Minister of Cooperatives and Small and Medium Enterprises Teten Masduki on Indosurya Saving and Loan Cooperative and the loopholes in the Cooperative Law.

Commission National on Human Rights Chair Atnike Nova Sigiro on the possibilities of resolving past gross human rights violation cases.

Newly appointed Immigration Director-General Silmy Karim has the task to overhaul his agency and attract investors through the golden visa scheme.

Makarim Wibisono talks about a myriad of problems faced by the Non-Judicial Resolution Team for Past Serious Human Rights Violations.

Rationalization of the healthcare omnibus bill by Health Minister Budi Gunadi and Indonesian Medical Association (IDI) Chair Adib Khumaidi  

Head of BMKG Dwikorita Karnawati explains the causes behind recent extreme weather and predicted drought as well as forest and land fires in 2023.

How does Tourism and Creative Economy Minister Sandiaga Uno address foreign tourists’ concerns regarding the new law that criminalizes sex outside marriage and cohabitation?

National Food Agency Chief Arief Prasetyo Adi on Bulog’s dwindling rice stock and a looming food crisis.

Danish Ambassador to Indonesia, Lars Bo Larsen, on renewable energy, waste management and potentials for electric ferries.

An interview with CEO of state electricity company PLN, Darmawan Prasodjo, on the company’s initiatives as regards climate change mitigation, energy transition and electric cars.

What does IMF’s Senior Economist Yan Carrière-Swallow have to say about Indonesia’s possible slip into recession?

Foreign Minister Retno Marsudi speaks on Indonesia’s preparedness to host the G20 Summit in Bali, Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, and Myanmar’s agenda at the ASEAN Summit.

Why did Suciwati feel she was let down by President Joko Widodo when he promised to resolve the murder case of Munir?

Yahya Cholil Staquf is the new chief of NU Central Board. He explains why he wants NU to stay out of practical politics and responds to the notion that he has government backing.

Shin Tae-yong says that there is no instant solution to overcome the players’ physical and mentality issues. He is intensifying physical training to improve their concentration. More players need to compete in overseas clubs.

Religious Affairs Minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas explains to Tempo the initiatives his ministry has taken with regard to rampant sexual violence in pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools), resumption of umrah (minor pilgrimage) and haj pilgrimages, as well as the formulation of presidential regulation on houses of worship.

Sofyan Djalil believes that powerful networks help land-dealing mafiosi win court battles despite the latter only holding fake documents. He acknowledges that achievements in agrarian reform are still low.

Indonesian Coast Guard Chief Vice Adm. Aan Kurnia says that the abundant resources of fish, gas and oil in the Natuna Sea have made its waters a huge bone of contention among several nations in the region.

Epidemiologist from University of Indonesia, Pandu Riono, criticizes the PPKM Level 3 policy for the Christmas and New Year holidays. He advises the government to focus on tightening travels and public activities instead.

The Indonesia Investment Authority (INA), the agency that manages Indonesia’s sovereign wealth fund (SWF), is different from SWF institution in other countries. It was established to attract foreign investments. It needs independency and transparency.

The alleged sexual harassment case at Riau University is just the tip of the sexual violence iceberg on Indonesian campuses. Will the education minister’s regulation be powerful enough to prevent sexual assaults on campuses?

Concern for learning loss is the primary reason for not fully relying on online learning activities. Ensuring the public’s disciplined adherence to health protocols is also a challenge in and of itself.

Genomik Solidaritas Indonesia’s founder Mohammad Arsjad Rasjid breaks silence about the public polemic surrounding the PCR test business. The chair of the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry acknowledges that he is the brains behind the establishment of the swap test service business that he founded with several partners, and sheds light on how Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan became one of the company’s shareholders.

PPATK’s newly minted chief, Ivan Yustiavandana, has a special assignment from President Joko Widodo. In addition to preventing and fighting money laundering crimes, PPAT has been ordered to crack down on illegal online lenders.

For her relentless fight for press freedom and human rights in the Philippines, Rappler’s senior journalist Maria Ressa has been awarded the 2021 Nobel Peace Prize. She continues to challenge President Rodrigo Duterte’s repressive regime.

As the climate change conference (COP26) in Glasgow draws near, Edvin Aldrian once again reminds the government about formulating strategies to achieve the zero carbon emission target. The IPCC expert panel member calls for more bilateral cooperation to combat the climate crisis.

Airlangga University’ Merah Putih vaccine research team led by Prof. Fedik Abdul Rantam has been making rapid headway in the development of the country’s own Covid vaccine together with Biotis Pharmaceutical Indonesia. The vaccine is set to enter the first phase of the human clinical trial in the fourth week of October.

Speculations surrounding security issues in Papua has not dampened the confidence of Yunus Wonda, Executive Chair of the Papua 20th National Sports Week (PON) Committee. He is optimistic that with the support of the Papuan people and the military and the police combined, the quadrennial sports festival will proceed smoothly and safely.

An interview with a spokesperson for the national Covid-19 vaccination program, Siti Nadia Tarmizi, about the drastic decrease of the positivity rate of Covid-19 in Indonesia. How does that happen?

Since the start of the pandemic, BPOM Chief Penny Kusumastuti Lukito often found herself at the center of Covid-related polemics, from drug claims, emergency use authorizations, vaccines, ivermectin to the Nusantara vaccine. How does she deal with these?

