The January 2019 Edition of the Indonesian Update raises a main report on “stunting and the financial burden of BPJS”. This is an actual theme, as the ongoing BPJS financial problems are actually related to the stunting problem in Indonesia. Stunting can be detected since two years old and can contribute to a long-term swelling of BPJS’ financing.

On politics, the Indonesian Update touches on two topics: “hoaxes during the 2019 election campaign” and “corruption conducted by regional heads in 2018.” The circulation of hoaxes during the 2019 campaign has brought negative impacts on many parties. There are concerns that the voters will not pay attention to the candidates’ visions and missions, work programs, and track records. Re corruption conducted by regional heads, there is a need to understand the root causes so that corruption can be minimized in the future.

On the economy, the Indonesian Update discusses “the criticism against Indonesia’s Information Technology Development Index.” This has something to do with the low levels of digital education and digital economic literacy in this country. The other economic topic is “the course of human resources development and the assumptions in the 2019 Annual State Budget.” The author believes that human resources development is long-term efforts that should involve regions so that all information can be implemented equally.

On social affairs, the Indonesian Update talks about three topics. The first one is “anticipating floods in Jakarta.” As we have entered the rainy season, we should be able to minimize flooding risks. The second one is “gender equality and social inclusion in infrastructure development.” Rules and regulations should not have negative social impacts on infrastructure development. The third one is “the tsunami warning policy.” The tsunami in Banten and Lampung has shown that the tsunami warning did not work in that region. This is due to maintenance costs and vandalism.

The regular publication of the Indonesian Update with its actual themes is expected to help policy makers 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.