The year 2025 can rightly be referred to as a highly repressive era. But the good news is that this repressive political climate has triggered an explosion of resistance art. Art has transformed into the language of resistance against silencing.

Stefanno Sulaiman, Jakarta – Millions of Indonesian ride-hailing drivers would receive major increases to financial and social benefits under a draft decree being considered by President Prabowo Subianto, two sources said, threatening the profitability of ride-sharing platforms in their largest market in Southeast Asia.

Lisa Hiwasaki and Haekal A. Haridhi (The Conversation) – Weeks after Cyclone Senyar made landfall in northern Sumatra, the province of Aceh continues to struggle. The cyclone passed through the Strait of Malacca in late November, bringing heavy rains and causing widespread flooding in parts of Indonesia, Malaysia and Thailand.

Han Revanda Putra, Jakarta – Indonesia's Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto compared the quality of land for the food estate in Merauke, Papua province, Indonesia, with land conditions in Australia for the development of a national food barn area based on large-scale production.

Dede Leni Mardianti, Jakarta – Nine law students from several Indonesian universities have filed a judicial review at the Constitutional Court challenging a provision in the country's newly enacted Criminal Code (KUHP), arguing that it threatens freedom of expression and legal certainty.

Johnny Blades – As Indonesia ascends to the presidency of the UN Human Rights Council, the country has been described by a West Papuan independence campaigner as "unfit" to hold the position.

Jessi Carina, Jakarta – Southwest Papua Senator Paul Finsen Mayor interrupted a Regional Representatives Council (DPD) plenary meeting in Jakarta to voice the Papuan people's opposition of the establishment of new territorial development battalions in the region.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – Authorities in Indonesia's Majene Regency, West Sulawesi, have confirmed that an alleged food poisoning incident linked to the government's Free Nutritious Meal program (MBG) has affected not only young children but also pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and teachers.

Adinda Jasmine, Jakarta – Foreign Minister Sugiono has called for Indonesia's diplomacy to adapt to an increasingly uncertain and volatile global environment, urging a strategy rooted in preparedness, vigilance, and realism.

Yanuar Nugroho – Indonesia's 2026 state budget is the first that is truly President Prabowo Subianto's, in the sense that his administration drafted and defended it and it is not inherited from his predecessor Joko Widodo.

Philip Jacobson – A reacceleration in the rate of Indonesia's deforestation risks is also drawing attention to the country's spotty climate record: At No. 6, Indonesia ranks among the top greenhouse gas emitters after China, the U.S., India, the EU and Russia.

Jakarta – Indonesian policymakers love targets, and always have, and the administration of President Prabowo Subianto is no exception. The problem is that targets can come back to haunt their creators.

Nur Janti, Jakarta – The iconic raptor, the Javan hawk-eagle (Nisaetus bartelsi), is facing mounting risks from habitat degradation that threatens its remaining populations, according to recent findings, as forest loss and land conversion continue across parts of Java.

Yvette Tanamal, Jakarta – From being one of the most coveted tech collaborators, billionaire Elon Musk has fallen out of favor with the government as Indonesia became the first country to ban access to his artificial intelligence platform Grok over sexualized deepfakes.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Jakarta faces an escalating threat from land subsidence, which experts warn could leave parts of the city underwater and cause massive economic losses if aggressive mitigation measures are not implemented.

Apriadi Gunawan, Medan – More than a month after a hydrometeorological disaster swept across northern Sumatra in late November, children can be seen begging on the roadside in Aceh, carrying empty cardboard boxes and seeking a helping hand from passersby due to limited humanitarian aid.

On 12 December 2025, Indonesian military forces (TNI) conducted a large-scale air and ground military operation against indigenous settlements in Woneworasosa village, Gearek District, Nduga Regency, Papua Pegunungan Province.

Nawir Arsyad Akbar, Jakarta – Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) has released the results of a poll showing that the majority of Generation Y or Millennials reject the election of regional heads (Pilkada) via Regional Representative Councils (DPRD).

Generation Y or Millennials are a demographic group born between 1981 and 1996.

