Social distancing, work from home, generous safety nets may work in the rich world, but in emerging economies with densely packed populations like Indonesia's, they are an option for a small fragment of the country. Kevin O'Rourke, author of intelligence brief Reformasi Weekly, says that while the country can leverage off its geography and close off islands to stop the spread, "the outlook is grim" as thousands of sick risk overwhelming the country's meager health services. Mr O'Rourke said that after a slow start the government of President Joko Widodo is taking the outbreak seriously but the coronavirus promises to be a long-term public health threat here.

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He masterminded Jakarta’s Asian Games and President Joko Widodo’s winning re-election bid last year. Now he has a new challenge: clean up the country’s vast state owned sector. While there will be no neo-liberal sell off of state-owned businesses like its pawn shops or telecoms. Thohir, a media tycoon and former sports club owner, promises they will be better run.

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As the world scrambles to rein in the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, a study published last week by the Brookings Institute said if past pandemics such as the Spanish Flu and the Hong Kong Flu are any guide, as many as 15 million may die, even in a mild scenario, wiping more than US$5 trillion from global GDP. Warwick McKibbin of the Australian National University said that the deaths and the disruption will centre on jurisdictions with limited coordination between government agencies and poor health care services. Mr McKibbin spoke with Jeff from Canberra.

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From remembering where she left her house keys while she’s praying, to confessing she relies on her headscarf to cover up a “bad-hair day”, Sakdiyah Ma’ruf gently challenges her country’s slide into religiosity by reminding her audience of the humanity behind the ritual. Sakdiyah says she’s frequently trolled on Twitter and asks her audiences to refrain from posting video of her act on social media in order to avoid scrutiny from conservatives. She’s scared but undaunted. This month she makes an appearance at the Melbourne Comedy Festival. We spoke about religion, comedy and becoming a mother relatively later in life. This is one of my favorite interviews in years. And I think it shows.

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When the government of Indonesia said last week they would leave their former IS fighters in Syria it was hard not to feel a little schadenfreude. But Noor Huda Ismail, who has made a career understanding why his countrymen turn to extremism and reintegrating them when they return, said that’s just emotion talking. Far better to bring them home and know where they are than risk having them sneak back into the country.

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China’s newly named COVID-19 corona virus may at last be slowing. But virtually all of the more than 1100 deaths have occurred in China raising questions about Beijing’s handling of the epidemic. Cities like Wuhan are under lockdown while local officials in big cities like Wuhan are insisting residents returning from Chinese New Year isolate themselves at home. Mike Smith, Shanghai correspondent for the Australian Financial Review talked to me about the political, economic and personal impact the virus has had.

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A rift is opening among Southeast Asian countries on how it treats its drug users. Thailand legalized medical marijuana. Malaysia is considering decriminalizing the possession of small quantities. But in Indonesia half of all convictions here are for possessing small quantities of drugs. In Philippines 6000 are thought to have died in drug raids. Jakarta-based public defender Ricky Gunawan of LBH Masyarakat (Community Legal Aid Institute) makes the case for why the hardline doesn’t work and why it’s still so popular. We are also joined by Tedjo,  a paralegal who was once a drug user himself. He tells us a story about how he chooses legal as his new career pathway and why he's helping others who are on drug cases.

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Indonesia has been a democracy success story. But the rise of Islamic conservatism threatens that record by infringing on individual liberties. I talk with Andreas Harsono of Human Rights Watch about Indonesia's backsliding on human rights, his account of the 1965 massacre, and his new book.

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After floods in Jakarta sent nearly 100,000 of the capital’s poorest scrambling for safety in the wee hours of New Year’s Day, activist lawyer Tigor Nainggolan launched a class action that he hopes will show the impacted they have a voice.

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Introducing the weekly interview program On The Level with Jeff Hutton.

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