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Joko Widodo

Indonesia Widodo reshuffles cabinet in move seen as boosting Prabowo

Widodo has picked key allies for his cabinet in an attempt that analysts say is to help fulfil Prabowo Subianto’s campaign pledges.

Widodo has picked key allies for his cabinet in an attempt that analysts say is to help fulfil Prabowo Subianto’s campaign pledges

1 minute agovideocam

Curses and conjuring cloud Indonesia’s Nusantara project amid black magic fears

1 hour agovideocam

Nusantara nightmare: Indonesia’s half-built capital remains a work in progress

18 Aug 2024 - 2:45PMvideocam

‘If it’s not ready, postpone’: Jokowi casts doubt on new Indonesian capital

The government initially planned to relocate more than 10,000 civil servants to its future capital, Nusantara in September.

15 Aug 2024 - 4:26AMvideocam

Joko Widodo, Indonesia’s president may be forced to delay plans to relocate a first batch of civil servants to its beleaguered new capital, potentially casting further doubts on a project that remains behind schedule and is struggling to attract funding. Photo: Bloomberg

Indonesian president holds first cabinet meeting in future capital

Widodo – who started to work from the future capital several weeks ago – brought dozens of officials to Nusantara for the cabinet meeting, including his successor Prabowo Subianto, who has pledged to continue the project when he takes office in October.

12 Aug 2024 - 7:13PMvideocam

Chinese project in Indonesia’s Kalimantan brings opportunities, controversy

While influx of Chinese workers has helped improve lives for some Indonesians, activists warn of rights abuses in National Strategic Projects.

11 Aug 2024 - 9:30AMvideocam

Why Indonesia is building a new capital

11 Aug 2024 - 9:01AM

12:48

Will economics, geopolitics extinguish Indonesia’s bid to host the 2036 Olympics?

Indonesia’s ambitious bid to host the 2036 Olympics could be decided by the costs of building a new capital, and its strained political ties with Israel.

3 Aug 2024 - 12:00PMvideocam

Prabowo’s meeting with Putin underscores Indonesia is ‘friend to all’

The defence minister is “walking the tightrope between competing global powers” as seen by his engagements with the West, China and Russia

8 Aug 2024 - 1:27PMvideocam

Is Indonesia limiting Chinese nickel investments to gain US trade benefits?

The government denies placing restrictions even as it seeks to meet US tax credit rules that penalise Chinese-sourced batteries and EVs.

2 Aug 2024 - 12:00PMvideocam

A worker in a protective suit pokes a metal rod to tap slag from a smelting furnace at PT Vale Indonesia’s nickel processing plant in Sorowako, South Sulawesi, Indonesia, Photo: (AP Photo/Dita Alangkara)

The View | Prabowo needs foreign allies and funding to realise Indonesia vision

Foreign investors need not fear a Prabowo administration that will be business-friendly and focused on an inclusive kind of nationalism.

31 Jul 2024 - 4:30PMvideocam

French President Emmanuel Macron (right) welcomes Indonesian President-elect and Minister of Defence Prabowo Subianto before their working dinner at the Elysee Palace in Paris on July 24. Since winning election, Prabowo has made an effort to reach out to Indonesia’s global partners and reassure foreign investors. Photo: EPA-EFE

Indonesia raises smoking age limit, bans single cigarette sales

Indonesia raised the minimum age limit for purchasing cigarettes to 21 from 18 as part of a series of changes to health regulations intended to curb the deadly habit.

31 Jul 2024 - 2:51PM

As Indonesia launches its golden visa, experts warn it could come at a cost

While it’s already attracted some wealthy investors, analysts warn the scheme also brings risks like money laundering and housing inflation.

30 Jul 2024 - 1:56PMvideocam

Indonesia’s Widodo tries out palace in proposed new capital Nusantara

Indonesian President Joko Widodo spent his first night in the eagle-shaped palace of the country’s proposed new capital as the outgoing leader worked to allay fears about the beleaguered infrastructure project.

29 Jul 2024 - 2:33PM

Indonesian President Joko Widodo in the new capital city of Nusantara. Photo: EPA-EFE

Keeping it in the family: Indonesia’s Prabowo eyes a cabinet of connections

President-elect Prabowo Subianto looks to be doubling down on the patronage politics that have long plagued Indonesia.

27 Jul 2024 - 12:00PMvideocam

Indonesia’s President-elect Prabowo Subianto speaks at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore in June. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia launches ‘golden visa’ to lure foreign investors

Foreigners who make substantial investments can remain in Indonesia for between five and 10 years.

