Dr. Sasa carries out his duties as International Cooperation Minister and Spokesperson for National Unity Government (NUG), Myanmar’s parallel government, from an undisclosed hiding place. He moves from one discussion forum to the next to lobby for support from the international community. Sasa has been in contact with international leaders and politicians from the US, UK, EU or even Japan, yet he has been unsuccessful in establishing communication with ASEAN. He presses ASEAN to take a more prominent role in resolving the crisis in his home country, among others, by promptly appointing a special envoy to mediate dialog between the NUG and junta leader Gen. Min Aung Hlaing. According to him the five point consensus from the ASEAN Summit has not been followed up.

Following an investigation into the leak of personal data belonging to 279 million Indonesian citizens on May 20, Population and Civil Registration Director-General Zudan Arif Fakrulloh ascertained that it was not population data. As Indonesia’s Population and Civil Registration (Dukcapil) data is the world’s fourth largest big data after those of China, India and the United States, Zudan is constantly worried about the threat of hackers. Albeit Dukcapil’s system which is more sophisticated nowadays, Zudan admits that his agency’s infrastructure on the other hand is already out of date. To build a stronger system and upgrade the infrastructure, the home affairs ministry is planning to collect non-tax revenues from private companies that access Dukcapil data.

Palestinian Ambassador to Indonesia, Zuhair al-Shun, urges the international community to take concrete actions against Israel through economic or political blockade which he believes could pressure Israel. Al-Shun says that the ceasefire between Israel and Hamas is not a lasting resolution to bring an end to the conflict in Gaza adding that the United Nations has already passed many resolutions, among others Resolution 181 of 1947, to create free Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. He hopes that the United States’ new administration under President Joe Biden will take a fairer stance in the issue. Al-Shun also conveys the Palestinian authority’s appreciation towards political and humanitarian support given by the Indonesian government and its people and gives advice on how to properly funnel solidarity funds for the Palestinian people.

After three years at the helm of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences (LIPI), Laksana Tri Handoko is entrusted with a new job: to lead the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). The Japan-educated scientist is given a mandate by President Joko Widodo to integrate five major national research institutes. He is tasked to catch up lags in science and technology, to create technological independence and to focus on exploring the digital economy as well as green and blue economy. He would also continue his efforts which he initiated in LIPI to bring back a diaspora of Indonesian researchers to strengthen BRIN. Handoko said BRIN also needed political support to realize research as one of the main pillars of the national economy.

Malaysian political cartoonist Zulkiflee Anwar Ulhaque, known as Zunar, and non-profit organization Hujah Ehsan are holding an online exhibition of the ASEAN Human Rights Cartoon Exhibition from May 3 to 30. The exhibition, titled Human Rights at the Homeland, features 100 critical cartoons by 37 cartoonists from Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Myanmar. Tempo interviewed Zunar to understand the road and the importance of the exhibition, also the development of political cartoons in Southeast Asia.

If nothing else, the Covid-19 pandemic has not managed to disrupt Nur Rofiah’s Qur’anic Recitation Session on Gender Justice in Islam. Through the da’wah forum she initiated in the Ramadan two years ago, the professor in Qur’anic studies and interpretation fights for gender justice for Muslim women by raising awareness that women’s humanity is equal to men’s. She first got acquainted with the gender justice issue when she was studying at the Sunan Kalijaga State Islamic Institute in Yogyakarta in the 90s when the gender issue was a hot topic and people were associating it with Islam. Her interest in the issue grew stronger as she immersed herself in the world of activism. Apart from being active as a lecturer and an activist, Nur Rofiah also helped launch the country’s first female Muslim clerics’ congress in 2017.