Maurisa Zinira 

Democracy activists consistently predict polarization. While several groups argue that polarization is inevitable and may even serve as a catalyst for democratic development, uncontrolled polarization can undermine the fundamental principles of a functioning democracy. With the upcoming political year, there is a growing apprehension regarding the detrimental consequences of polarization. Furthermore, political elites may intentionally manufacture polarization to serve their partisan political objectives. read more

Johanes Koraag

Nowadays Indonesia is still experiencing a situation where there is still a gap between the national demand and availability of donated blood. Based on data from the 2022 PMI Central Blood Donor Unit Annual Report, the need for donated blood in 2022 is 5,515,476 bags of blood. Meanwhile, the blood that was collected from voluntary donors is as many as 3,796,698 bags of blood. The data shows that in 2022 Indonesia lacked 1,718,778 bags of blood. The insufficiency of blood needs certainly has an impact on patients who need these lifesaving blood donations. read more

Written by Rezza Prasetyo Setiawan

Within the Indonesian postcolonial democracy that is heavily influenced by religion-based identity politics, law and regulations have become the frontiers where interests are contested through the politics of policymaking. The new Criminal Code (Kitab Undang-undang Hukum Pidana, or KUHP), which was enacted in January 2023, was proposed to address these problems and, indeed, it has made progress. However, fundamental reconsiderations are still needed for it to better accommodate justice and to prevent interpretations that allow further marginalization of minority groups. Moreover, the public sphere has also expanded to the digital realm, which necessitates new operational definitions and understandings on freedom of expression, religious freedom, and on the nature of communication itself. read more