Reformasi Dispatch

In this special Pride month episode of Reformasi Dispatch, Kevin and Erin talk to legendary LGBTQ activist Dédé Oetomo to talk about his activism work, the recent rise of homophobic attacks and his words for future activists. Watch the video version on our YouTube: https://youtu.be/m4Qqz61WI4k It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording service...

The students are back!  And so is Reformasi Dispatch co-founder Jeff Hutton, who rejoins Erin and Kevin after his academic sojourn.  He shares his impressions of Indonesia's latest generation of campus youth -- their views, changes over time, and the pressures they face.  Plus, insights on the Jakarta protests that producer Steven Handoko covered up close in person.  And finally: a look at th...

After a precipitous drop in both the rupiah and the Indonesian Stock Index, Kevin and Erin round up the assorted moves implemented by the government to bolster confidence and restore stability (spoiler: there were none).  Next, do a sudden spate of arrests denote rifts between rival elements of the security forces?  And what do the contents of suspects' garages tell us?  Finally, the Palace r...

As the rupiah continues to slide, the government is exacerbating business sentiment by imposing an export marketing board for palm oil, coal and ferroalloys.  Kevin and Erin discuss the background, implications, and outlook in the latest edition of the Reformasi Dispatch podcast on Indonesian politics and policymaking.  Also in this episode: a fourth presidential visit to Paris; the Army's Pe...

Manila awaits the fate of the Dutertes. Prabowo makes an impression in Cebu for Asean's Summit, militarily and sartorially. Amien Rais's claims of an "offside" relationship between Prabowo and Teddy sparks a backlash.  The Police Reform Commission wraps up just as unrest affects Jayapura. And the Rupiah slides to a new low, posing a quandary for the president and focusing atten...

Indonesian politics this week featured mini-reshuffle of three cabinet & cabinet-level posts -- Kevin and Erin discuss the motives, consequences and who gained an advantage (spoiler: the Army).  Also: a rail disaster, the start of the trial of Andrie Yunus's attackers and uproar over Lt Col Teddy eating cake.  Also: a long-awaited trade reform package finally receives some discussion. It...

Amid pressure on the freedom of expression in Indonesia, Reformasi Dispatch examines the dynamics with Wahyu Dyatmika, a director of the Tempo Media Group.  Wahyu joins the pod to discuss attitudes in civil society and the media in the wake of the acid attack on Andrie Yunus, including whether self-censorship is becoming more prevalent in the media.  Wahyu, Erin and Kevin also discuss institutiona...

An interruption in shipments of LPG, the ubiquitous cooking fuel in Indonesia, will likely cause shortages soon, with consequences for the image of the administration.  And to safeguard petrol and diesel, Indonesia is moving towards rationing and even greater use of biodiesel.  Meanwhile, Tempo has produced revelations about how the acid attack on Andrie Yunus unfolded -- with signs of an institut...

In this week's episode of the Reformasi Dispatch podcast on Indonesia - with an energy crunch looming, will the government hike fuel prices or ration subsidized petrol? Will LPG supplies hold out? And will discomforts prove particularly awkward politically, given Prabowo's membership on the Board of Peace? Also: How energy shortages are manifesting in regional neighbours. In policy devel...

A military critic from the human rights group Kontras suffered a harrowing attack with acid that burned him badly. What does this portend for expression? In turn, police examined over 80 CCTV cameras and identified the suspected perpetrators - officers from military intelligence. Does this reflect rivalries between elements of the state apparatus? Also: How ASEAN states are reacting and adapting t...

President Prabowo reacts to the US-Israel invasion of Iran -- offer to mediate, assembles luminaries including former presidents, and then sets 'ready alert' (siaga satu) status for the military.  An array of groups and figures speak out against Prabowo's alignment with the US in the Board of Peace and concessions in the Recriprocal Trade Agreement.  Likelihood of a prolonged confli...

This week in Indonesia - Erin & Kevin examine Indonesia's reciprocal trade agreement (ART) with the US; a slander case brewing against the popular satirist Pandji Pragiwaksono; and, further afield, Thailand's election and the growing popularity in the Philippines of VP Sarah Duterte. It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording ser...