Singgih Wiryono, Dani Prabowo, Jakarta – Three different survey institutions, LSI Denny JA, Litbang Kompas and Populi Centre, have released similar results on the issue of the election of regional heads (Pilkada) being through Regional Representative Councils (DPRD).

Adhfar Aulia Syuhada, Jakarta – Online motorcycle taxi drivers (ojol) held a demonstration in front of the United States Embassy in Central Jakarta today where they demanded that the US release Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

Hammam Izzuddin, Jakarta – The Climate and Energy Campaign Manager of Greenpeace Indonesia, Iqbal Damanik, and a content creator, Yansen, visited the National Police's Criminal Investigation Department (Bareskrim Polri). They were consulted to create a report on the threats they received after criticizing the disaster response in Sumatra.

Shinta Maharani, Jakarta – Several professors from the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) in Yogyakarta have declined President Prabowo Subianto's invitation to a dialogue at the State Palace, citing concerns that the event would be largely ceremonial.

Riani Sanusi Putri, Jakarta – Indonesia's economic growth is projected to be stuck within the 5 percent range while facing pressure on quality growth in 2026. The assessment was outlined by the Indonesian Business Council in its IBC Business Outlook 2026 report titled Inflection: Breaking the Growth Plateau.

Riri Rahayuningsih, Jakarta – The latest survey results from Bank Indonesia reveal a trend where the public is allocating a larger portion of their income to savings while simultaneously decreasing consumption.Secretary of the Coordinating Ministry for Economic Affairs, Susiwijono Moegiarso, acknowledged this shift, noting that citizens are becoming increasingly cautious with their

Yogi Eka Sahputra, Jakarta – The destruction of the Tanjung Kasam protected forest in Batam, Riau Islands, is significantly more extensive than previously estimated, with 20 hectares of land cover now reported as altered.

Septia Ryanthie, Jakarta – Central Java Governor Ahmad Luthfi has urged regency and city governments to promptly apply for crop failure insurance to mitigate the risk of losses for farmers due to hydrometeorological disasters. The threat of extreme weather in several areas of Central Java has raised concerns about the region's food security.

Ria Fortuna Wijaya, Jakarta – International Economic Association Secretary General Lili Yan Ing has urged the government to take a more measured and consistent approach in setting its economic growth targets, cautioning that overly ambitious figures could weaken policy credibility in the eyes of the market.

Hans Nicholas Jong, Jakarta – Indonesia has reclaimed more than 4 million hectares (9.9 million acres, about the size of Switzerland) of land nationwide that had been used for plantations, mining or other activities inside areas officially designated as forest, according to the government.

Papuan peace advocates have called on Indonesia to initiate dialogue or peace negotiations to end 50 years of conflict.

The church and civil society groups said talks between President Prabowo Subianto and the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) were essential to a peaceful resolution of indigenous issues.

Between 30 November and 9 December 2025, a series of intimidation and surveillance incidents were reportedly directed against Mr Apolos Sroyer, Chair of the Biak Customary Council and Chief of the Biak Tribe, in the Biak-Supiori Regency, Papua province.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Jessi Carina, Jakarta – Environmental activist and Greenpeace Indonesia Forest Campaigner, Iqbal Damanik, has reported the recent terror and threats he experienced to the National Police Criminal Investigation Directorate (Bareskrim Polri).

Julie Wark – The patterns of genocide, or the various ways humans go about killing large groups of other humans and their attempted justifications for doing so, are so sadly predictable or systematised that, in the case of West Papua, if you take just a small sample, say the last three months, about 2.5% of 60-plus years of Indonesian mass slaughter and environmental destruction, th

Antara, Jakarta – The National Disaster Mitigation Agency (BNPB) has begun a weather modification operation to reduce the risk of hydrometeorological disasters and extreme weather in Jakarta, following flooding that hit parts of the capital earlier this week.

Danu Damarjati, Jakarta – The National Conscience Movement (GNB) rejects the discourse on the Indonesian Military (TNI) dealing with terrorism that emerged through news of a draft presidential regulation (Perpres) which has been rejected by the Civil Society Coalition.

