Di musim pemilu, makanan jadi alat ampuh politikus Indonesia membakar gelora nasionalisme dengan retorika anti-impor. Mungkinkah kita berhenti mengimpor bahan baku dari luar negeri? Artikel ini pertama kali terbit di VICE pada tahun 2018. Musim kampanye untuk pemilihan umum 2019 sudah dimulai. Kedua kubu terlihat sudah mulai adu argumen entah di media-media ataupun lewat medsos. Jika tensi sudah mulai panas begini, apapun bisa dijadikan bahan perdebatan bahkan ejekan. …

Orang tua rela masih saja rela membayar lebih untuk memasukkan anaknya ke bimbel supaya jadi anak “pintar”. Kepercayaan terhadap sekolah masih juga belum membaik. Artikel ini pertama kali terbit di VICE pada tahun 2018. Di luar negeri, orang mengandalkan makanan, artis sebagai guru les, atau bahkan ritual agar lulus ujian nasional (UN) dengan nilai bagus. Beda lagi dengan Indonesia. Kita tidak percaya takhayul seperti itu. Pelajar lebih pilih ikut bimbingan belajar (bimbel) sepulang sekolah.

While many are celebrating a new rule that will filter Indonesia’s elections from corrupt politicians, drug lords and pedophiles, a recent case shows that committing sexual assault won’t stop someone from holding a public office. This article first appeared on VICE in 2018. What does the word “progressive” mean when you live in a highly religious and conservative country like Indonesia? Sometimes, it’s not really what you expect it to be. But progress is relative, so any step forward no matter how small, must be…

No one knows the pain of poor urban planning like a Jakartan. This article first appeared on VICE in 2018, as a side commentary of the Asian Games. No city is perfect. Jakarta, for example, is chronically congested, literally sinking, and choking on harmful fumes. …

I’m a Gen Z tired of endless political conflicts and being told I do not know enough to have opinions. So I went to college and studied political science. Turns out, the search for political utopia is a search for ourselves. There is no truth— only callings to find my own intrinsic meaning. There’s something about politics that scares many people away. Something about it that angers us, saddens us, confuses us. It’s argumentative, and, bluntly, not very pleasant. I mean, there’s a reason why discussing politics during family dinners can lead to awkward, if not infuriating moments.