Mathias Hariyadi

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto today inaugurated a new sovereign wealth fund, which is expected to manage US$ 900 billion in assets to finance projects and stimulate economic growth. This has elicited strong criticism because of the risk of corruption and slashed welfare programmes, which could deprive victims of terrorism of medical care.

Hasto Kristiyanto, a Catholic, is accused in connection with a bribery case involving the replacement of a PDIP lawmaker who died soon after being elected. His supporters slam the government, claiming that the investigation is politically motivated and directed at the main opposition party.

The budget efficiency plan is causing protests over job cuts at state broadcasters and scholarships freeze this year. The Ministry of Public Works faces the worst cuts. The government also froze funding for the construction of the new capital, Nusantara, pending parliamentary approval of the spending review plan.

Introduced in 2007 to replace kerosene, the 3-kilo LPG cylinder was reserved for poor people starting in 2019. The Prabowo administration is forcing retailers to become agents of the state-owned energy company to prevent price gouging and abuses. However, many retailers have opted to stop their activity, harming the weakest.

The project aims to turn 20.6 million hectares of forests in Papua’s Merauke region into rice and corn fields. For the Minister of Forestry, the goal is not to deforest, but to improve land productivity. The Indonesian Environment Forum calls for transparency. For Greenpeace Indonesia, the project is nearly impossible.

In the diocese on the island of Java, the ordination of the new prelate at the Sacred Heart of Jesus Cathedral. During the homily the invitation to give attention to the “crisis of love” identified by Benedict XVI: “The smile in the Jubilee is a Holy Door,” he said. Also present at the rite was his friend Fr. Pat Min Seong, a deaf-mute priest from South Korea.

The event took place yesterday in the city of Pekalongan. Rescuers are looking for missing people and survivors but rescue operations are hampered by adverse weather conditions. The authorities have warned residents that the rains will continue in the coming days.

Hambali, who masterminded the attacks in Bali and against Christians, is currently held in Guantanamo. A s part of a policy of repatriating Indonesians incarcerated abroad, Indonesian authorities envisage bringing him home after his group said it was disbanding. Activists argue that helping jailed migrant workers come home and leniency towards a convicted terrorist are not the same.

Strong stance by Archbishop Msgr. Paulus Budi Kleven in defense of pristine lands that the Jakarta government wants to turn into a hub for new nationally significant “development projects” on the predominantly Catholic island. Local farmers' concerns.

Local fishermen raised the alarm after losing direct access to the sea. Some speculate that the barrier is part of PIK2, a government-backed residential and commercial project. Meanwhile, the Ministry of Fisheries has blocked access to the area. Some statements blaming fishermen for the fence are not deemed credible.

In the mountains of Indonesian Papua, new military operations against separatists have forced hundreds of people to flee into the forest. Bishop Matopai You has appealed to the authorities to ensure the refugees go home, and is also mobilising parishes to help those who fled.

The Filipino migrant sentenced to death in Indonesia for drug trafficking arrived in Manila after 14 years in prison. Today she was finally able to see her children. ‘Living behind bars has changed my life, transforming me into a person who has come closer to God’. There have been many requests from the Church and civil society for President Marcos to grant her a pardon, which the Jakarta government will not oppose.