Islamabad – The development came as Indonesian Defence Minister Lieutenant General (retd) Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin called on Chief of Defence Forces and Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir at the General Headquarters (GHQ) in Rawalpindi, Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – The Chair of the Democratic Party's High Assembly, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono (SBY), emphasized that there is only one leader in the party, which is Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY). Yudhoyono, also known as SBY, conveyed this during the national Christmas celebration of the Democratic Party in Jakarta on Monday night, January 12, 2026.

Hanin Marwah, Jakarta – Hundreds of ad hoc judges who are members of the Forum Silaturahmi Hakim Ad Hoc (FSHA) Indonesia went on strike Monday, January 12, 2026, over demand for an allowance hike.

Ervana Trikarinaputri, Jakarta – President Prabowo Subianto has alleged that certain parties are deliberately pushing Indonesia into dependence on imported goods, accusing some Indonesians of acting against the country's national interests.

Prabowo made the remarks while inaugurating a Pertamina refinery in Balikpapan, East Kalimantan, on Monday, January 12, 2026.

Nicholas Ryan Aditya, Ardito Ramadhan, Jakarta – Reverend Jacky Manuputty, a member of the National Conscience Movement (GNB), believes that Indonesian democracy is currently facing serious challenges that have the potential to undermine its fundamental principles, particularly civil liberties, freedom of expression and freedom of the press.

On 8 December 2025, police officers carried out acts of intimidation and physical violence against students during a peaceful free speech rally at the P3 Uncen Atas bus stop, Jayapura City, in the Papua province.

On 6 December 2025, Jayapura Resort Police (Polres Jayapura) officers forcefully dispersed a peaceful assembly organised by the West Papua National Committee (KNPB)at the BTN Matoa Field, Sentani, Jayapura Regency.

Gembong Hanung, Jakarta – Greater Jakarta continues to grapple with a waste crisis, with Jakarta and neighboring Depok becoming the latest to report landfill leaks and collapses or overflowing of trash from disposal sites, prompting complaints from people living near the facilities over unmanaged waste.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – The Indonesian Educational Monitoring Network (JPPI) recorded 1,242 people becoming victims of poisoning from free nutritious meals (MBG) throughout January 2026. Cumulatively, JPPI stated that the total poisoning victims of MBG from 2025 to early 2026 reached 21,254 individuals.

Ilona Estherina, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto stated that the business model for the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program is safe to operate. This program is guaranteed by the State Budget (APBN), which has allocated Rp335 trillion this year.

Hendrik Yaputra, Jakarta – The Nurani Bangsa Movement (GNB) has highlighted the increasing threats to press freedom during the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. GNB member and Chair of the Indonesian Church Association (PGI) Jacky Manuputty stated that they have faced violence, terror, and threats.

Dinda Shabrina, Jakarta – A total of 50 people have been confirmed to have been poisoned after consuming free nutritious meals (MBG) in Majene Regency, West Sulawesi. Based on data from the monitoring Team of the West Sulawesi Provincial Health Office, currently 40 people are receiving treatment at the local community health centers (puskesmas).

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – Indonesia's Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) stated that it has never encountered any attempts at smuggling of fishery products through the air route. "Because the supervision at airports or air terminals is very strict," said the Director of Fisheries Resources Supervision at KKP, Halid K.

Oyuk Ivani Siagian, Jakarta – Three people died when flooding struck Cilincing, North Jakarta. Cilincing Police Chief, Adjunct Commissioner Bobi Subasri, stated that all three likely died from electric shock.

"That is correct; [we have] three victims. At this stage of the investigation, it's due to electric shock," Bobi said when confirmed on Tuesday, January 13, 2026.

Alfitria Nefi Pratiwi, Jakarta – The Ministry of Marine Affairs and Fisheries (KKP) admits that Indonesia still imports salmon and mackerel. There is still an insufficient quantity of salmon and mackerel in Indonesia for industry needs.

Yuni Rohmawati, Jakarta – The South Sumatra Provincial Health Office is preparing to distribute 5,000 free doses of the dengue fever (DBD) vaccine to children across Palembang. This initiative aims to reduce dengue cases across the South Sumatra region.