Talking Indonesia

Taking care of the environment in Indonesia, which has one of the highest levels of biodiversity in the world, is a massive challenge. Covid-19 has intensified this challenge, presenting new threats and accentuating old ones. The democratic regression and post-truth politics that have become a feature of Indonesia over recent years are also directly and indirectly resulting in more damage to the environment.

How, exactly, are post-truth politics and democratic regression affecting environmental protection in Indonesia? How has the Indonesian government acted to address environmental problems, and has its efforts been successful? Is democracy the best political system for the environment?

In Talking Indonesia this week, Tito Ambyo talks with Dr Dirk Tomsa, former Talking Indonesia host and Associate Professor of Politics at La Trobe University. Dr Tomsa has recently commissioned a survey on Indonesians’ attitudes on the environment and has found some surprising results.

In 2022, Indonesia holds the rotating presidency of the Group of 20 (G20) a forum of 19 of the world’s major economies along with the EU. Indonesia has assumed the presidency at a time when the forum is bitterly divided over Russia’s invasion of Ukraine – in April, western finance officials walked out of a G20 meeting when Russian delegates were speaking. Facing calls to exclude Russia from the G20 leaders’ summit in Bali in November, Indonesia instead opted to extend an invitation to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, despite Ukraine not being a member of the group.

Indonesia's priority issues for its G20 presidency are global health architecture, sustainable energy transition, and digital transformation, under the overall rubric of “Recover Together, Recover Stronger”. But what effect will the war in Ukraine have on Indonesia's ability to pursue this agenda? How might the presence in Bali of Russian President Vladimir Putin and Ukraine President Zelensky – if both men attend – shape the leaders’ summit? How important, in any case, is the G20 to the Indonesian government, and to powerful political and business interests in the country?

In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae chats with Dr I Gede Wahyu Wicaksana, senior lecturer in the Department of International Relations at Universitas Airlangga in Surabaya.

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo.

Photo credit: www.kremlin.ru

Indonesia’s largest Muslim organisation, Nahdlatul Ulama (NU), claims membership of 40 to 45 million people, and has long occupied a highly significant position in Indonesian society and politics. One of its most high-profile leaders (and Indonesia’s fourth president), Abdurrahman Wahid, remains a symbol for pluralism, remembered for his role in the struggle for democratic reform under the New Order. Today, NU members hold key ministerial and administrative positions in the government of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo.  

As Indonesian democracy shows signs of decline, what is NU’s role? How does it continue to defend its position as a ‘moderate’ Muslim organisation and advocate for pluralism? How will its new leader, Yahya Cholil Staquf, direct the organisation’s focus ahead of the 2024 elections? 

In Talking Indonesia this week Dr Jemma Purdey discusses these questions and more with Dr Alexander R. Arifianto, a Research Fellow with the Indonesia Program at the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University. 

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT.

Image: Hafidz Mubarak A/Antara

In 2005, in the wake of Aceh’s devastating tsunami, the Indonesian government signed the Helsinki Peace Agreement, drawing to a close a thirty-year conflict with the Free Aceh Movement (GAM), which sought independence for the province.

That agreement committed the parties to establishing a truth and reconciliation commission, designed to examine the abuses that occurred during the conflict and offer restitution to its victims. But it was not until 2016 that the Aceh Truth and Reconciliation Commission (KKR) was finally established, and this only occurred after constant agitation by activists and victims.

Over the past five years, the commission has travelled the province, taking testimonies from some 5,000 victims of human rights abuses, leading toward a final report that is set to be released this year. What will the report reveal about the patterns and experiences of violence during the conflict? Who perpetrated the violence and who were the main victims? How will the report affect Acehnese politics and society, and more broadly, Indonesia?

In Talking Indonesia this week, new host Dr Jacqui Baker talks with historians Dr Jess Melvin from the University of Sydney and Dr Annie Pohlman at the University of Queensland. Dr Melvin and Dr Pohlman are among a group of activists and academics collaborating with the commission to produce the final report.

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, Dr Dave McRae from the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT.

One of the challenges that many countries around the world face when tackling the Covid-19 pandemic is widespread misinformation and disinformation polluting public discourse on health.

In Indonesia, misinformation and disinformation often influence the way political, health, environmental and religious issues are talked about publicly. But the way the government often insists on creating a 'single narrative' (narasi tunggal) has added another layer to the problem, where misinformation is created not only by nongovernmental agents, but also by members of government who are more concerned with controlling the narrative of an issue than creating real conversations with Indonesian citizens.

The Indonesian digital information Siberkreasi program, for example, was greeted with optimism by experts when it was first introduced in 2017 in an attempt to fight hoaxes. Five years later, however, some have criticised the program's changing strategies and focus.

In this week's Talking Indonesia, host Tito Ambyo, from RMIT's School of Media and Communication, chats to Associate Professor Ika Idris, whose work focuses on government communication, misinformation, and the internet’s impacts on society.

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Tito Ambyo, Dr Dave McRae from the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, and Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University. Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight.

Photo credit: Kominfo

Russia's invasion of Ukraine has been front of mind across much of the world for the past month – with Indonesia no exception. The Indonesian government has not joined the western sanctions regime nor criticised Russia by name in its statements, but it did support a UN resolution condemning Russian aggression.

Most striking in Indonesian responses to the conflict, however, has been the sympathy and even support for the Russian invasion that has come from many Indonesians online. What factors underpin the Indonesian response to the Russian invasion of Ukraine, how are Indonesians obtaining information about the war, and what interests does Indonesia have at stake? What are the implications for Indonesia-Russia relations? And can we discern anything from Indonesian reactions to the current war as to how Indonesia might react if China were to one day seek to occupy Taiwan?

