Although most young Indonesian Muslims see religion as a salient identity emphasizing Islamic values and attitudes, they approve democratic values, a survey shows. The survey came amid increasing concern about radicalism among young Muslims, as students are reportedly the primary targets of radical Islamic movements. An Indonesian Survey Institute (LSI) […]
The World Economic Forum on East Asia was officially opened in Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta on Sunday by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, in which he stressed the importance of Asian strength in helping the world in sustaining a strong and sustainable economic growth. Yudhoyono said that Asia’s moment has […]
JAKARTA, Indonesia — Indonesian authorities say 16 suspects have been arrested who were plotting to kill police with cyanide. Col. Boy Rafli Amar, a national police spokesman, said the suspects were arrested since Friday in the capital Jakarta, Borneo, Sulawesi and the Java towns of Bandung and Pekalongan. The alleged […]
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said Indonesia will be in the top ten countries with the strongest economy within the next decade. “Our GDP is almost Rp1 trillion. We have a balanced budget thanks to wise fiscal measures. The debt ratio to the GDP is 26 percent, the lowest in history,” […]
Indonesia is making big in-roads into the international art scene. The value of pieces by Indonesian artists has been steadily increasing — a piece by S. Sudjojono sold for $385,000 at an auction in April, while a painting by Balinese artist Lee Man, “Bali Life,” was sold for $3.24 million […]
Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) today expressed grave concerns over increasing violations of religious freedom in Indonesia, and called on the Government of Indonesia to take action to protect religious minorities, curb radical Islamist activity, bring the perpetrators of religious hatred and violence to justice, and defend the country’s tradition of […]
A prosecutor is asking that Deden Sujana, a member of Jamaah Ahmadiyah Indonesia and one of the victims in a recent attack on Ahmadiyah followers in Cikeusik, Banten, be sentenced to six years in prison. The attorney made the request during a trial at the Serang District Court in Banten […]
Throughout history, it has often been the young who have initiated the biggest changes. In January this year, the Egyptian revolution was sparked by the country’s youth, who were fed up with the 30-year dictatorship of Hosni Mubarak. Something similar happened in Indonesia in 1998 when Suharto, president of the […]
The recent arrest of a judge for bribe-taking shows Indonesia should start putting in place firm antigraft measures across the country’s courts, especially as the practice could be more common than most think. A leading antigraft organization pointed out on Sunday that established patterns of courtroom corruption, which follows set […]
Indonesian women have welcomed the passage of the Immigration Law that boosts the rights of foreign spouses of Indonesian citizens. Isabelle Mace Panggabean, 31, who is half French and half Indonesian and married to an Indonesian, hailed the new law, saying said she would now be able to gain permanent […]
In Muntok, Bangka-Belitung, there is an old colonial-style building with an Indonesian flag waving out front. Set in a modest neighborhood, the building is clean, reasonably well-maintained, but quite unremarkable. Inside, you’ll find a few framed photos of Sukarno, the country’s first president. Those photos are the only indication of […]
Last month, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) released a report in its annual meeting held in Vietnam entitled “Asia 2050 — realising the Asian century.” In a breath-taking sweep of economic trends and visions it describes two possible scenarios — first an “Asian century,” which is expected, and the other […]
Bogor. The Bogor Presidential Palace will be open for public in celebration of the 529th anniversary of the city of Bogor, West Java. “People are given the opportunity to visit the palace for six days. For those who are interested to come, please register with the culture and tourism office,” […]
Officials on Friday vowed to review training programs for migrant workers as news reached the country that a maid who had attempted suicide after failing a Singaporean placement test had died in the hospital. Sadono, the Asia-Pacific director for protection at the National Board for the Placement and Protection of […]
Readers of last Friday’s edition of The Australian may have been struck by the juxtaposition between an opinion piece by Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd, in which he described Indonesia’s democracy as going ‘from strength to strength’, and the headline on the very next page: ‘SBY urged to back UN on […]
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono officially launched on Friday his administration’s ambitious Rp 4,000 trillion (US$468 billion) economic master plan for 2011 to 2025, but some of the announced “ground-breaking projects” were criticized as overlapping with the existing ones. The so-called “Master Plan for the Acceleration and Expansion of Indonesian Economic […]
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the heads of seven key state institutions agreed to “strengthen” the state ideology Pancasila amid fears of rising radicalism among the nation’s youth. “All state institutions are committed to actively strengthening Pancasila as the nation’s ideology according to each institution’s role, position and authority,” Constitutional […]
Indonesia has been listed as the top country for entrepreneurs to start a business, ahead of the United States, Canada, India and Australia, according to a survey commissioned by the BBC. The results are based on 24,000 interviews conducted by international survey firm Globescan across 24 different countries — where respondents were […]
The Jakarta Post In reference to Mr. Aries Musnandar’s letter “The History of Abrahamic religions” published in The Jakarta Post on May 16, allow me to share my views. There is nowhere in the Koran that mentions that Muhammad (peace be upon him) was the last prophet and that there is […]
Following a number of religion-inspired violent incidents in the country — the most tragic of which was the incident in Cikeusik, West Java, which left three followers of the Ahmadiyah sect dead — the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights sent a letter to the Indonesian government to express […]