Indonesian Current Politics News & Headlines

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Freezing of protester’s bank account draws flak

Civil groups said the timing of Bank Mandiri’s freezing of a protest coordinator’s account raised concerns that banking powers were being used to restrict citizens’ right to protest.

11 hours ago
Politics

Mandiri freezing of protester’s account raises alarm over civic freedom

Bank Mandiri’s freezing of a protest coordinator’s account has drawn strong criticism from civil society groups, which have warned the move restricts civic freedoms and could erode public trust in the state-owned lender. ...

2 days ago
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NU clerics warn against political interference in upcoming leadership race

Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) is slated to hold a leadership contest to pick its next chair in its upcoming national congress (Muktamar) in Jombang, East Java in late August. ...

2 days ago

The Latest

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Indonesia’s democracy problem is not backsliding, but weak foundations

To fix Indonesia's weak democratic foundations, the country needs to undergo a total reform of its political system through a rewrite on the 1945 Constitution as well as a shift to parliamentary administration, as suggested by scholars.

1 month ago
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Forestry minister in hot seat following alleged bribery attempt

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is looking into whether or not the alleged bribe attempt involving Forestry Minister Raja Juli is linked to the ongoing probe into graft suspect Suhardiman Amby, the regent of Kuantan Singingi in Riau province.

1 month ago
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Public Works Minister in hot water as family listed in official trip

Public Works Minister Dody Hanggodo has come under scrutiny after an official ministry document listed his wife and daughter as members of a planned delegation to the United States, drawing questions from the Indonesian Ombudsman and the public over transparency and the use of state facilities.

1 month ago
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Court orders release of Jokowi degree challenger in pretrial ruling

The South Jakarta District Court has ordered the immediate release of Roy Suryo after the presiding judge found fault with his detention on technical grounds, as it was executed under a warrant for a raid and not an arrest.

1 month ago
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Pardoned convicts trained for food security jobs, minister says

The government previously mulled over allowing former inmates who received presidential pardon to join the Defense Ministry’s reserve component (Komcad) program, but it was scrapped due to legal issues pertaining to existing regulations.

1 month ago
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Graft probe draws scrutiny over police, military roles in free meals program

The widening corruption probe into President Prabowo Subianto’s free nutritious meal program has implicated a police brigadier general and a military officer, intensifying scrutiny over active-duty personnel in government welfare programs.

1 month ago
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Plan for a new climate body met with opposition

After a meeting with the United Kingdom Climate Change Committee (UK CCC), Environment Minister Mohammad Jumhur Hidayat raised a plan to form a similar independent body in Indonesia to strengthen the country’s climate actions.

1 month ago
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Nadiem, prosecutors appeal Chromebook graft verdict

Aside from an appeal, the legal team of the former education minister also plans to file a complaint with the Judicial Commission alleging Jakarta Corruption Court judges disregarded evidence presented during the trial.

1 month ago
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Political parties respect court ruling upholding direct regional elections

Several political parties have welcomed the Constitutional Court's recent ruling reaffirming that regional heads must continue to be elected directly by voters, a decision observers say effectively closes the door on renewed proposals to scrap direct regional elections.

1 month ago
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Transparency concerns cloud cybersecurity bill deliberations

As lawmakers begin deliberating the long-awaited Cybersecurity and Cyber Resilience Bill, rights advocates and experts are urging greater public participation, warning that several vaguely worded provisions could threaten privacy, freedom of expression and legal certainty.

1 month ago
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Jokowi diploma challenger faces defamation trial

Health practitioner Tifauzia “Tifa” Tyassuma faced her first court hearing on Thursday in a defamation case stemming from allegations that former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo's university diploma was fake, while former youth and sports minister Roy Suryo continued separate pretrial proceedings over the same controversy.

1 month ago
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Controversial commissioner appointments revive patronage concerns at SOEs

The appointments of a personal assistant of Raffi Ahmad, President Prabowo Subianto’s special envoy, and a pro-government youth leader to commissioner posts at two state-linked companies have reignited debate over patronage politics.

1 month ago
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Prabowo lauds police amid concerns over stalled reforms

President Prabowo Subianto has praised the National Police and their chief for pushing reforms in policing and playing an extra role in food security, amid persistent criticism that institutional reforms have stalled.

1 month ago
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Delayed election law revision sparks fear of tighter presidential nominations

Concerns are growing over possible efforts to further restrict competition in the next presidential elections, with speculation mounting over tighter candidate nomination requirements as lawmakers continue to delay revisions to the General Election law.

