Reformasi Dispatch

After 60 years of trying, Indonesia finally has a new criminal code that standardizes sentencing, boosts legal certainty and updates penalties that were more in line with the Indonesia of the Dutch colonial era than that of the 21st century. But, as Anugrah Rizki Akbari, lecturer of Criminal Law at Universitas Indonesia told Kevin and Jeff, the passing of the criminal code is not the finish line,...

Gerindra Chair Prabowo Subianto is showing ‘buyer’s remorse’.  By all accounts the three time presidential hopeful is casting about for a running mate who can add vigor to his so far lackluster campaign.  Polls show Prabowo – with near 100 percent name recognition – backsliding while Central Java Gov Ganjar Pranowo clearly leads in multiple credible surveys. National Awakening Party (PKB) Chair Mu...

When it comes to transitioning to renewables and electrifying transport, Arsjad Rasjid, KADIN’s chairman, says the time of “talk, talk, talk” is over. Government and business need to work together to make power generation cleaner, to attract tens of billions in higher tech industries like electric vehicles as well as in information and communication technology. The wind is certainly at Indonesia’s...

Indonesia has pulled off a well-run G20 summit with no boycotts during a -- to put it mildly -- difficult year. Peter Mumford of the Eurasia Group joins Kevin and Jeff to discuss all the summitry and what it means for Indonesia's standing in the world. And: Peter runs through the Malaysian election and considers why the electorate appears to be tuning out. Support us on buymeacoffee.com/refor...

A moment of jocular rapport between the president and Prabowo Subianto sent pundits spinning this week.  It appeared, when quoted in print, to constitute an endorsement of the Gerindra chair -- but not so.  The president remains unaligned ahead of the 2024 race, but his cryptic jest at least made clear that his endorsement will be a prize.  Also: Multiple credible polls now show Ganjar in sole pos...

The Holy Grail of electric-vehicle production is a nickel battery derived from a genuinely green process, from mining through hydrometallurgy to handling residual tailings.  Indonesia holds the bulk of the world's nickel -- but its current and planned projects for refining ore into battery-grade material (or 'MHP') are anything but green.  These use conventional high-pressure acid l...

The state of the Anti-Corruption Commission (KPK), trends in the police and the atmosphere for discourse are factors affecting Indonesia's outlook for legal-system predictability and the rule of law -- which in turn drive development and democratization.  Joining the pod to evaluate a tumult of trends is Prof. Laode Syarif, a distinguished former KPK member (2014-19) and the current executive...

A scheme to nominate President Joko Widodo for vice president, which is suddenly occupying headlines, would face multiple hurdles – legal, ethical, political and electoral.  The idea may have arisen from the camp of Gerindra Chair Prabowo Subianto, but it has at least some currency with Widodo’s supporters.  It therefore serves as an indicator that they may be losing heart in the prospects for nom...

 Kevin and Jeff talk about President Joko Widodo’s decision to raise fuel prices and claw back some of the nearly 700 trillion rupiah in subsidies expected this year and how more price hikes may be in the offing. Said Iqbal of the Indonesian Trade Union Confederation warns of national strikes if the price hikes aren’t reversed. How Jokowi linked groups are beginning to campaign for Central Java go...

Indonesia’s Islamic firebrand suddenly won early release from prison.  The founder of the banned Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) has repeatedly shook national politics -- but conditions have changed since his zenith in 2017 and Reformasi Dispatch discusses what might come next.   Also: A major step back on climate policy as the government indefinitely postponed its long-awaited tax on carbon; Jeff a...

Kevin and Jeff talk with Harvard academic and pollster Seth Soderborg about the art and science of taking the temperature of the Indonesian electorate. It's a tough and expensive process. Use phones or online surveys and you risk missing huge chunks of the population with no regular access to the Internet. And respondents don't tend to like to express a definitive opinions, opting if pos...

President Joko Widodo's sudden plan to engage in personal diplomacy with Putin involves high stakes.   Prospects for progress are daunting, but the  trip marks a welcome foray by Indonesia's leader into international affairs.  Ukraine's ambassador to Indonesia joins the pod to put the effort in context and help shed light on what is reasonable to anticipate.  Also: Megawati uncorks...

