Questions are being asked about whether or not the rule of law applies equally to all Indonesian citizens after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo was a special guest at a glitzy celebrity wedding at a time when large gatherings are banned under Covid-19 health protocols and similar events have been routinely broken up by police.

The national police cyber crimes division has announced they will give out rewards in the form of badges or pins to members of the public who report alleged crimes on social media.

The Southeast Asia Freedom of Expression Network (SAFEnet) has criticised the recently established virtual police (VP) unit which is tasked with monitoring the online activities of netizens.

While the government appears to be making some headway in its Covid-19 vaccination program, the same however can't be said for its fight against corruption.

A statement by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's asking the public to be more active in conveying criticism and input on the government's performance has been met by a storm of criticism from people who have fallen foul of the draconian Information and Electronic Transaction Law (UU ITE).

The current election law (RUU Pemilu) was only enacted three years ago but the political elite are already squabbling over whether or not to revise it again.

According to the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI), there were 351 cases of civil rights violations across the country in 2020, the majority of which were violations against freedom of expression.

In early January tempeh and tofu disappeared from the market as producers went on strike to protest the soaring price of soybean, the primary ingredient of the popular food, which is mostly imported.

Social media was abuzz Tuesday after President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo announced six new cabinet ministers. While rumors of a reshuffle had been doing the rounds for some time, the announcement of one particular name left many scratching their heads.

A cabinet reshuffle on Tuesday, triggered by the arrest of two ministers for graft allegations and prolonged criticism over several ministers' poor performance has brought six new faces to President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration has suffered yet another blow to its once clean image after the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) named Social Affairs Minister Juliari Batubara a suspect in a graft case involving the distribution of Covid-19 social aid (Bansos).

An apparently casual photo of Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan reading a book on Sunday morning has sparked debate among social media users with some claiming the photo is a subtle jab at President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's administration.

According to the State Research Institute a total of 124 candidate pairs affiliated with political dynasties will be running in the simultaneous election of regional heads on December 9.

The highly contentious and unpopular Omnibus Law on Job Creation was passed into law on October 5. In response tens of thousands of people took to the streets across Indonesia in a series of angry and sometimes violent protests.

The government’s determination to push ahead with the 2020 simultaneous regional elections on December 9 in the face of widespread public opposition and advice from health experts that it risks a new wave of Covid-19 cases is already starting to take its toll.

The number of sole candidates running in Indonesia’s regional elections has steadily increased in the past five years, election data has shown, leading to growing concerns that the upcoming polls might ruin the electoral system.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) and the Elections Supervisory Agency (Bawaslu) have warned about potential vote buying in the upcoming simultaneous regional elections, which the government insists on holding on December 9 despite the ongoing Covid-19 epidemic.

The threat posed by the Covid-19 pandemic has distracted public attention. In the mist of the panic among the public, many strategic decisions on public policies have been taken without public involvement or participation.

Kalimantan Islamic University (Uniska) political observer Muhammad Uhaib As’ad says that the democratic process in Indonesia post reformasi – the political reform process that began in 1998 – is still being held hostage by the power of money.

A recent survey by the Kompas daily’s research and development department conducted by phone interviews on July 27-29 has found that many Indonesians are fed up with Indonesia’s thriving political dynasties.