In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae chats with Radityo Dharmaputra, PhD candidate and junior research fellow in Political Science at the Johan Skytte Institute of Political Studies, University of Tartu, Estonia, and a lecturer at the Department of International Relations, Universitas Airlangga. Radityo recently wrote an article for Indonesia at Melbourne examining some of the reasons behind Indonesian support for the Russian invasion.

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the Centre for Indonesian Law, Islam and Society at the University of Melbourne, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT. Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight.

Photo credit: Dhemas Reviyanto for Antara Foto

Dr Dicky Budiman - Omicron wave

Indonesia has recorded more than 5.5 million cases of Covid-19 and more than 148,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic. These are official figures, assumed by epidemiologists to be far lower than the actual impact of the disease on the population.

In July and August 2021, as the deadly Delta wave swept across the country, hospitals were overwhelmed and graveyards struggled to cope with a massive increase in demand for burials. Since then, Indonesia’s vaccination program has accelerated. More than 50% of the total population (an incredible 144 million people) have now had two doses of the vaccine, with almost 70% receiving at least one dose.

Over the past few weeks, the arrival of the Omicron variant of Covid-19 in Indonesia has seen case numbers climb again – reaching daily numbers even higher than those recorded during the Delta peak. But what is happening in Indonesia’s hospitals this time around? Are vaccinations doing what they should? What are the legacies of the Delta wave on the health system and the people of Indonesia?

In Talking Indonesia this week, Jemma Purdey talks to Dr Dicky Budiman, a medical doctor, epidemiologist and advisor to governments and international organisations for more than 20 years. Dicky is currently completing his PhD at Griffith University on global health security, risk communication and the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Tito Ambyo from RMIT, and Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University.

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via iTunes or listen via your favourite podcasting app.

Image: Antara Foto/Reuters

Major social and technological innovation is expected to be required if countries are to meet development challenges into the future. But government initiatives have typically had limited success in driving the transformative change required. Recent years have seen increasing instances of the private sector financing startups to meet societal challenges, while also generating business profits.

What spurs private sector companies to innovate in ways that cater to lower-income customers, what forms do these innovations take, and how have governments responded to such innovation?

In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae chats with Professor Michiko Iizuka from the National Graduate Research Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS). Professor Iizuka recently co-authored a three-country study (with Gerald Hane) on disruptive and inclusive innovation, which included Indonesia as one of its case studies.

Today’s episode is the latest in the “Policy in Focus” series of Talking Indonesia episodes, supported by the Knowledge Sector Initiative (KSI), a partnership between the Australian and Indonesian governments that aims to improve the use of evidence in development policymaking. This series will appear periodically in alternate weeks to the regular Talking Indonesia episodes. The views expressed in this podcast episode do not represent the views of the Australian or Indonesian governments.

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo from RMIT.

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight.

Photo credit: Sigid Kurniawan for Antara Foto

In the 80s and 90s, the influence of hip-hop in the music industry and urban cultures of Indonesia was unmistakable. One of the first nationally successful rappers in Indonesia was Iwa K, with his hit Bebas. Legendary hip-hop band Homicide, led by Heri "Ucok" Sutresna (aka Morgue Vanguard), gained a devoted following for its socially conscious, political songs. Recently, artists like Young Lex and Rich Brian have attracted massive audiences.

How do Indonesian hip-hop artists tackle social and political issues in their music? How do the different hip-hop scenes, in Bandung and Yogyakarta, for example, differ in their approach to social and political themes? How do issues of ethnicity, sexism and masculinity influence hip-hop lyrics in Indonesia?

In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Tito Ambyo explores these issues and more with William Yanko, PhD candidate with the Digital Ethnographic Research Centre at RMIT University. William is writing up his thesis based on fieldwork with hip-hop artists from across Indonesia. His research criticises the often one-dimensional view of Indonesian hip-hop by other scholars, arguing that the hip-hop world in Indonesia is very diverse and encompasses multiple agendas and styles. 

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Tito Ambyo from RMIT, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, and Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University.

Photo Credit: William Yanko

Progressive politics in Indonesia has historically enjoyed only a narrow support base. Nevertheless, there have been several attempts to mobilise the support of progressives for political purposes.

In this week’s Talking Indonesia podcast, Dr Dave McRae chats with Dr Amalinda Savirani about one such example, the emergence of the Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) to contest the 2019 elections. As Dr Savirani and her co-authors highlight in their article, “Floating Liberals: Female Politicians, Progressive Politics, and PSI in the 2019 Indonesian Elections”, PSI stood out as having a female face. This was seen in the prominence of women among party leaders, having women as almost half of its candidates, and in tackling controversial issues relating to gender equality in Indonesia. The party secured a number of seats in regional legislatures (DPRD). At the national level, however, where parties must obtain 4% of the vote to occupy any seats in the House of Representatives (DPR), PSI fell well short, with only 1.89% of the vote.

What does the experience of PSI in 2019 reveal about the support base for progressive politics in Indonesia, and prospects for advancing progressive causes in Indonesia via elections? At a more basic level, what does it mean to be "progressive" in an Indonesian context?

Dr Amalinda Savirani is the coordinator of the PhD program in the Faculty of Political and Social Sciences at Universitas Gadjah Mada.

In 2022, the Talking Indonesia podcast is co-hosted by Dr Jemma Purdey from Monash University, Dr Dave McRae from the University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, Dr Jacqui Baker from Murdoch University, and Tito Ambyo.

Look out for a new Talking Indonesia podcast every fortnight. Catch up on previous episodes here, subscribe via Apple Podcasts or listen via your favourite podcasting app.

Photo credit: Muhammad Adimaja for Antara