‘Dark Indonesia’ and the Anxiety of Indonesian Middle Class
Burhanuddin Muhtadi
The series of student and civil society protests across Indonesia and some recent surveys reveal a middle class for which all is not well.

Burhanuddin Muhtadi
The series of student and civil society protests across Indonesia and some recent surveys reveal a middle class for which all is not well.
Francis E. Hutchinson
The JS-SEZ poses deep questions for nearby Batam as its competitive advantage hinges on proximity to Singapore, ready land and labour, and generous incentives for investors — just like Johor. Batam is also hampered by connectivity, jurisdiction, and land procurement woes.
Maria Monica Wihardja|Chatib Basri
We must get Indonesia’s middle-class narrative right to devise appropriate policy responses. While some argue that the middle class has grown, the evidence tells a more sobering story.
Melinda Martinus
As Indonesia forges ahead with plans to become an advanced economy, an honest reckoning needs to occur, to ensure that it does not squander its vast environmental resources for short-term gain.
Maria Monica Wihardja|Arianto Patunru
President Prabowo’s universal free school lunch programme is well-intentioned, but it would be more effective if done in coordination with other complementary programmes.
Manggi Habir|Siwage Dharma Negara
Indonesia’s 2025 budget is a negotiated outcome accommodating both Joko Widodo’s legacy and some of Prabowo Subianto’s priority programmes. While the formation of this “transition” budget was driven by the Jokowi administration, the new administration may still revise the budget in accordance with Prabowo’s policy priorities.
Manggi Habir|Siwage Dharma Negara
The Indonesian budget for 2025 is set to accommodate some of President-elect Prabowo Subianto’s ambitious goals.
Eugene Mark
The next administration has a chance to right the wrongs perpetuated by the outgoing president, whose administration has allowed private and vested interests to overrule or ignore indigenous land rights in Indonesia’s hungry quest for development.
Manggi Habir|Siwage Dharma Negara
Indonesia is striving to achieve rice self-sufficiency, amid rising geopolitical and global rice market uncertainties. The country must take climate change and its disrupting impact on food production more seriously.
Maria Monica Wihardja|Arief Anshory Yusuf
Indonesia has improved the quality of its institutions in recent decades, but has backslid lately. The country’s potential accession to the OECD presents an opportunity to foster institutional deepening and help sustain long-term economic growth.