President Prabowo Subianto’s administration has been facing criticism for its dismissive public communication style, which analysts say is a reflection of its penchant for closed-door, top-down policymaking.

Protests have broken out in major cities such as Bandung and Surabaya since the House passed the TNI Law revision on Thursday following what critics called a rushed, opaque deliberation process.

The Free Papua Movement (OPM) rebels claimed responsibility for the attacks they said were aimed at “intelligence agents” disguised as teachers and medical workers in the region.

The President has left several key ambassadorial posts vacant, prompting analysts to question the former military general’s long-term geopolitical plans.

The recent passage of a controversial revision to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law has sparked concerns that the military’s expanded role in civilian affairs could lead to overlapping responsibilities and further strain Indonesia’s already overburdened bureaucracy.

The police have started a preliminary investigation into the intimidation of journalists from national news magazine Tempo amid pressure from civil society groups to safeguard press freedom and ensure the safety of the country’s reporters.

Weekly magazine Tempo, a top publication since the 1970s, has been critical of the policies of President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-general whom rights groups accuse of abuses under the New Order regime.

Several days after a Tempo journalist was sent an anonymous package containing a pig’s head, the outlet’s office in Jakarta received another box containing the carcasses of decapitated rats in what was seen as another attempt to intimidate the publication and its journalists.

The PDI-P has been facing various political and legal pressures, potentially pushing the nationalist party into the wall and affecting its stance toward the government and coalition of President Prabowo Subianto, analysts have said.

In a small win for democracy amid the ongoing furor over the newly passed TNI Law revision, justices at the top court have ruled "to uphold [...] the people's sovereignty" by barring legislators-elect from abandoning their constituency expressly to make a bid for a regional leadership post.

The legislature's habitual use of closed-door meetings to deny opportunities for civil participation is reflected in the EIU's latest Democracy Index, which shows that the country's "civil liberties" score has remained unchanged for almost three decades.

Tempo and its journalists who recently received an anonymous package containing a pig’s head say they are undeterred by the apparent intimidation attempt and have called on the public to “stay critical”.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) law amendment, which has expanded military roles in the government, has raised concerns among civil groups who fear of the return of dwifungsi (dual function) of the armed forces, a critical pillar that had sustained Soeharto's New Order for more than three decades.

Tempo has described as an "act of terror" a package containing a pig’s head that was sent to a host of its popular podcast "Bocor Alus Politik", while the YLBHI has condemned the act as a violation of the Press Law and called on authorities to identify and punish the perpetrators.

In unscripted remarks during a ceremony for a new SEZ in Batang, Central Java, the President shrugged off his critics, likening them to "dogs", insisting that his policies would pave the way toward a prosperous future for the country.

The Jakarta Police have asserted that investigators are still working on their case against former Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) chair Firli Bahuri, after he withdrew a third pretrial motion challenging his naming as a suspect for allegedly extorting a former minister.

House of Representatives lawmakers and government officials insist that the revision of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law is based on "democratic principles, civilian supremacy and human rights" and necessary due to the current geopolitical situation.

The bill has been criticised by civil society groups, who say it could take the world's third-biggest democracy back to the draconian New Order era of former president Soeharto, where military officers dominated civilian affairs.

The House of Representatives is expected to pass a controversial revision to the 2004 Indonesian Military (TNI) Law during a plenary session on Thursday following a speedy deliberation involving closed-door meetings.

Supratman, a politician from President Prabowo Subianto's Gerindra Party and former lawmaker, maintained that the proposal to amend the military law was initiated by lawmakers at the House of Representatives. 

On Monday and Tuesday, investigators from the prosecutor’s office questioned at least seven witnesses in the case.

The House is set to pass the law Thursday in a plenary council after a committee overseeing military approved the changes, which will allow armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts.

Budi Djiwandono, the deputy chief of committee overseeing the military law bill at the House of Representatives, made the statement at an event held by the finance regulator after a plunge in markets on Tuesday.

The House of Representatives has moved one step closer to passing legislation that will expand the Indonesian Military’s (TNI) role in civilian governance despite growing opposition from pro-democracy and human rights groups who fear the new law will erode decades of democratic progress.

Speaking in a press briefing held in response to the recent slump in the stock market, Sri Mulyani said that she would continue leading the effort to manage state finances together with all staff in the Finance Ministry.

The Supreme Court faces a critical shortage of nearly 2,000 judges. Irregular recruitment and placement challenges further complicate the issue.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is planning to summons former popular West Java governor Ridwan Kamil of Golkar Party as a witness in their investigation into a botched procurement at publicly listed lender Bank BJB.

Lawmakers rushed to cross a “democratic red line” this week by insisting on revising the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law, critics contend, despite attempts to appease public fears of the return to an authoritarian past.

The Indonesian Military (TNI) has rotated dozens of high-ranking officers, including newly appointed State Logistics Agency (Bulog) president director Maj. Gen. Novi Helmy Prasetya, amid mounting concerns over the military’s growing influence in civilian affairs.

West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi's public engagement tactics, both in person and on social media, have raised some eyebrows as to whether this approach, reminiscent of ex-president Jokowi's "man of the people" public image, will have as favorable an impact in the current political climate, let alone five years from now.