Interview

Dian Ediana Rae, chairman of Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center: Our Financial System Is Not Immune from Illicit Money

Financial Transaction Reports and Analysis Center (PPATK) has detected suspicious fund flows from several overseas companies to Indonesia involving several local banks.

Interview

Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Foreign Minister: Rivalry Is Getting Fiercer During the Pandemic

A Mid her desperate hunt for Covid-19 vaccines, Foreign Minister Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi managed to successfully led Indonesia’s presidency over United Nations Security Council (UNSC) in August.

Interview

Email Salim, Economist and Environmentalist: Covid-19 Has Triggered Culture Shock

To Emil Salim, Covid-19 is not a mere disease.

Interview

They Don’t Want to Listen to Me

Pandu Riono, Epidemiologist, Faculty of Public Health, University of Indonesia:

Interview

Unifah Rosyidi, Chair of the Executive Board, Indonesian Teachers Association: Government Should Not Pit Teachers Against Parents

Education and Culture Minister Nadiem Makarim’s decision to implement distance learning system during the Covid-19 pandemic has opened a Pandora’s box of problems. Countless teachers particularly those in the regions have found themselves overwhelmed.

Interview

Agus Dwi Susanto, Chairman, Indonesian Society of Respirology: Covid-19’s Manifestations Are Getting More Varied

The number of health care workers dying from Covid-19 continues to climb. The Indonesian Medical Association has recorded that as of August 4, 74 doctors in total including three lung specialists who directly handled Covid-19 patients have died.

In Memoriam

He Never Betrayed Poetry

ESTEEMED poet Sapardi Djoko Damono breathed his last on Sunday, July 19. Esthetically speaking, his work achieved a level of its own in the Indonesian literary firmament.

Interview

Kusnandi Rusmil, Chief, Covid-19 Vaccine Research & Clinical Trial Team: We Got a Head Start to Develop the Vaccine Faster

The phase III clinical trial of Sinovac Biotech Ltd’s Covid-19 vaccine has generated a lot of interest from prospective volunteers. Four days after the open registration began, over 1,000 volunteers have signed up for the trial conducted by the research team from the faculty of medicine of the Padjadjaran University in Bandung, West Java.

Interview

Johnny Gerard Plate, Communication and Informatics Minister: Don’t Hinder Digital Transformation

A Mid government’s efforts to speed up digitalization of broadcasting, the House of Representatives (DPR) decided to drop the broadcast law revision from its 2020 national legislative priorities.

Interview

Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Finance Minister: This is an Extraordinary Dilemma

As the Covid-19 pandemic continues to restrict major public activities, the government predicts the national economic growth to take a nose dive to minus 4.3 percent in the second quarter. “For the most part, the drop is attributed to a sharp decline in consumer spending,” said Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, 57, during a special interview with Tempo on July 17.

Interview

Government Doesn’t Take Ombudsman Seriously

Amzulian Rifai, Chairman of Indonesian Ombudsman:

Interview

I Need to Create a Friendly Business Climate

Trade Minister Agus Suparmanto spoke openly about his policies, his conflict with his former close confidant at a nickel mining operation in Central Sulawesi and his strategy in the midst of corona-virus pandemic.

Interview

Rappler CEO Maria Ressa: Journalists Can’t Work, If They Are Afraid

Since Philippine President Rodrigo Roa Duterte came to power four years ago, Maria Ressa’s life has never been the same. Harassment and persecution—from cyber attacks to arrest warrants—keep coming in turn.

Interview

Rev. Benny Giay, Chairman of Synod of Indonesian Gospel Tabernacle Church in Papua:  Do We Have to Change the Color of Our Skin?

Chairman of the Synod of Indonesian Gospel Tabernacle Church (Kingmi) Church in Papua, Rev. Benny Giay regretted the conviction of seven Papuan political prisoners who were tried for treason.

Interview

Rukka Sombolinggi, Secretary-General, Indonesian Archipelago Indigenous People Alliance: Indigenous People’s Rights Exist Only in Constitution

Violence against indigenous communities continues to occur.

Interview

Muhammad Syarifuddin, Chief Justice, Supreme Court: Judges Face Temptations Everyday

JUST like government institutions’ heads in other countries, Supreme Court’s Chief Justice Muhammad Syarifuddin does not know what it is like to work from home even as the Covid-19 pandemic rages on. He still goes to work and has familiarized himself with video conferencing from a designated cubicle at the corner of his office.

Interview

Rosan Perkasa Roeslani, Chairman, Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry: There Is No Good Option

The Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) is pushing the government to implement the ‘new normal’ sooner and ease the restrictions so as to bring the economy back to life.

Interview

Nadirsyah Hosen, Young Intellectual, Nahdlatul Ulama:  Don’t Use Clerics As Mere ‘Fire Fighters’

Nadirsyah Hosen observes that the Indonesian public has been split into two major groups as the country grapples with the Covid-19 pandemic.

Interview

Retno Lestari Priansari Marsudi, Foreign Minister: Protection of WNI Doesn’t Get Easier

Early this month, a news report coming out of South Korea sparked furor across the archipelago.

Interview

Mochamad Ridwan Kamil, Governor of West Java: Incomplete Data Will Get Me into Trouble

West Java Governor Mochamad Ridwan Kamil has ordered large-scale social restrictions—or PSBB as widely known—across the entire West Java region starting May 6 following the successful implementation of the same measures in Bogor-Depok-Bekasi and Greater Bandung.