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Hello reader,

Happy New Year to all! 2024 has been kind to me (especially with it being the birth year of this very newsletter), and I hope it has been kind to you, too.

Onward to 2025! I hope you have a blast as you see out 2024 (there will be unregulated blasts in the Indonesian skies tonight, as per tradition). See you back here next year!

Cheers,

Andra

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Law/Politics

• The Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP), one of the largest investigative journalism organizations in the world, named former Indonesian President Joko Widodo (Jokowi) among the world's most corrupt leaders in 2024. Others who made this list include and former Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, while the organization bestowed the unflattering Corrupt Person of the Year award to ousted Syrian President Bashar al-Assad. While al-Assad received a lengthy write-up detailing his sins, the OCCRP did not elaborate on their choice of nominees, including Jokowi.

• While Jokowi’s inclusion caused quite the stir in Indonesia, the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) — who felt betrayed by Jokowi — went one further and called on the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) to work with OCCRP to investigate the former president. The party is still upset about KPK naming PDI-P Secretary General Hasto Kristiyanto a suspect in a bribery case, which they said was politicized.

• Following criticism from President Prabowo Subianto over lenient corruption sentences, the Attorney General’s Office says it has begun preparations for an appeal against Harvey Moeis’ sentence. Harvey was recently sentenced to 6.5 years in prison in a tin corruption scandal that caused the state IDR 300 trillion in losses.

• Indonesia's ambassador to Nigeria, Usra Hendra Harahap, is facing allegations of sexual harassment from a former staffer, with reports that the victim has experienced severe depression. The Foreign Ministry has initiated an investigation, promising accountability if the claims are substantiated. Usra is a former military general who was appointed to the Abuja post in 2019. 

Business/Economy

• President Prabowo is expected to close out the year by holding a press conference this evening to announce an increase in the Value-Added Tax (VAT) rate to 12%, effective January 1, 2025. The highly controversial move, mandated by a 2021 law on harmonization of tax regulations (HPP), has sparked concerns about weakening the people’s purchasing power amid already economically challenging times. The government has played down such concerns, and has promised numerous benefits and relaxations elsewhere to ensure economic stability.

• In what could be a significant win for Indonesia’s farmers, the government has increased the base price for unhusked rice from IDR 6,000 to IDR 6,500 per kilogram and for corn from IDR 5,000 to IDR 5,500 per kilogram. The hike may be the result of Prabowo’s insistence on food and agricultural self-sufficiency.

• The government also announced a moratorium on importing key staples such as rice, corn, sugar, and salt in 2025. The moratorium corresponds with efforts to bolster local production and reduce dependency on foreign supplies. It has, however, raised concerns about potential shortages if domestic output fails to meet demand, though the government is confident that the country will be well-stocked with the staple goods.

Everything Else

• Indonesian aviation authorities have ruled out the need for extra aircraft inspections after the Jeju Air tragedy in South Korea, arguing that regular inspections of aircrafts operating in Indonesia have been sufficient to ensure safety. South Korean authorities recently ordered a comprehensive inspection of all Boeing 737-800 aircrafts in the country following the Jeju Air crash, which involved the aircraft model.