1 month ago
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Split court hands Nadiem 10 years in prison

The Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday sentenced former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison and Rp 809 billion (US$45.4 million) in restitution for causing state losses in the procurement of Chromebook laptops during his time in office, an amount Nadiem said he could not afford.

1 month ago
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BREAKING: Nadiem gets 10 years in prison in Chromebook corruption case

The Jakarta Corruption Court sentenced on Tuesday former education minister Nadiem Makarim to 10 years in prison for causing state losses in a case involving the procurement of Chromebook laptops during his time in office.

1 month ago
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Academics rally behind student protests, reject politicization

A coalition of professors, academics, rights advocates and public figures has thrown its support behind recent student protests, warning that growing attempts to intimidate and politicize the movement threaten Indonesia’s democracy and civil liberties.

1 month ago
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Jokowi sets sights on PSI rise in 2029 elections

Former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo has thrown his weight behind his youngest son’s Indonesian Solidarity Party (PSI) during his first nationwide political tour since leaving office, in what analysts see as early groundwork for the party in the 2029 legislative and presidential elections.

1 month ago
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Calls grow for end of military training in rural cooperative programs

The deaths of prospective managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s rural cooperatives and fishing village programs in military training has prompted rights groups and the National Commission on Human Rights (Komnas HAM) to call for an end to the training.

1 month ago
Politics

Komnas HAM urges end to military training in Prabowo cooperative project

Launched in July last year, the "Red and White Cooperatives" programme aims to establish around 80,000 village cooperatives across Indonesia to create jobs and meet the government's target of 8 percent economic growth in 2029. They are intended to sell basic goods, subsidised cooking gas and fertiliser.

1 month ago
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Prabowo-Jokowi strains surface amid public discontent

Fresh signs of strain have emerged in the relationship between President Prabowo Subianto and his predecessor Joko “Jokowi” Widodo, as the administration faces mounting public discontent over rising fuel prices and Prabowo’s policies.

1 month ago
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Military drill for Prabowo’s programs costs more lives

The mandatory military-style training for managers of President Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Rural Cooperatives and fishing villages initiatives has claimed two more lives, intensifying calls from lawmakers and civil society groups to review the program.

1 month ago
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Shrinking civic space, militarization could drag down Indonesia’s corruption index: TII

Indonesia may risk seeing its corruption perception index decline further this year as concerns over shrinking civic space, growing militarization and attacks on press freedom continue to worsen under the administration of Prabowo Subianto, according to Transparency International Indonesia (TII).

2 months ago
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Prabowo shrugs off criticism for key policies

President Prabowo Subianto has brushed aside mounting criticism of his administration, defending his push to improve economic equality and food security in his first direct response to growing protests against his costly flagship programs amid economic hardships.

2 months ago
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Trainee deaths in Prabowo programs raise questions over training relevance

Two participants in a military training program for managers of President Prabowo’s Red and White Village Cooperatives and fishing villages initiatives have died during separate training sessions, prompting calls for a review of the program and renewed questions over the relevance of military-style instruction. 

2 months ago
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Prabowo urges unity at NU conference amid growing public discontent

President Prabowo Subianto emphasized the importance of unity and praised the role of Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) in maintaining stability on Tuesday, as his administration faces mounting criticism and a persistent wave of student protests over the country’s economy and costly government programs.

2 months ago
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Copyright Law amendment threatens press freedom

Several articles in the draft revision for the 2014 Copyright Law may lead to overlapping with other regulations as well as the criminalization of journalists and content creators for producing pieces that criticize public officials.

2 months ago
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Elite maneuvers put student movements at risk

Concerns are growing that political elites are trying to delegitimize student protests against President Prabowo Subianto's policies, with recent maneuvering threatening to undermine their credibility and shift focus away from the grievances that drove the demonstrations.

2 months ago
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Pro-government parties hit out at PDI-P over student protests

Pro-government parties have rounded on sole opposition party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), accusing it of appearing to support the recent student protests against President Prabowo Subianto’s costly flagship programs amid mounting economic pressures.

2 months ago
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Military prosecutors forgo appeal in activist acid attack case

Military prosecutors have opted not to challenge what critics describe as the lenient sentences handed down to four Indonesian Military (TNI) Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS) personnel convicted over the acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus, despite appeals filed by the men themselves.

2 months ago

Today's ePost

Wed, August 26, 2026

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