As Indonesia steps into 2026, the echoes of 2025 are still strongly felt. Indonesia finds itself in a familiar yet uneasy space. Not quite in crisis, but far from fully secure. The year has been marked by rising living costs, environmental disruptions, social tensions, and a growing sense of fatigue among communities trying to keep up with rapid change. Behind the headlines, many people are simply focused on getting through the day: adjusting, adapting, and surviving in quiet ways.
Throughout 2025, economic pressure has been one of the most widely felt realities. From food prices to transportation and housing, daily expenses have crept upward while household resilience has been tested. At the same time, conversations around layoffs, job insecurity, and informal work have become increasingly common. These are not abstract issues they shape how families plan their futures, how young people imagine opportunity, and how communities respond to uncertainty.
Environmental challenges have also left a strong imprint this year. Floods, landslides, and extreme weather events across different regions have reminded us that climate change is no longer a distant threat. It is already woven into daily life, affecting health, livelihoods, and access to basic needs. What stood out in 2025 was not only the scale of these events, but how often communities had to rely on mutual aid and local solidarity while recovery efforts unfolded.
Socially, 2025 revealed a widening gap between policy conversations and lived experience. Public discourse has been busy reforms, programs, targets but many people still question how far these decisions translate into tangible improvements. At the same time, civic awareness has grown. More Indonesians are paying attention, asking questions, and seeking ways to participate, even if the channels for doing so feel limited or unclear.
Looking ahead to 2026, the path forward feels less about bold predictions and more about necessary recalibration. The coming year may not bring immediate solutions, but it offers an opportunity to shift focus, from short-term fixes to longer-term resilience. Economic recovery will need to be paired with fairness. Development must account for environmental limits. And social progress will depend not only on policy, but on trust, collaboration, and inclusion.
If 2025 taught us anything, it is that no single sector can move the country forward alone. Governments, communities, civil society, and the private sector are increasingly interconnected. Sustainable change will depend on how well these actors listen to one another and work together, especially in addressing issues that sit at the intersection of health, education, livelihoods, and environmental sustainability.
As Indonesia steps into 2026, hope does not necessarily come from grand promises. It comes from smaller, steadier commitments: policies that reflect everyday realities, systems that support the most vulnerable, and collective efforts that prioritize long-term impact over short-term gain. The year ahead may still carry uncertainty, but it also carries the possibility of deeper alignment between intention and action, if we choose to move forward together.