Subsidies for electric motorbikes and cars should be just the first small step in a long-term plan to electrify Indonesia’s transport – driven increasingly by renewables, not coal-fired electricity.
Indonesia has more than doubled its government-funded energy subsidies this year, to Rp 349.9 trillion (US$23.56 billion). But how else could that money be spent to help people who need it most?
Not all digitalisation is good: App-based monitoring for subsidised cooking oil and fuel may deny access to intended recipients due to limited use of mobile cellular and internet.