indonesia has been opened up fully, and is now freer from government control than ever. The media inarguably plays a crucial role in Indonesian democracy by educating its citizens and informing them of government activity. However, Indonesia’s media…
Syndicated columnist and LMU professor Tom Plate writes — Within days, President Barack Obama is set to visit Southeast Asia and this is a very good thing. The region is becoming more significant by the month. U.S. policy is said to be in the process of ‘pivoting’ to Asia after…
