How does an outgoing president secure his political future without the usual party mechanism?? “It soon became clear that Widodo was not on the same wavelength as Megawati. Despite being seated at the press conference nominating Ganjar, Widodo quickly made it clear that he was not automatically going to support Ganjar. At a well-funded mass gathering of […]
Pramoedya Ananta Toer – An Indonesian Literary Icon by JOSE RAMOS HORTA
“It was in Buru that Pramoedya created “the Quartet”. Initially forbidden access to writing materials, Pramoedya recited the stories; vivid tales of the creation of Indonesia, a time of national awakening and rebellion against the colonial rulers, orally to other prisoners. When Pramoedya and two of his fellow prisoners, Joesoef Isak and Hasyim Rachman, were […]
How have Two Years of Pandemic Affected Indonesian Political Life? by Max Lane
From ISEAS Perspective, No 7, 2022. “A more fundamental reason why the pandemic has not significantly altered Indonesian political life is that Indonesia’s underlying political structure reinforces policy homogeneity within the broad ruling elite. The primary focus of contestations remains the maneuvering and positioning in relation to the 2024 elections, both presidential and parliamentary..” Read […]
Food story: “Borek in Melbourne and the Indonesia factor.”
Eating as a source of pleasure obviously has a long history. No doubt there is a physiologically based link between that pleasure, registered primarily in the mouth, nostrils and stomach, and the urge to eat to sustain ourselves. The pleasure can be very private, as when we indulge secretly in a favourite chocolate or a […]
SPEAKING OUT ON POLITICS IN INDONESIA: MORE OPPORTUNITY, MORE FEAR by Max Lane
“On 6 April, the Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) group published poll results showing an increase in Indonesians afraid to speak out criticising government policy. 32 per cent of respondents said that they were often afraid of discussing politics, 7 per cent said they were always afraid. In contrast, a third said they were […]
Is China Imperialist? Articles by Dr Sam King on RED ANT.
“China’s role in the world today is among the most hotly contested issues in international politics. How we view China and its relationships to other countries powerfully shapes how we view the future of the world — including the future of Australian society. China is the largest country by population and has become a world […]
Protests Against the Omnibus Law and the Evolution of Indonesia’s Social Opposition
by Max Lane “On October 8, unionised workers as well as university and high school students protested for the repeal of the Omnibus for Work Creation Law (Omnibus Law) that had been passed by Indonesia’s House of Representatives on October 5, 3 days earlier than expected. Some small protests took place immediately on October 5, […]
China is not a rich country, it’s poor! – Article by Dr Sam King
(Published at Internationalist Notebook Internationalist perspectives on anti imperialism, revolutionary struggle and social change.) *** If you were asked to compare the average Chinese income with the average income in the USA, what would you say? 80%? 60%? 30%? If we judged by the establishment propaganda campaign, Chinese income would be fast approaching that of the USA, […]
Dari ORDER BARU ke gelombang demonstrasi mahasiswa September 2019.
Dari Orde Baru ke gelombang demonstrasi mahasiswa September, 2019. Sejak kolonialis militer dan birokrasi Belanda dipaksa meninggalkan negeri baru Indonesia tahun 1950, Indonesia hanya pernah mengalami SATU budaya politik dan politik ekonomi yang sungguh-singguh terkonsolidasikan: ORDE BARU. HANYA SATU dan itu adalah sebuah kediktatoran totalitarian kapitalisme kroni. HANYA SATU!! 1946-65 tak ada sistem ataupun budaya […]
Everything You Always Wanted to Happen in the Bumi Manusia Film
Everything You Always Wanted to Happen in the Bumi Manusia Film* (*but Were Afraid to Ask) BY : MIKAEL JOHANI AUGUST 09, 2019, JAKARTA GLOBE The wait is, finally, almost over. The film adaptation of Pramoedya Ananta Toer’s classic novel “Bumi Manusia,” or This Earth of Mankind, gets its red carpet première in Surabaya today. The choice […]
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