Hatred is strength. Anger is force. Darth Vader understood this. And probably so, too, those who have formulated political words and acts since the 20th century: from Hitler to Donald Trump, from Stalin to IS, from the Ku Klux Klan to Pol Pot, from the Red Guards to the Islamic Defenders Front. They incite anger, they spread hatred, and then they turn both of them into 'ideology' and from then on who knows how many victories are celebrated and how many millions of bodies pile up.

Ade Komarudin wasted no time in stepping on the gas pedal soon after he was sworn in to replace House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Setya Novanto who recently resigned. Ade, a native of Purwakarta, went on a marathon of meetings with the heads of political parties. Ade first met with National Democrat (NasDem) Chairman Surya Paloh. The next day, Ade attended the swearing-in ceremony of ambassadors at the State Palace, where he met with Hanura Party Chairman Wiranto. He also plans to eventually pay his respects to Megawati Soekarnoputri, who leads the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

Bona Sigalingging never missed a count of how many times the congregation of the Yasmin Indonesian Christian Church (GKI Yasmin) had conducted their services on the street across from the State Palace in Jakarta. The latest Sunday service on January 3 was the 108th held on Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Central Jakarta.

At a meeting with his Indonesian counterpart Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi in Jakarta recently, Singapore's top diplomat Vivian Balakrishnan conveyed Singapore's interest to intensify cooperation in several areas, such as manpower development. Balakrishnan was on a two-day visit to Indonesia last week.

THE problem of illegal Indonesian migrant workers in Malaysia is a very complex one, made even more complicated due to the alleged involvement of many government officials. Even so, there are plenty who feel that if the bureaucracy is managed well, including the issuance of permits by immigration offices, the government would be able to prevent the trafficking of these workers and the 'slavery' of Indonesians abroad.

There has been quite a buzz over the recent appearance of Golkar Party's two disputing camps at the State Palace. The visit of Aburizal Bakrie and Agung Laksono, both of whom claim to be the rightful Golkar chairman, should not be seen as a sign of President Joko Widodo's mastery of national politics. In fact, if he is not careful, Jokowi can get sucked into the morass of the vicious influence of the political oligarchs surrounding him.

Citing lack of money as the reason, the government is toying with the idea of levying funds from sales of fossil fuel to develop renewable energy. Energy and Mineral Resources Minister Sudirman Said publicly broached the idea when he announced the fuel price decrease late last December.

Reclamation in Jakarta

Weaving New Fashions

Megawati Soekarnoputri corrected the speech draft a couple of times. The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairperson was not yet happy with the points the speech would raise regarding the Outlines for Government Policies (GBHN). Megawati then added her own words to underscore the argument. "It's Ibu Mega's idea," said PDI-P Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto last Thursday.

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BKPM Prunes Investment Licensing

There is no indication that the off-white house on Jalan Granting, Surabaya, generates Rp250 million per month in business earnings. Its iron fence is rusty. There is peeling paint on the building's front wall. "This is my house for garment production," said Farida Basamalah, owner of Familita Muslim garment workshop, last week.

Kurnia Widodo was shocked when Tempo showed him photographs, taken from various angles, of a man in blue jeans and matching t-shirt as he walked around holding a Beretta handgun. Kurnia saw the pictures an hour after the man wearing a Nike baseball cap carried out a terror attack in Central Jakarta early last Thursday.

This year, Indonesia and India mark 75 years of diplomatic relations. However, the ties between the two nations have existed much longer, predating the establishment of the Republic of Indonesia and the Republic of India. These connections span social, cultural, religious, economic, and trade aspects. But do those close ties of the past have any bearing on the present relationship? Why is there no direct flight between the capitals of the two countries?

Indian Ambassador to Indonesia and Timor-Leste, Sandeep Chakravorty, shares his views on this matter at TEMPO TALKS.