Hello reader,

Four months into his presidency, Prabowo has already shuffled his cabinet around. The first major victim happens to be a problematic minister. More on that below.

There’s also a lot of Luhut Pandjaitan today. When the lord speaks, he spawns multiple headlines.

Until tomorrow!

Cheers,

Andra

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Law/Politics 

• President Prabowo Subianto today made his first cabinet reshuffle since his inauguration in October 2024. The president officially appointed Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) Professor Brian Yuliarto as Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology, replacing the controversial Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro. Satryo became the first minister to be removed from Prabowo’s Merah Putih (red and white) Cabinet, following controversies over protests from ministry employees, alleged physical and verbal abuse, and remarks on the government’s budget cuts affecting scholarships.

• In addition, President Prabowo appointed several high-ranking officials today, including Amalia Adiniggar Widyasanti as Head of the National Statistics Agency (BPS) and Muhammad Yusuf Ateh as Head of the Development Finance Comptroller (BPKP), with Agustina Arumsari as Deputy Head of BPKP. All of the inaugurations took place at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, with an oath-taking ceremony led by Prabowo.

• Continuing the government’s less-than-elegant response to the #IndonesiaGelap (dark Indonesia) protest movement, chairman of the National Economic Council (DEN) Luhut Binsar Pandjaitan fired back at protesters by saying “you are in the dark.”  Luhut argued that Indonesia is not in crisis, despite ongoing issues like job shortages—problems he claims are global, citing the US as an example. He also highlighted government efforts, including youth employment programs and Indonesia’s strong market potential.

• A 27-year-old man allegedly brutally murdered his girlfriend by stabbing her 25 times in a boarding house in Bandung, West Java on Feb. 15. The attack stemmed from the man’s anger after the victim refused to have an abortion. An autopsy revealed she was four months pregnant. Bandung Police said the suspect acted consciously and not under the influence of alcohol, for which he may face the death penalty for premeditated murder.

Business/Economy

• Bank Indonesia (BI) decided to maintain its benchmark interest rate at 5.75% during the Board of Governors Meeting on February 18-19, in an effort to ensure economic stability. The central bank also kept the Deposit Facility rate at 5% and the Lending Facility rate at 6.5%. This decision fits with the majority view of analysts, who expected BI to hold rates steady. However, eight institutions had predicted a 25 bps cut to 5.5%, reflecting expectations that BI might begin easing monetary policy amid global and domestic economic conditions.

• PT Freeport Indonesia (PTFI) is optimistic that the government will extend its copper concentrate export permit, citing full storage capacity following a fire at its smelter in Gresik, East Java. CEO Tony Wenas stated that PTFI seeks approval to export 1.3 million tons of concentrate until December 2025, a 54.67% increase from last year’s 840,000-ton quota. While Freeport has no standby buyers yet, Wenas remains confident in the global copper market’s demand.

• Luhut Pandjaitan also made his opinions heard on the error-prone Coretax administration system, urging President Prabowo to audit the program, which remained incomplete after a decade. He questioned the prolonged delays and emphasized the need for a thorough review to identify obstacles hindering its implementation. Luhut also stressed the need for a deeper analysis of Indonesia’s low tax ratio, which remains at just 10% despite Indonesia’s vast tax potential.

• Last bit on Luhut today — I promise. The senior politician believes Indonesia should develop its own generative AI, similar to China's DeepSeek, emphasizing the country's capability to create such technology. He cited successful Indonesian-made platforms like PeduliLindungi, Simbara, and E-Katalog as proof of local talent. He argued that building generative AI is not prohibitively expensive and urged immediate studies to begin.

• Tourism Minister Widiyanti Putri Wardhana lamented that the shrinking middle class in Indonesia is directly affecting the tourism sector. Widiyanti highlighted that the country's middle-class population has declined by 16.6% over the past five years, now standing at 47.8 million people. This reduction has weakened consumer spending and increased job market challenges. However, she noted that tourism remains a strong employment driver, proving its resilience during the pandemic. 

Everything Else

• The Ministry of Health estimates that there are over one million cancer cases in the country, with a high mortality rate of 50–60%. Currently, only 408,000 cases have been detected, as cancer is not a communicable disease. The most common cancers are breast and cervical cancer for women, while lung and colorectal cancer are prevalent among men. Early detection remains crucial, and the government has introduced a free health check-up program, including cancer screenings. Fear of diagnosis and societal barriers, such as women needing spousal permission for screenings, still present challenges for detection.