The March 2019 edition of the Indonesian Update raises the main theme on “Looking at Prabowo’s Land Ownership and the Regulations on Land Ownerships in Indonesia.” This piece is a response to the second presidential debate on 17 February 2019, which has sparked heated discussions on land ownership regulation and on the problems around the implementations of permits.

On politics, the Indonesian Update touches on four topics: the future of renewable energy in Indonesia; the polemics over the permanent voters’ list (DPT) in the lead-up to the elections; the polemics over the revision of Law on TNI; and the urgency of having Law on the Private  Data Protection.

On the economy, the Indonesian Update discusses two topics: the constraints to reach the target of the tax report submission and the foreign workers and the quality of Indonesian workers. Both topics are hot issues. The second economic topic has been discussed widely, as there has been a rumor that certain foreign ethnicity has dominated the labor market in Indonesia.

On social affairs, the Indonesian Update talks about three topics. The first is the revitalization of old buildings in the Jakarta Old Town. The second is the Bill on Indigenous Peoples. The third one is women and future work, as a reflection on the International Women’s Day.

The regular publication of the Indonesian Update with its actual themes is expected to help policymakers in government and business environment — as well as academics think tanks, and other elements of civil society, both within and outside the country, to get the actual information and contextual analysis of economic, legal, political, cultural and social developments in Indonesia, as well as to understand the public policy in Indonesia.

Happy Reading.