Three weeks after the acid attack on Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence (Kontras) activist Andrie Yunus, investigators have yet to clearly identify who bears ultimate responsibility. What has drawn particular attention is the resignation of the chief of the Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), framed by the Indonesian Military (TNI) as a form of institutional accountability. Yet, this raises the critical question of whether the move reflects genuine responsibility-taking by the state or signals deeper power struggles within the military.

A potentially widening budget deficit amid soaring global oil prices has prompted Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa to explore alternative revenue sources, including export duties on nickel and coal, commodities that are currently benefiting from relatively strong price trends. The push for rapid revenue mobilization, however, appears to be running ahead of sectoral readiness.

Gold miner Agincourt Resources, part of diversified conglomerate Astra International, was recently given the go-ahead from the Environment Ministry and the Energy and Mineral Resources Ministry to resume operations at its Martabe gold mine in North Sumatra, following an earlier sanction over alleged environmental breaches. However, reports reveal that neither ministry had ever issued a decree to formally revoke Agincourt’s business permits.

The Singapore Manufacturing Federation (SMF) is encouraging more healthcare and electronics companies to expand their operations in the Batam, Bintan, and Karimun (BBK) area of Riau Islands Province. This aligns with Indonesia's efforts to develop new industrial areas to support the manufacturing sector and improve port connectivity between the two countries.

Malinau Regent Wempi W. Mawa revealed that the ongoing construction of the Mentarang hydropower plant is projected to become one of the largest energy suppliers for the Tanah Kuning-Mangkupadi Indonesia Green Industrial Park (KIHI) in Bulungan Regency, North Kaluimantan Province, and also for the needs of the Nusantara Capital City (IKN).

The government has beaten speculators and hoarders by announcing that it will not increase domestic gasoline prices, a move that has made Indonesia a regional outlier when neighboring countries have hiked theirs in response to soaring global oil prices.

President Prabowo Subianto is hardly known for his commitment to human rights, not since taking up the presidency in October 2024 and certainly not during his Army years. He rarely addresses the issue in public, delegating it instead to his Human Rights Minister Natalius Pigai to answer questions on the topic.