Electoral changes and a possible move to amend the Constitution are topics that Iqbal Kholidin of the Center for Democracy (Perludem) discusses in this week's edition of the Reformasi Dispatch podcast on Indonesian politics.  Erin and Kevin also discuss the stock market sell-off, the abrupt resignation of the chief financial regulator Mahendra Siregar, and the president's cancellation of...

To examine Thailand's upcoming election, Uday Bakhshi of Apac Assistance joins the Reformasi Dispatch podcast and outlines the players, prospects and scenarios -- including the 8 February referendum on yet another Constitution.  Also: Myanmar conducts a sham election; Indonesia joins Trump's Board of Peace -- generating backlash; rumors abound of an imminent change in the foreign affairs...

Kevin and Erin talk to former  US diplomat  Brandon Possin on Trump's invasion of Venezuela and what to expect of the administration. Also: Stand up comic and government critic Pandji Pragiwaksono could face a blasphemy charge for his Netflix special Mens Rea after he was reported by a youth group. And Thomas Djiwandono, the President's nephew is named as a candidate for Deputy Governor...

Joining the pod is Isanksarsyah Bakri, senior advisor to the Aceh governor, for a discussion of the livelihoods crisis facing the province after the 23 November Senyar Cyclone devastated half of Aceh's districts.  Also: Erin and Kevin look at the Information Ministry's ban of the Grok AI nudify function on Elon Musk's X; Prabowo's travel plans; and Megawati's emphatic denu...

Burhanuddin Muhtadi of the polling firm Indikator politik, together with Monica Wihardja of ISEAS, join the pod to discuss their empirical analysis of disinformation mesaging in the 2024 Presidential contest. Spoiler: Beware of TikTok. Pak Burhan also comments on Presidential support ratings. Also; Kevin and Erin discuss disaster relief, a regional head election bill and KPK scrutiny of Ridwan Kam...

Dr Chris Chaplin joins the pod to discuss the latest in politics, and the background to his new analytical endeavor, www.cearta.co.  Also: police appointments, electoral law revisions and international cyclone aid. 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...

Kevin and Erin talk with researcher Garda Ramadhito on Prabowo's Palestine peace-keeping plans and political Islam in his term. Also, the political and environmental reckoning in Sumatra's devastating flooding and the KPK takes a look at its own handling of a case involving Bobby Nasution. It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording s...

A week of superlatives for Indonesia - the tragic Senyar cyclone is the largest on record to hit Indonesia; a tax bribery case is affecting a key owner of the most profitable bank, BCA; a leadership struggle has incapacitated the largest Islamic organization, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), at a time when Indonesia prepares for its largest-ever deployment of peacekeepers to Gaza; and Danantara seeks a role...

Kevin talks to Matt Busch on his new book "The Contested State: The Indonesian Bank Restructuring Agency during the Asian Financial Crisis." 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 Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us. You can donate to us on...

Joining the pod is Dr Seth Soderborg to discuss polling trends in Indonesia.  Also discussed: Soeharto's annointment as hero, the outlook for the new Police Reform Commission, improved BI foreign reserves, an Australian Defence Treaty and a bombing by a youth at a school in Kelapa Gading. It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording service...

In this episode: plans for bestowing hero status on Soeharto, exonerating parliamentarians for August excesses, the president's message to police, and Myanmar's junta poses for polls. 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 Reformasi Dispatch p...

In this episode: the Golkar chair seeks criminal defamation charges for social-media users who distribute disagreeable memes; Prabowo proffers Gaza engagement, but with political pitfalls - as seen at Asean's summit attended by Trump; and Sjafrie seriously considers a purchase of yet more fighter jets, from China. It takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hostin...

Our pod guest Krista Shennum from Climate Rights International discussed CRI's extensive field research on nickel sector impacts on communities across a swathe of Eastern Indonesia -- from pollution such as acid rain, health adversities such as skin afflictions, disasters such as dam breaks and disputes over land rights and compensation.  An interviewee asked, 'Does anyone care?', w...