Hundreds of university students rallied across Jakarta on Friday to demand that President Prabowo Subianto take steps to ease economic pressure amid rising prices of nonsubsidized fuels and other commodities.

Student groups are set to return to the streets on Friday, demanding an end to President Prabowo Subianto’s costly flagship programs as economic pressures mount and the rupiah sinks to a record low.

The new police law is likely to face a legal challenge at the Constitutional Court, as critics question the rushed deliberation process and controversial provisions allowing an expanded role for active-duty police officers in civilian posts.

Amid pressure on the rupiah and growing concerns over the country’s economic stability, House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad has taken a dominant role in coordinating with government officials on economic policies, raising questions over the scope of his authority in the legislature.

President Prabowo Subianto said his concerns over Indonesia’s trajectory since the 1990s motivated his repeated bids for the presidency, insisting his political ambitions were driven by a desire to change the country’s course rather than personal ambition.

The appointment of labor leader Said Iqbal as special presidential advisor on employment and workers’ welfare has sparked concerns over possible state cooptation of labor movement in the country, prompting questions about the future of labor groups’ independence.

The Jakarta Military Court on Wednesday sentenced four soldiers up to three years in prison for their roles in acid attack targeting anti-militarism activist Andrie Yunus.

Prosecutors rejected former education minister Nadiem Makarim’s defense plea at the Jakarta Corruption Court on Tuesday, maintaining that he had abused his authority and professional expertise for personal gain, as the defense prepared a final counterargument. 

The court found the attack was not influenced by any "chain of command."

Disgraced former deputy chief of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) Sony Sonjaya has offered to cooperate with law enforcement as a justice collaborator and expose “powerful names” allegedly tied to corruption in the free meals program, fueling intensified calls for a comprehensive audit of the multitrillion-rupiah program.

The House of Representatives passed on Tuesday a controversial amendment to the 2002 Police Law, allowing an expanded role for active-duty police officers in civilian posts through rushed deliberations that took less than a week.

Despite criticisms over a rushed legislative process, the House passed on Tuesday the amended Police Law, which includes a controversial provision that allows active-duty officers to take civilian posts in government.

President Prabowo Subianto on Monday inaugurated new leadership for the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) and named labor leader Said Iqbal as a special presidential advisor on employment, raising questions about the future direction of the government’s free meals program and the country’s labor movement.

Proposed amendment to the Police Law has alarmed critics over new provisions that could allow active-duty officers to serve at two agencies in charge of rolling out free meals and regulating food and drugs, stoking fresh fear of police encroachment into civic spaces.

President Prabowo Subianto’s plan to swear in new appointees to his government following corruption-related dismissals feeds speculation about a possible broader cabinet reshuffle amid growing concerns over the economy.

Indonesia’s military justice system still reflects a broader pattern of impunity for handing down mild sentences, especially in cases of violence committed by personnel against civilians, according to rights group the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).

The revision to the Elections Law has been included in the list of priority bills to be completed by the end of the year, but lawmakers have not started formal deliberation of the amendment.

The oligarchs have been reconsolidating economic and political power after being fragmented for more than two decades since the democratic reform in the country, as their system of alliances and relationships was never dismantled, political experts have noted.

President Prabowo Subianto’s removal of allegedly corrupt officials of the agency overseeing the free nutritious meal program might have been intended to restore public trust, but analysts have cautioned that a leadership change alone is not enough.

Deputy Immigration and Corrections Minister Silmy Karim, who also served as the immigration director general between 2023 and 2024, allegedly received around Rp 100 million (US$5,567) per week from extortion fees related to stay permit issuance for foreigners.

The alleged corruption took place in 2023 to 2024, Budi said. Silmy served as director general for immigration affairs under Prabowo's predecessor Joko Widodo during the period.

A collective study into allegations of foreign influence behind last year's sweeping protests has instead uncovered what appears to be an anti-Western disinformation campaign.

Former National Nutrition Agency (BGN) head Dadan Hindayana is suspected of having affiliation with foundations picked as free nutritious meal rollout partners, while also allegedly pushing to procure equipment deemed unnecessary for the program.

The South Jakarta court has ordered police to reopen their investigation into the acid attack on rights activist Andrie Yunus, potentially broadening efforts to identify the mastermind behind the assault, as military prosecutors seek prison terms for four soldiers that civil groups have criticized as too lenient.

The sacked officials allegedly used their own foundations to siphon school meal funds and pocket procurement.

Defendants Edi Sudarko, 45; Budi Hariyanto Widhi Cahyono, 43; Nandala Dwi Prasetia, 40; and Sami Lakka, 41, are charged with premeditated assault for the attack that left Andrie blind in one eye.

The raid came just hours after Prabowo sacked the head of the agency, Dadan Hindayana, which an official said was linked to governance and food quality concerns.

"An entire generation is holding its breath, waiting for the panel's decision; waiting for confirmation of whether truth still means something in our beloved country," Nadiem says.

In a video posted on social media, Cabinet Secretary Teddy Indra Wijaya said the number of people in the presidential entourage in each international trip has been reduced following the government’s austerity measures.

President Prabowo Subianto on Monday described his flagship policies as manifestations of the country's founding ideology Pancasila, declaring a need for an economic transformation based on national unity, welfare, justice and humanity.