Occupation Disguised as Development: 17,780 Rotational Soldiers in Indonesia’s Military Operations in Papua
Thousands of rotational soldiers move in and out of Papua. They fight, guard state projects, and leave civilians under a seemingly endless shadow of guns. Papua now hosts 74,297 soldiers. Of those, 17,780 are rotational troops drawn from across Indonesia. The cost of mobilizing them and sustaining their operations in Papua is […]
A Lopsided War: 83,000 Soldiers and Police Powering Indonesia’s Violent Agenda in Papua
Soldiers and police have increasingly encroached on Papuans’ daily lives, not only to maintain security but also to advance a development agenda built on violence. For more than half a century, armed conflict has raged in Papua. Throughout this period, the Indonesian government has conducted military operations, deploying tens of thousands of […]
The Paradox of AI’s Promises
Artificial intelligence (AI) now seems inevitable. It comes with a raft of promises, from transforming how we produce knowledge and run industries to making life easier. But will the reality match the hype? AI’s rise as a defining feature of the Fourth Industrial Revolution recalls stories about the human costs of early industrialization, from Oliver […]
Chinese-Indonesians and the Enduring Legacy of Epistemicide
Warning: This article may be distressing or triggering to some readers. More than 27 years after Soeharto’s downfall, the state has become increasingly blatant in its efforts to whitewash the past by erasing the violent and painful chapters of history involving the Chinese-Indonesian community. May 1998 was the moment when I began to associate the […]
Indonesia’s Intelligentsia is Complicit in Decimating Our Fragile Democracy
The conventional wisdom is that Indonesia is suffering a democratic decline because of the authoritarian tendencies of its leaders and the illiberalism of its people. To quote Australian political scientist Marcus Mietzner, outgoing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo “pushed the limits of democratic norms and even overstepped them”, and the people have been fine with that. […]
Indonesia’s New Capital: How Jokowi Uses Extravagant Promises to Lure Investors
The Jokowi administration has put its planned new capital city up for sale with massive incentives for investors, including tax holidays and the right to build for 160 years. Whenever President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo asks the Indonesian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (Kadin) to splash the cash for his latest ambitious development project, they say […]
The Disposable Lives of Indonesian Football Fans
This tragedy was entirely avoidable. And as usual, those who are culpable are likely to escape without appropriate punishment. This tragedy has long been on the cards. But, even its likelihood of eventuating wasn’t enough for the authorities to act. In this case the relevant authorities are: the Indonesian Police (Polri), the Indonesian Football Federation […]
Mining, Protests and a Young Villager’s Death in Sulawesi
On February 12, a young man was taking part in a seemingly routine protest by the Aliansi Rakyat Petani (Alliance of People’s Farmers) about five kilometers from his home in Tada village in Central Sulawesi. Farmers and other local residents had been organizing almost daily protests since January 2021, demanding the revocation of the license […]
Stephen Suleeman: The Best of What Indonesia Represents
When Aditya, my son, was a toddler, it was obvious he was left-handed. I was always on the alert to protect him from people who said, “Use your sweet hand!” (meaning the right hand), when he automatically extended his left hand to receive something from them. In a flash, I would say, “Adit is left-handed!” […]
End Closures and Prevent Demolition of Ahmadiyah Mosque
On September 3, at least 130 Malay Sunni vigilantes attacked an Ahmadiyah mosque in Balai Harapan village, Sintang regency, West Kalimantan. The attack occurred after Friday prayers, during which the imam at a nearby Sunni mosque, Mochammad Hedi, delivered a speech in which he called the Ahmadiyah “blasphemous,” witnesses said. A local man named Zainudin […]
