Reformasi Dispatch

Kevin and Jeff interview Andy Yentriani, chairwoman of Indonesia's National Commission on Violence Against Women. Indonesia's landmark law on sexual crimes offers unprecendented protections against unwanted sexual advances and recriminations from alleged perpetrators. It has big shortcomings, too. Legislators have left treatment of rape for inclusion in a long-delayed revised criminal code. And enforcement will be left up to Indonesia's mostly male criminal justice system. But the new law is at last official recognition of Indonesia's yawning gender divide.Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

Controlling domestic cooking-oil prices is President Widodo's reason for banning Indonesia's exports of palm oleins, which the world relies upon for food and cosmetics.  Will the draconian measure actually work?  If so, when?  Global concerns about food inflation are at stake.  Also on the pod: the Lowy Institute's Ben Bland discusses Indonesian attitudes toward democracy, international relations and world leaders, based on Lowy's new poll findings.  Jeff and Kevin discuss the implications of Indonesia's first-quarter trade data and the start of the annual 'mudik' exodus from cities for Idul Fitri.Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

In a breakthrough for social reform, the government and parliament outlawed assorted types of sexual abuse while introducing safeguards for victims.  Jeff and Kevin discuss how this overdue law, despite some shortcomings, can now serve as a platform for sustained efforts to improve justice in practice.  Also, Eurasia Group analyst Peter Mumford joins the pod to review precarious economic conditions in certain neighboring Asian countries, with an assessment of effects on views of Indonesia.  Finally, Jeff and Kevin review the recent decision to divide Papua Province into four parts -- the history, current dynamics and prospects.  Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

Reformasi Dispatch discussed Indonesia's energy transition with Robert O. Blake, the former US ambassador to Indonesia and now a senior advisor to US Special Climate Envoy John Kerry.  The US has identified Indonesia as a country with promising prospects for cooperation on climate action and Ambassador Blake recently concluded a high‑level visit to Jakarta on the topic.  Decommissioning coal-fired power plants is a priority -- as is progress on regulatory reform to facilitate investment-grade projects for renewable energy.  Also: Jeff and Kevin discuss acrimony surrounding preparations for the Bali G20, as well as the president's latest stance on election postponement and some difficult fiscal choices ahead amid high energy prices.Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

We are still on hiatus for this week. Meanwhile, we would like to introduce you to one of our best interview of the pod with Edward Tirtanata, founder of Kopi Kenangan.Support us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

Indonesia's leading reformer met Reformasi Dispatch for an hour interview that appraised the economy's outlook amid extraordinary international conditions and heightening rhetoric about postponing elections.  With regard to prolonging the administration's tenure, Sri Mulyani Indrawati made clear that no urgency supports election postponement, and "no one is indispensible."Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

A foremost climate‑action advocate within the Jakarta diplomatic corps joins the pod to assess areas of opportunities and constraints in Indonesia's efforts towards sustainability.  Ambassador Berg also discusses the war on Ukraine and notes that "Words matter".  In addition: Jeff and Kevin review the latest from Widodo administration officials keen on postponing elections, and assess Indonesia's prospects for being able to host a G20 Summit amid precipitous international tensions.Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

This week's Reformasi Dispatch podcast examines the abrupt attempt by at least three pro‑Widodo parties, including Golkar, to prolong Widodo's presidency, ostensibly because an election would be detrimental.  Widodo himself has remained silent on the matter, exacerbating damage to Indonesia's international image at a time when its presidency of the G20 should be enabling the country to burnish its democratic credentials.  The podcast examines the potential for proponents of postponement to alter the Constitution and legitimize an extension of Widodo's term.  Also: the impacts of the invasion of Ukraine on Indonesia's economy, and what China's ambivalence might mean for Asia. Finally, an interview with Yu Liuqing of the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) on the reasons for Indonesia's improved index score.Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeThis episode is also available in video form on Youtube. Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCV60-iGRODC7Jh3m2A76ODASupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

With the nomination of presidential tickets barely 18 months away, image management is increasingly crucial for potential contenders -- especially Central Java Governor Ganjar Pranowo.  Jeff and Kevin recount events last week in the hamlet of Wadas, Central Java, where police clashed with community members opposed to a quarry project -- entangling the governor in unseemly controversy.  Also: Indonesia prepares for a high‑profile international superbike race expected to draw 100,000 spectators to remote Mandalika, Central Lombok, next month. And the government faces opportunistic criticism for tightening domestic mobility restrictions while easing rules for incoming travelers.    Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!

Over the next two years, fully half of all democratically elected regional heads across Indonesia will undergo replacement with interim appointees chosen by either the president or the home affairs minister.  Reformasi Dispatch examines multiple sources of confusion that already afflict the process. Also: Southeast Asia's first Holocaust Museum, in North Sulawesi, highlights an Indonesian Jewish community -- estimated to number perhaps 200 people -- that has shunned attention since the Surabaya Synagogue demolition nearly a decade ago.  Jeff and Kevin also discuss the government's efforts to both grapple with the omicron wave while also preparing for the re-opening of tourism.  And finally, how attempts to stage a Jakarta Formula-E race have been far from formulaic.  Get a free trial of Reformasi Weekly Newsletter at:https://bit.ly/reformasifreeSupport us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasiIt takes a lot of money to run a podcast. You need subscription fees for hosting, audio recording services, editor's salary and music licensing. Luckily, you, estemeed listeners of Reformasi Dispatch podcast can help us.You can donate to us on buymeacoffee.com/reformasi and help us grow!