Prabowo Kicks Off Indonesia’s First Free Meal Program Amidst Challenges

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Welcome to Indonesia at a crossroads! 

You are reading volume 4. 

Hello, new subscribers!

Whether you’re from Singapore, Vietnam, Malaysia, or other Asian countries, I’m thrilled to have you join my journey as we observe Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto administration together. If you’re unfamiliar with Prabowo or why his election has sparked controversy, I recommend reading this piece and the Volume 1 of my newsletter to get some context.

I’m so excited to see this newsletter grow! Over the past month, we’ve gained at least 100 new subscribers. This motivates me to stay consistent and send out the newsletter every Monday. Here’s how my workflow usually looks: I start reading and gathering news from Tuesday to Thursday, begin writing on Friday, and finalize the editing by Monday before 5 PM.

A friend of mine once said, “Writing a newsletter is hard work.” And it’s true! If you don’t stick to your schedule and dedicate time, it’s hard to deliver the best possible content. I learned this firsthand with Volume 3. The New Year celebrations and the logistics of moving back to Jakarta drained much of my energy, and I couldn’t give my best effort. Still, I pushed through and got it done.

While I might not always be at my peak, I promise to keep learning and improving every day. Your support makes all of this possible, so thank you for staying with me.

Here’s to a great journey ahead! 

Last week, I discussed Indonesia’s plan to increase VAT (Value Added Tax), which was canceled at the last minute. I also covered one of the most talked-about corruption cases in Indonesia, where the state lost US$18.5 billion. This case has sparked widespread public criticism, as the perpetrators received verdicts of less than 10 years.

This week, we shift our focus to the First Meal Program.

Now, let’s dive into this week’s headline.