The House of Representatives is entering its most consequential electoral reform since 2017. As Commission II drafts a new Election Law for 2029, the fault line is already clear: the legislative threshold.

Indonesia's illegal cigarette trade has long deprived the state of revenue and undermined formal producers. Recent allegations that people linked to a House of Representatives legislator sold counterfeit excise stamps, however, suggest that illicit trade may also involve those with access to formal institutions. The case raises questions about how illegal cigarettes keep circulating through counterfeit branding, informal distribution and alleged collusion, even as authorities tighten enforcement and regulation.

Indonesia has barely had time to digest one high-profile corruption scandal before another has breached the surface, this time striking at the heart of the country's land administration. The latest case centers on the Agrarian and Spatial Planning Ministry/National Land Agency (BPN). A sweeping bribery probe by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) has ensnared senior bureaucrats, a prominent property developer and multiple operatives identified as close associates of minister Nusron Wahid, a Golkar politician.

Indonesia’s economy has recently received a welcome piece of good news, with the latest state budget figures showing a sharp increase in tax revenue. Net tax revenue rose by a remarkable 24.1 percent year-on-year as of August 2026, reaching Rp 1.409 quadrillion (US$79 billion), or 59.8 percent of the full-year target. Finance Minister Suahasil Nazara attributed the increase to higher global oil and gas prices, strong domestic consumption and improvements in the Coretax system.

Bank Indonesia (BI) opted to keep monetary policy supportive of growth on Sept. 23, holding its benchmark rate at 5.75 percent despite the United States Federal Reserve’s rate hike a week earlier. The decision, Governor Destry Damayanti’s second consecutive hold, reflects BI’s expanded mandate to support economic growth and job creation. Rather than raising rates to defend the rupiah, BI strengthened incentives for investors to hedge their currency exposure, seeking to balance growth with exchange-rate stability.

The proposed acquisition of a 30 percent stake in PT Bayan Resources (BYAN) by Jhonlin Baratama has entered a new phase after both parties signed a conditional sale and purchase agreement. The deal follows weeks of uncertainty over Bayan’s production quota, which had forced three of its subsidiaries to declare force majeure while awaiting approval of their revised 2026 mining work and budget plans (RKAB). The timing of the acquisition, Bayan’s force majeure declaration and the subsequent approval of its revised production quota raises questions about the role of regulatory intervention in corporate outcomes.

The government’s flagship free nutritious meal program is facing an escalating crisis of public confidence as recurring food-poisoning outbreaks sweep the country. Yet despite mounting casualties, growing demands for accountability and urgent calls for a moratorium, the government has shown no intention of pausing the rollout.