Author: Yuda Rustam

The Palestinians’ longstanding and legitimate grievances have been irrevocably subverted by Hamas’ brazen attack against Israel on Oct 7. Unlike previous rounds of conflicts and clashes between Israel and the Palestinians on the one hand and neighbouring Arab states on the other, Thailand has become a direct casualty like never before, as 30 Thai workers have been killed to date, with at least 16 injured and 17 taken hostage. As a militant political movement motivated by Islamic fundamentalism using methods of terrorism to achieve its objectives, Hamas has made a bad name for the Palestinian cause, eliciting condemnation and opposition…

Rome (16/11 – 57) Sri Lanka is mired in a deep political and economic crisis and the country’s then President Rajapaksa has flown out of the country, days after a huge crowd of protesters stormed his residence in July 2022. Protesters for months have demanded the resignation of President Gotabaya Rajapaksa, whose government has been blamed for chronic mismanagement of the country’s finances. The island nation of 22 million people has suffered months of lengthy blackouts, acute food and fuel shortages, and galloping inflation in its most painful downturn on record. Here is how the crisis unfolded: April 1: State of emergency Rajapaksa declares a temporary state of emergency, giving security forces sweeping powers to arrest and…

JAKARTA, Oct 30 (Reuters) – Indonesia’s biggest tech firm PT GoTo Gojek Tokopedia (GOTO.JK) will “prudently” make investment to maintain its market share after it reported a narrowed underlying losses in the third quarter, the company CEO said on Monday. GoTo, which offers ride-hailing, e-commerce, and financial services, reported 942 billion rupiah ($59.30 million) in underlying losses for the July to September period, a significant drop from last year’s 3.7 trillion rupiah, according to a company statement, following cost-cutting measures, including to reduce marketing spend. CEO Patrick Walujo, however, said in an earnings call that the measures have affected their market share,…

The call for collaboration should not be a tactic to weaken the prophetic voice of the church, activist says Indonesian Vice President Ma’ruf Amin met with Christian leaders in Papua seeking collaboration for peace and development in the restive Christian-majority easternmost region. Amin held a special meeting with church leaders in the provincial capital Jayapura on Oct. 11 where he called them “game changers towards accelerating economic development and prosperity in Papua.” “I consider religious leaders to have a big influence in guiding and providing understanding to the Papuan people,” he said in a meeting with the leaders of the Papuan Union of Churches,…

Paris (08/11 – 75) Sri Lanka’s economic and political crisis of 2022 left the country bankrupt. Ranil Wickremesinghe took over as President of Sri Lanka in July 2022 when the country was in the middle of its worst economic and political crisis since independence in 1948. His predecessor, Gotabaya Rajapaksa, had been forced out of power after facing mass protests prompted by 12-hour power cuts and persistent fuel and food shortages. The nation was bankrupt.Wickremesinghe brought in the International Monetary Fund and has focused on reaching macroeconomic stability and driving tough but much-needed structural reforms. Today, as Sri Lanka embarks…

JAKARTA (Reuters) – Indonesia’s anti-graft agency (KPK) has named the country’s former agriculture minister as a suspect in a graft case, its deputy chief said, becoming the sixth member of President Joko Widodo’s cabinet to face corruption allegations. Syahrul Yasin Limpo, who resigned last week after KPK raids on his multiple houses and ministry, said via his lawyer that he will cooperate with the investigation. KPK named Limpo as a suspect for allegedly instructing two colleagues to force officials to pay him at most $10,000 in exchange for positions or participation in procurement projects at the ministry. The money allegedly…

Strong leadership is needed to resolve conflicts in the ASEAN region. REPUBLIKA.CO.ID, SLEMAN — Director of the Center for ASEAN Studies, Gadjah Mada University (UGM) Dafri Agussalim assesses that there is currently a leadership crisis in ASEAN. According to him, there is no leader who is influential enough in the ASEAN region. “In ASEAN there is a leadership crisis. Strong leadership does not exist,” said Dafri at the Journalist School activity, at the UGM Central Building, Tuesday (26/9/2023). Dafri said, although some leaders are considered undemocratic, a number of figures such as Mahathir, Suharto, Lee Kuan Yew must be recognized…

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – The Indonesian Entrepreneurs Association (Apindo) said that Hamas’ war with Israel would have an impact on the domestic economy, especially industrial conditions. Apindo’s head of Manufacturing Industry, Bobby Gafur Umar, said that a war in the Middle East would have an impact on the business climate in Indonesia, especially in the energy sector. The impact, he said, is already seen from the increasing prices of energy. As a result, there will be an increase in the price of raw materials, because not everything can be produced in Indonesia. “If it is expensive and the goods are not available, like what happened during…

Indonesia launched its first carbon exchange on September 26, giving companies a chance to offset their emissions as the Southeast Asian country pledges to reach carbon neutrality in its power sector by 2050. Jakarta (VNA) – Indonesia launched its first carbon exchange on September 26, giving companies a chance to offset their emissions as the Southeast Asian country pledges to reach carbon neutrality in its power sector by 2050.Speaking at the event, Indonesian President Joko Widodo congratulated the Financial Services Authority (OJK), the Indonesia Stock Exchange (IDX), and related agencies on launching the first Carbon Exchange in Indonesia.He said it is one of Indonesia’s real…

Frankfurt, Brussels (11/3 – 120 Tajikistan’s reliance on a limited range of export products, including aluminium and cotton, makes its economy vulnerable to external shocks, such as changes in global demand or prices. Diversifying the export base by promoting new industries and products could help to reduce this vulnerability and create new opportunities for growth. The problem is the kleptocratic approach of a Stalin like economic regime of the Rahmonov clan. Improving trade relationships with existing partners, such as China, Turkey, Russia, Iran, and Afghanistan, and exploring new markets could also help to expand the country’s export base. However, to…