Yohanes Rama Adiwicaksana

Feb 13, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Shankaran Nambiar |Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Yohanes Rama Adiwicaksana |Wannaphong Durongkaveroj

In the third year under military rule, Myanmar faced greater socioeconomic hardship caused by intensified conflict across the country, severe macroeconomic instability and natural disasters in 2023. The UN estimated that 18.6 million people — one-third of the population — will likely be in need of humanitarian aid in 2024. This figure includes almost 2.6 million people who are internally displaced as of January.

Feb 11, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Liam Gammon |Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Yohanes Rama Adiwicaksana |Wannaphong Durongkaveroj

Leaving aside the genuine concerns about the quality of democracy in Indonesia, there’s no denying that there’s still a tremendous quantity of it. On 14 February almost 205 million enrolled voters — half of them under 40 — will have the opportunity not just to elect a president to replace Joko Widodo (Jokowi), but to choose between candidates from 18 national parties (plus 6 local parties in the province of Aceh) competing for over 20,000 seats in national, provincial and municipal legislatures.

Feb 11, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Liam Gammon |Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Yohanes Rama Adiwicaksana |Wannaphong Durongkaveroj

As Indonesians prepare to cast votes for a new president on 14 February, the question isn’t whether Defence Minister Prabowo Subianto will win, but how. Prabowo and his running mate, President Joko Widodo’s (Jokowi) eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka, need to get above 50 per cent of the vote to avoid a late June runoff with the second-placed candidate. Opinion polls put them just above this threshold, or tantalisingly close to it.

Feb 9, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Shyamika Jayasundara-Smits |Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Yohanes Rama Adiwicaksana |Wannaphong Durongkaveroj

In 2023, Sri Lanka faced a complex interplay of economic and political challenges. Although fuel and food queues have disappeared, the dire impact of the economic crisis was inescapable. Sri Lanka’s economic outlook was initially grim, with a 3.1 per cent GDP contraction in the second quarter of 2023 and a projected 2 per cent shrinkage for the year. The first quarter saw an alarming 11.5 per cent contraction, highlighting the severity of the crisis.

Feb 8, 2024 | eastasiaforum.org | Muhammad Rafi Bakri |Wannaphong Durongkaveroj |Jiao Wang |Yohanes Rama Adiwicaksana

When the deadline for Indonesian presidential and vice presidential nominations closed on October 25 2023, three pairs were left to contest for seats. The impact of the election and the policy direction taken by the successful candidates will need to be carefully managed through financial and monetary policy. Elections impact several components of Indonesia’s gross domestic product. In 2019, consumption increased until one quarter before the election in May, after which it dropped.