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2 months ago | 
stratsea.com | Rifky Pratama Wicaksono |Muhammad Rafi Bakri
IntroductionStepping into 2025 means we only have less than five years left to achieve the ambitious targets of the SDGs. With so many uncertainties, a question remains: Can we really meet these goals or will we fall short doing so, thus leaving humanity to face the consequences of inaction? To recapitulate, the world is drastically off course in achieving the 2030 target.
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Dec 31, 2024 | 
moderndiplomacy.eu | Muhammad Rafi Bakri
As the sun sets on 2024, the Indonesian government charts a new fiscal course by raising the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate to 12 percent that effective on January 1, 2025. Framed as the torchbearer of the Tax Harmonization Law’s (UU HPP) mandate, this increase is seen as a lifeline for a tax ratio struggling to stay afloat. This decision signals a bold yet controversial attempt to navigate through the nation’s growing budget needs.
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Nov 20, 2024 | 
thejakartapost.com | Muhammad Rafi Bakri
resident Prabowo Subianto has a game-changing plan up his sleeve: bringing the underground economy out into the open and making it pay its dues. Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati highlighted the government’s intention to tap into the vast, untaxed potential of the underground economy at a recent meeting with the House of Representatives.
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Oct 24, 2024 | 
thejakartapost.com | Agatha Malona Situmorang |Muhammad Rafi Bakri
ewly inaugurated President Prabowo Subianto has announced his Red and White Cabinet lineup, which includes 48 ministers, 56 deputy ministers and a number of government agency heads. Amid the excitement, there are growing concerns about the size of his cabinet. Prabowo’s decision to expand the number of ministries and create new agencies has been met with enthusiastic support from his political allies, many of whom are eager to secure influential roles in his administration.
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Oct 10, 2024 | 
thejakartapost.com | Muhammad Rafi Bakri
n Oct. 5, we bestowed our highest honor upon the Indonesian Military (TNI), which has steadfastly served as a robust defender of the nation's sovereignty for 79 years. The TNI stands as an unyielding force, protecting the borders, restoring peace and guiding the nation toward greatness. While the echoes of military parades still linger in the air, there is no room for prolonged celebration. The TNI must remain vigilant, for beneath the surface of national pride lies a silent enemy, defense fraud.
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Sep 12, 2024 | 
moderndiplomacy.eu | Muhammad Rafi Bakri
Authors: Muhammad Rafi Bakri and Rifky Pratama Wicaksono*The National Data Center (PDN) ransomware attack in Indonesia at 20th June has had a detrimental impact on various ministries/institutions, stalling the business process. One consequence of this incident is that passport checks at airports are becoming more difficult due to data issues.
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Aug 26, 2024 | 
moderndiplomacy.eu | Muhammad Rafi Bakri
Authors: Muhammad Rafi Bakri and Nabila Qurota Annisa*As the leadership era came to a close, Mr Joko Widodo still proposed some controversial policies. The Coordinating Minister for Maritime Affairs and Investment, Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan, has clarified that the government is currently reviewing the establishment of a family office, a practice commonly seen in advanced countries.
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Aug 21, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Toshiro Nishizawa |Muhammad Husaini Fikri |Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Anthony Milner
The Paris Club, an informal forum of 22 creditor nations that deals with debtor countries’ payment difficulties, reached a consensus in March 2024 on debt cancellation for Somalia under the Heavily Indebted Poor Countries (HIPC) Initiative. This treatment reduced over US$2 billion, 99 per cent of Somalia’s total debt owed to Paris Club creditors. This debt cancellation may have implications for debt-distressed developing economies in Asia.
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Aug 17, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Sokleap Sreng |Sovinda Po |Muhammad Husaini Fikri |Muhammad Rafi Bakri
In May 2024, Cambodia renamed one of the major roads in the capital city of Phnom Penh the ‘Xi Jinping Boulevard’. The occasion highlighted the prominent role of China’s ample economic and political support for Cambodia’s development. While their relationship has aided Cambodian growth and stability, some underlying issues remain. China has significantly boosted the funding of Cambodia’s development infrastructure.
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Aug 16, 2024 | 
eastasiaforum.org | Muhammad Husaini Fikri |Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Benny Subianto |Pieter E. Stek
Jakarta is exhausted from carrying the burden of being Indonesia’s capital city. With a population that reached 10.6 million in 2022, the city struggles with overcrowding in its 661.5 square kilometres. Indonesia passed legislation in 2022 mandating the relocation of the capital to Nusantara. According to research by the National Development Planning Agency, shifting the capital city to Nusantara will benefit the national economy by contributing to a 0.1 per cent rise in GDP.
