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Hello reader,

Contract teachers are among the most underappreciated and underpaid people in Indonesia. One teacher, Supriyani, is in the national spotlight after she was jailed for not being able to come up with a huge settlement fee in lieu of criminal charges.

According to her, she scolded one of her students in class, who happens to be the child of a police officer. The student’s family claims she physically abused the child, and demanded IDR 50 million in compensation.

Read on for the latest developments in that story, as well as the day’s other major news.

Cheers,

Andra

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Law/Politics

• Supriyani, a contract teacher at a primary school in South Konawe, Southeast Sulawesi, was detained by local police after she was accused of physically abusing a student. Supriyani maintains that she merely scolded the student, who is reportedly the child of a police officer. The incident occurred in April 2024 but Supriyani was only recently detained after she and the school failed to come up with the IDR 50 million settlement fee the alleged victim’s family demanded. The District Attorney has since suspended her detention amid threats of a teachers’ strike in the region out of protest of her treatment.

• In his first cabinet meeting, President Prabowo issued a stern warning to those in his administration who are not committed to realizing his nationwide free school lunch program, stating that they should leave the government. Since his presidential campaign, Prabowo has put a huge focus on addressing malnutrition and ensuring that government policies align with his vision of a healthier, more self-sufficient Indonesia.

• Indonesia’s newly appointed Foreign Minister Sugiono, who notably had little diplomatic experience prior to the post, has made his international debut by attending the BRICS Summit in Russia. The 45-year-old is set to deliver a message calling for world peace and unity among nations in the Global South. 

• In a major anti-corruption sting operation, the Attorney General’s Office arrested three judges from the Surabaya District Court today. Details about the arrest are scarce at the time of this newsletter’s publication, though it’s understood that the three judges were the ones who controversially acquitted murder suspect Gregorius Ronald Tannur in July.

• A Jakarta citizen has filed a lawsuit with the Constitutional Court seeking the right to live in Indonesia without declaring a religion, arguing that being forced to do so has robbed him of his constitutional right to freedom of expression. His appeal is unlikely to succeed, as the belief in a god is the first tenet of the state ideology and that current laws require Indonesian citizens to adhere to one of the six officially recognized religions.

 Business/Economy

• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has projected that Indonesia’s economy will grow by 5.1% during President Prabowo’s term. While this growth rate is promising, it’s still some way off Prabowo’s target of 8%, which he reportedly hopes to achieve by the end of his first five years in charge.

• To realize President Prabowo’s ambitious plan to construct 3 million homes annually, Housing and Settlements Minister Maruarar Sirait is looking to develop housing projects on land seized from illegal activities and transit points to provide affordable homes for low-income families. The administration claims 13 million houses would have to be built to meet national housing demands.

• Prabowo has directed his ministers to cut back on attending seminars and foreign trips, calling for a more efficient use of government resources. He also called on officials to cut back on unnecessary ceremonies and conferences, stating that taxpayers’ money is better spent elsewhere.

• Minister of Industry Agus Gumiwang Kartasasmita has indicated that the subsidy for electric motorcycles, a key part of the country’s green energy policy, is unlikely to be extended beyond 2025. The subsidy has met its quota of 50,000 recipients this year, who were entitled to IDR 7 million off of their electric motorcycle purchase.

Everything Else

• Indonesian Bishop Paskalis Bruno Syukur of the Bogor Diocese has declined the cardinalate offered by Pope Francis, citing his desire to grow in priestly life. The 62-year-old bishop will not be created a cardinal at the upcoming Consistory on December 7, 2024, as Pope Francis has accepted his request to be allowed room for personal growth.