Based on the latest data from Statistics Indonesia (BPS), which were released on 1 April 2019, Indonesian consumer prices continued to ease in March 2019 (in line with estimates). However, what is remarkable is that Indonesia’s annual inflation rate – 2.48 percent (y/y) in March 2019 – fell below the central bank’s target range (Bank Indonesia has set its inflation target for full-year 2019 at the range of 2.5–4.5 percent y/y). Indonesia’s latest inflation figure is the nation’s lowest inflation since December 2009. By Indonesian standards, inflation is currently remarkably low, hence it should manage to encourage household consumption.

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Today, Wednesday 17 April 2019, the Indonesian people vote for the country's presidential and legislative elections. While the legislative elections are not less important, most eyes are set on the presidential election; a battle between incumbent President Joko Widodo and challenger Prabowo Subianto.

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Boeing, the American multinational corporation that designs, manufactures and sells airplanes, has been experiencing severe turbulence in Indonesia ever since Lion Air flight JT-610 dove into the sea on 29 October 2018 shortly after take-off from Soekarno-Hatta International Airport outside Indonesia’s capital city of Jakarta, killing all 189 people on board (including crew).

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Plastic waste is a huge problem in Indonesia. Over the past few years, various images surfaced on the Internet and media showing how beaches on Bali – the famous island that forms the most popular tourist destination in Indonesia - are swamped by plastic garbage. Another example is the city of Bandung (West Java) where the Indonesian army had to lend a helping hand last year to fish plastic garbage out of local rivers.

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