Indonesia’s foreign policy has undergone major changes since President Prabowo Subianto took office in October 2024, but no change is more dramatic than in his Middle East policy, particularly in his approach to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

State-owned PT Agrinas Pangan Nusantara’s plan to import 105,000 pickup trucks from India has triggered strong criticism from domestic industry players, labor unions, and lawmakers who argue that the move undermines Indonesia’s automotive sector and contradicts national industrialization goals. The state-owned company, which is tasked with operating the Red and White Cooperatives (KMP) program, has defended the plan on the grounds of cost efficiency. Agrinas chief executive officer Joao Angelo De Sousa Mota stated that price considerations were the primary driver behind the procurement decision.

The import bribery case implicating three customs officials has entered a new phase with the discovery of several safe houses in Jakarta, where investigators found a stash of money amounting to billions of rupiah. The emergence of what appears to be a sophisticated bribery network not only further erodes institutional credibility but also raises a deeper question: Can corruption at the Customs Office truly be eradicated?

The Red and White Cooperative (KDMP) initiative is rapidly transforming from a flagship economic program into a mandate that must succeed at any cost. In its wake, the program is now cannibalizing the Village Fund, the very backbone of rural development and a decade-long symbol of local empowerment.

The administration of President Prabowo Subianto has reached a deal with Freeport-McMoRan as part of Indonesia’s broader negotiations to reduce punitive tariffs imposed by the United States under President Donald Trump. The agreement requires Freeport to divest additional shares in PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI), which operates major mining assets in Papua, in exchange for an extension of its mining concession to the end of the mine’s life cycle. While the deal strengthens US access to critical minerals, it has drawn criticism for the limited involvement of indigenous Papuans.

The recent deactivation of millions of National Health Insurance (JKN) contribution assistance recipients (PBI) has been revealed as more than a mere data-cleaning exercise. It has exposed a systemic failure to recognize the vulnerability of the poor, for whom subsidized health care is a necessity, not an option. This episode underscores persistent flaws in the design and execution of Indonesia’s health protection framework.

Global coal oversupply and falling prices have prompted the Indonesian government to cut domestic coal production this year in an effort to stabilize the market. The move has raised concern among coal producers, who warn that smaller operational scales could reduce employment and non-tax state revenue (PNBP). At the same time, to secure coal supply for state-owned electricity company PT PLN, the government plans to increase the domestic market obligation (DMO). This dual pressure on producers raises an important question: will the production cut outlined in the 2026 annual work plan (RKAB) for the mining sector help restore prices, or will it create further challenges?