Indonesia's new and renewable energy bill includes provisions to support development of fossil fuels including coal bed methane and coal gasification. Also on the pod: Elite support solidifies for Ganjar, and a mini reshuffle. Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at: https://bit.ly/reformasifree Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You...

Former VP nominee Sandiaga Uno joins Reformasi Dispatch to discuss his portfolio as tourism minister at a crucial juncture for the sector.   Jeff and Kevin examine the significance of Golkar's entrance into the 'United Indonesia Alliance' with Pan and PPP -- without any mention of Party Chair Airlangga Hartarto as its presidential contender.  Also: the mysterious Acute Hepatis outbr...

Kevin and Jeff interview Andy Yentriani, chairwoman of Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women. Indonesia's landmark law on sexual crimes offers unprecendented protections against unwanted sexual advances and recriminations from alleged perpetrators. It has big shortcomings, too. Legislators have left treatment of rape for inclusion in a long-delayed revised criminal co...

Controlling domestic cooking-oil prices is President Widodo's reason for banning Indonesia's exports of palm oleins, which the world relies upon for food and cosmetics.  Will the draconian measure actually work?  If so, when?  Global concerns about food inflation are at stake.  Also on the pod: the Lowy Institute's Ben Bland discusses Indonesian attitudes toward democracy, internati...

In a breakthrough for social reform, the government and parliament outlawed assorted types of sexual abuse while introducing safeguards for victims.  Jeff and Kevin discuss how this overdue law, despite some shortcomings, can now serve as a platform for sustained efforts to improve justice in practice.  Also, Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford joins the pod to review precarious economic condition...

Reformasi Dispatch discussed Indonesia's energy transition with Robert O. Blake, the former US ambassador to Indonesia and now a senior advisor to US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry.  The US has identified Indonesia as a country with promising prospects for cooperation on climate action and Ambassador Blake recently concluded a high‑level visit to Jakarta on the topic.  Decommissioning coal-...

We are still on hiatus for this week. Meanwhile, we would like to introduce you to one of our best interview of the pod with Edward Tirtanata, founder of Kopi Kenangan. Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Refo...

Indonesia's leading reformer met Reformasi Dispatch for an hour interview that appraised the economy's outlook amid extraordinary international conditions and heightening rhetoric about postponing elections.  With regard to prolonging the administration's tenure, Sri Mulyani Indrawati made clear that no urgency supports election postponement, and "no one is indispensible."...

A foremost climate‑action advocate within the Jakarta diplomatic corps joins the pod to assess areas of opportunities and constraints in Indonesia's efforts towards sustainability.  Ambassador Berg also discusses the war on Ukraine and notes that "Words matter".  In addition: Jeff and Kevin review the latest from Widodo administration officials keen on postponing elections, and asse...

This week's Reformasi Dispatch podcast examines the abrupt attempt by at least three pro‑Widodo parties, including Golkar, to prolong Widodo's presidency, ostensibly because an election would be detrimental.  Widodo himself has remained silent on the matter, exacerbating damage to Indonesia's international image at a time when its presidency of the G20 should be enabling the country...

With the nomination of presidential tickets barely 18 months away, image management is increasingly crucial for potential contenders -- especially Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.  Jeff and Kevin recount events last week in the hamlet of Wadas, Central Java, where police clashed with community members opposed to a quarry project -- entangling the governor in unseemly controversy.  Also: Indon...

Over the next two years, fully half of all democratically elected regional heads across Indonesia will undergo replacement with interim appointees chosen by either the president or the home affairs minister.  Reformasi Dispatch examines multiple sources of confusion that already afflict the process. Also: Southeast Asia's first Holocaust Museum, in North Sulawesi, highlights an Indonesian Jew...

The founder of Indonesia's newest unicorn, Kopi Kenangan, provides an account of one company's adjustment to economic changes through real-time data usage.  Edward Tirtanata explains how the coffee purveyor expanded from humble origins a few years ago to 600 stores and counting -- while remaining profitable and cultivating a distinctive HR culture.  Also, Jeff and Kevin examine Indonesia...