Indonesia In-depth

Election is a contest with a winner, but what if the only way to "win" is to make sure "nobody" wins? 

Since Indonesia began the process to hold election concurrently in 2015, there have been more and more cases of empty ballot/empty box, only a single candidate race. For some, the empty box is the expression of choice. In this episode, we follow the story of a man who felt cheated in an election proces...

Though Indomie is one of Indonesian's most iconic brands, its true origin is largely misunderstood. As Indonesians began to accept wheat-based products as part of their daily diet, instant noodles manufacturers flourished--beginning with Supermi. But it was Soeharto's masterplan with establishing Bogasari, a flour milling facility, that paved the way for Liem Sioe Liong (a.k.a Soedono Salim) to come onto the instant noodl...

How did instant noodles become a staple food for Indonesians? How did Indomie become Indonesia’s most iconic brand? Through the lens of two generations, we trace back the series of accidental events; from historic famine, a move for political and national stability, nepotism, geopolitics, the letters of desperation, to the legal battle over Indonesia’s most iconic brand and a forgotten founder that history should acknowledge.
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Our podcast feeds has been a bit quiet recently, but that's because we have been hard at work pitching, interviewing, editing and building stories. Indonesia In-depth has evolved into a seasonal podcast, fully committed to long-form narrative series. We hope you will enjoy it! |

|Stay connected with us through our Instagram and Twitter: @Indepthcreates or write to us at info@indepthcreative.com

| This episode is produc...

We’ve got some big news! We’ve been off the grid for a while but that’s for a good reason. Indonesia In-depth is evolving into a seasonal podcast and fully committed to long-form narrative series. Our debut will be released soon! In the meantime, stay connected with us through our Instagram and Twitter: @Indepthcreates or write to us at info@indepthcreative.com

| This episode is produced by In-depth Creative | All music licensed | V...

2020 is coming to an end, and to be honest, we can’t wait! Through musical instruments, sounds, and melodies, Tanita and Rizki paint a picture of what the team went through in this unprecedented year. In this episode of Indonesia In-Studio (and last episode of Indonesia In-depth in 2020!), we take you back to all the works, surprises, the highs and the lows of production that took place in our studio. Featuring some of our most can...

One of the major changes to Indonesia following the fall of Soeharto and Reformasi was decentralization and a shift to a direct ballot election system. The aim? To ensure that local legislatures were not simply a rubber stamp of Jakarta. 

In recent years though, we have seen a strong push to return to a similar system used under the New Order and ultimately return more power to the central government. Leading this movement are the k...

Between May - July 1945, members of the Investigative Committee for Preparatory Work for Independence (BPUPKI) deliberated on what territories should be included in a future Republic of Indonesia, if Japan granted independence. Should the new state stretch from Southern Thailand to Papua New Guinea? Should it extend only to the borders of the former Dutch colony? Or, should it mirror the territory of the former Majapahit Kingdom fr...

President Widodo promised to return Indonesia to a maritime power when he first took office in 2014. It was one of Widodo’s major platform policies and there was a lot talk about it in his presidential campaign that year and during the early part of his first term.

Intrigued by history, we often wondered, if Widodo hoped to bring back this maritime power, what did this power look like before? Where the kingdoms that controlled this ...

There are more and more Nigerians fleeing to Indonesia. Why is this the case? 

Though the local media may have portrayed them more as online scammers and drug dealers, the reality is most of them are just trying to find a better life outside Nigeria doing ordinary jobs. The situation in Nigeria has pushed many youths to emigrate, or attempted to emigrate, abroad. 

We follow the story of one Nigerian man who hoped ...

To flee to a foreign country you barely know and not knowing the language can be scary. But for many Nigerians youths, like Lucas (not his real name), going anywhere but home is necessary. 

The situation in Nigeria has pushed many youths to emigrate, or attempted to emigrate. We venture along with Lucas in this journey to Indonesia. What followed his arrival in Jakarta in 2017 was nothing close to what he expected. Fast forward to t...

Prior to the pandemic there was push by major parties, such as PDI-P, Golkar and Gerindra, to bring more power back to the central government. During the Covid-19 pandemic, we saw some local leaders taking the initiative with battling the virus while the central government moved slowly. How might these events impact the country’s trend towards a more top-down approach by the central government?

West Java Governor Ridwan Kamil, is re...

The Central Government has prevented provincial leaders, such as Jakarta governor Anies Baswedan, from implementing a lockdown, despite the fact that Jakarta is the country’s epicentre for the Covid-19 virus. The president says that a lockdown would cripple the country’s economy and lead to social unrest. Does the government have the capacity to successfully implement a lockdown as some have hoped for? 

Indonesia's Health Care ...

The Indonesian public has been fixated on the official number for Covid-19 cases and deaths during the pandemic. Indonesia’s numbers appear to be far lower than other countries given its 270 million people, but we wondered, how accurate is this number? Especially, when data has yet to be fully compiled at the regional and district levels and when there are at least five confusing categories when it comes to classifying Covid-19 cas...

When we ask ourselves how people would even begin to conceive and believe in conspiracy theories and hoaxes during a critical time such as this pandemic, we find that it is so much more than just an issue of how we access and process information, as many would believe. Evidently, world leaders around the world are also engaging in wild narratives surrounding COVID-19. In this episode, we attempt to go to the root of it, by asking h...

During his first term in office, President Widodo promised to return Indonesia to its maritime roots and establish the country as a maritime power. Some may wonder though, how did the world’s largest archipelagic state loose its maritime roots to begin with? Widodo is now into his second term and he appears to have abandoned his maritime vision. What does this mean for Indonesia and what does it mean for the region?

This comes at a ...

When the international community condemned the arbitrary detention, mass surveillance, political indoctrination and restrictions on religious activity of the Muslim minority Uyghur ethnic group in 2019, most of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) members instead endorsed China’s treatment of Uyghurs in an official statement. The OIC stated that Beijing has undertaken deradicalization and counter-terrorism measures in the ...

The drama over who will fill Jakarta's empty deputy governor seat is less about local politics and more about Gerindra's desire to rebuild its old relationship with PDIP at the national level.   
Nothing is permanent when it comes to relationships among political parties in Indonesia. As parties lack strong ideologies, most relationships are established when it’s deemed beneficial rather than based on issues to stance...

Anies Baswedan eyed the Jakarta governor's seat as a stepping stone to the presidential palace, but he will likely be politically "neutralized" before the next presidential election.

Although Anies may have high name recognition, ambitions for the presidency will likely be difficult to fulfil as he will be prevented from running for reelection in 2022. His controversial divisive campaign, which led to victor...