President Joko Widodo appointed Coordinating Minister for the Economy Airlangga Hartarto to oversee the enforcement of multi-level public activity restrictions or PPKM outside Java and Bali following the surge in Covid-19 cases caused by the Delta variant. Amid the challenging job of managing the pandemic, Golkar Party’s Chair still manages to go on political canvassing trips to several regions.

National Police Chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo says that the police will first try mediation to resolve Electronic Information and Transactions Law violation cases. He advises investigators to distinguish between criticisms, hoaxes, libels or slanders and to process only cases that could not be settled through mediation.

Epidemiologist from the University of Indonesia’s Public Heath Faculty Iwan Ariawan says that the Level 1-4 public activity restrictions (PPKM) have been proven effective in slowing down the speed of Covid-19 transmission. Iwan who follows weekly virtual meetings with Health Minister Budi Gunadi Sadikin and Maritime Affairs and Investment Coordinating Minister Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan says that with increased testing and contact tracing ratios coupled with the second phase vaccination, the government hopes to rein in the pandemic in October or November.

Youth and Sports Minister Zainudin Amali is not just assigned to improving governance of his ministry but also is the process of finalizing the national sports grand design. Focusing on the 14 key sports which include badminton and weightlifting, the blueprint is designed to improve the country’s performance up to the Olympic level.

Galvanized by alarming spikes in numbers of positive cases and deaths resulting from the Delta variant of Covid-19, Bio Farma is accelerating the production of Covid-19 vaccines. Yet, vaccine stocks remain stagnant with uneven distribution in many regions. With a production capacity of up to 6 million doses per week or 250 million doses a year, Bio Farma’s CEO Honesti Basyir hopes that the company can fulfill the country’s vaccine need.

Bukalapak is making an initial public offering at the Indonesian Stock Exchange. Bambang Permadi Soemantri Brodjonegoro, Bukalapak’s President Commissioner, explains how the startup—which is still operating at a loss—can become the first startup to go public, with a transaction value that breaks a new record at the stock exchange.

Right after his appointment as Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry’s (Kadin) Chair, Arsjad Rasjid launched the ‘War against the Pandemic’ movement. Alongside the Indonesian Military (TNI) and the National Police (Polri), he urged businesses to get involved seriously to fight the pandemic. Arsjad says Kadin is helping the government with vaccination and medical oxygen supply. But he dismisses the assertion that Kadin plans to sell vaccines through the Gotong Royong vaccination program.

Secretary-General of the Indonesian Hospital Association (Persi) Lia Gardenia: adding more beds for Covid-19 patients will not solve the problem if the problems at the upstream are not resolved.

Below are excerpts from an interview with Sung Y. Kim, new United States Ambassador to Indonesia. Ambassador Sung Kim was born in Seoul to South Korean parents. Having spent the majority of his diplomatic career in Asia, he has a deep understanding of the region. This is his first interview with the local media since his arrival in Jakarta last June. He discussed vaccine assistance (to Indonesia), the weapon system procurement as well as cooperation for mitigating climate change issues.

At last, SOEs Minister Erick Thohir intervened and tackled the medical oxygen and Covid medication shortages that plagued many hospitals. Erick mobilized several SOEs to help meet the needs of referral hospitals particularly in Java. He also instructed Indofarma and Kimia Farma to boost ivermectin production to fill the market with ample supplies. Although the BPOM has not approved the drug, Erick is pushing its use given the efficacy and minimal side effects proven in several countries. Amid the marked increase in Covid cases, Erick, who also leads Covid-19 Mitigation and Economic Recovery Working Committee makes frequent rounds of site inspection to check on oxygen and Covid drug supplies, all the while continuing with measures to transform SOEs.

The explosion of new Covid-19 cases in the past month will see the increase in health care expenditure, mainly to purchase 400 million doses of vaccines and for patient treatment. The emergency has compelled Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to recalculate the budget as the health ministry increased its budget from Rp172 trillion to around Rp185 trillion. Having experienced in dealing with the 1997-1998 and 2008 financial crises, Sri Mulyani says the Covid-19 presents challenges that are starkly different from those of the previous economic calamities.

The Covid-19 pandemic has changed Indonesia’s demographics affecting the trends in the capital market. Indonesia Stock Exchange’s Commissioner Pandu Patria Sjahrir says enthusiasm of millennial and Gen Z investors has risen phenomenally during the pandemic. Since 2016, the number of young investors has grown to over 1.8 million with those aged 28 and below making up the highest increase. The rapid development of the digital technologies has opened the floodgates for tech companies and start-ups. One of the sectors most sought after by foreign investors is financial technology (fintech). Pandu, a businessman and an investor, who is also the chairman of Indonesian Fintech Association, says that in future fintech companies will not just focus on consumer lending but increase productive loans to support micro, small and medium enterprises through peer-to-peer lending.

Chairman of Indonesian Pediatric Association (IDAI) Aman Bhakti Pulungan is concerned about the rising cases of Covid-19 among children in Indonesia. According to IDAI’s record, around 117,000 children have been infected since the pandemic struck. Children makes up 12.5 percent of the total cases. Aman says children are most vulnerable to the disease via their parents and the people around them. He observes that many pediatric patients with Covid-19 go to doctors rather late rendering the doctors unable to offer maximal treatment. Given the recent surge in the cases, Aman urges the government to put on hold face-to-face classes scheduled to resume in July.

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.