25 Jul 2024 - 3:13PM

Indonesia capital move ‘far from ready’, as Widodo delays, Prabowo shifts

President Joko Widodo’s decision to delay relocating Indonesia’s capital casts doubts on the project that is behind schedule, struggling to find investment, and backing from president-election Prabowo Subianto.

13 Aug 2024 - 4:08PMvideocam

Indonesia taps Japan, India school meals expertise as cost concerns persist

Scheme to provide free lunches for 83 million children aimed at tackling malnourishment but it could push up country’s budget deficit.

12 Jul 2024 - 12:18PMvideocam

Indonesian students eat their meals during the trial of a free-lunch programme at a junior high school on the outskirts of Jakarta in February. Photo: Reuters

Indonesia sentences ex-agriculture minister to 10 years’ jail for corruption

Corruption is endemic in Indonesia and its anti-corruption commission is frequently under attack by lawmakers who want to reduce its powers.

11 Jul 2024 - 4:34PM

‘Need to assess progress’: Indonesia’s Jokowi mulls delaying move to new capital

Delays to move to the new capital city is set to exacerbate scepticism that the real estate project could come to fruition, especially since it has yet to secure any foreign investors.

10 Jul 2024 - 8:19PM

Indonesia’s top communications ministry leader quits after cyberattack

Indonesian netizens continued to demand greater accountability from the communications minister after the June 20 breach paralysed public services for several days.

5 Jul 2024 - 7:35PMvideocam

Passengers walk through Bali’s Ngurah Rai International Airport. The hack has paralysed Indonesia’s immigration system, resulting in long queues at airport immigration desks as officers manually check passengers’ passports. Photo: EPA-EFE

Unemployment crisis looms as Indonesia’s youth ‘struggling’ to land jobs

With so many young Indonesians neither working nor studying, experts warn of a demographic challenges in the coming years.

5 Jul 2024 - 11:27AM

Jobseekers at a job fair in Jakarta. Unemployment among those aged 20 to 24 had been on the rise in recent years. Photo: EPA-EFE

Is Prabowo Subianto fit to lead Indonesia? Surgery sparks health speculation

Rumours about the president-elect’s health ‘reflect anxieties’ about the chance his 36-year-old vice-president may have to take over, analysts say.

1 Jul 2024 - 3:53PMvideocam

Indonesia’s Jokowi orders audit of data centres after cyberattack

Last week’s cyberattack, the worst in Indonesia in recent years, disrupted multiple government services including immigration and operations at major airports.

28 Jun 2024 - 7:00PM

Indonesia to cut access to online gambling sites in Philippines as crime surges

Officials have grown increasingly concerned about the spread of online gambling, especially after high-profile cases of crime and suicide caused by gambling addiction and debts.

24 Jun 2024 - 5:17PMvideocam

Indonesia will cut off access to websites operating out of Cambodia and the Philippines that are suspected of being linked to online gambling. Photo: Shutterstock

Prabowo op-ed a ‘message’ on fate of Indonesia’s new capital Nusantara

New manifesto makes it clear Prabowo’s focus is on his own policies, including a free lunch initiative, rather than the new capital, analysts say.

20 Jun 2024 - 8:00PM

Indonesia’s President Joko Widodo (centre) inspecting the venue to be used for the country’s Independence Day celebrations in the future capital city of Nusantara in Penajam Paser Utara, East Kalimantan, on June 5. Photo: Handout / Indonesian Presidential Palace / AFP

Indonesia steps up crackdown on online gambling after spate of gruesome deaths

The president asked all Indonesians to “monitor each other, and also report if there are any indications of online gambling”, admitting it was not easy to curb gambling due to its “cross-border nature”.

14 Jun 2024 - 7:00PMvideocam

Jokowi sparks controversy with mining permits for Indonesia’s religious groups

Analysts say the change will help ensure religious organisations continue to support Widodo even after he steps down as president in October.

10 Jun 2024 - 12:00PMvideocam

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Joko Widodo

The former governor of Jakarta was elected Indonesian president in 2014 before winning a second term in 2019. Colloquially known as Jokowi, he has cast himself as an economic reformer committed to reducing red tape while also seeking foreign investment for major infrastructure projects. Security issues remain a priority as Indonesia continues to combat Islamic militancy. Widodo will also oversee the movement of the Indonesian capital from Jakarta to a new city in Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.