The government’s plan to ban the social organisation Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) has raised questions about the existence of the Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) which has been criticised by groups that are not sympathetic to the FPI. What is the government’s response to this?

Arbi Sumandoyo – “Jakarta is filthy. We have to be macho. Jakarta is filthy. It must be cleaned up... must be cleaned up”, shouted a speaker through a loudspeaker from a command vehicle on May Day in front of the Jakarta City Hall.

“So make a pile. All in one place. We’ll clean the City Hall of these unclear messages...”

Sukma Indah Permana, Bantul – An exhibition displaying the art works of Andreas Iswinarto in the Bantul regency of Yogyakarta province has been closed down by the social organisation Pancasila Youth (PP).

With the police dragging their feet in an investigation into an acid (air keras) attack on Corruption Investigation Commission (KPK) investigator Novel Baswedan, who had uncovered evidence implicating lawmakers and senior politicians (politikus) in a massive e-ID corruption scandal, the House has now launched an inquiry (Hak Angket) into the KPK

SAFEnet Voice has recorded that since 2015, 73 percent of violations against freedom of expression have been committed on the grounds of spreading communism.

Edzan Raharjo, Yogyakarta – International Labour Day or May Day was commemorated by a number of different groups with rallies in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta. The main location for the protests was the Jl. Malioboro shopping district and the zero kilometre point in front of the central post office.

Jakarta – Workers from the Association of Indonesian Trade Unions (GSBI) rallying at the Jakarta town hall on May 1 have demanded wage increases and an end to outsourcing end exploitative apprenticeships.

Worker representatives also demanded that the Jakarta provincial government (Pemprov DKI) end forced evictions in the capital.

Jakarta – Scores of “sewer rats” enlivened a rally in Central Jakarta commemorating International Labour Day 2017 which fell today on Monday May 1.

The rodents were not real animals but ordainments brought by protesters from the Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI) to commemorate this year’s May Day.

Prins David Saut, Denpasar – Workers in Bali enlivened May Day by demanding increases to the provincial minimum wage (UMP) and dancing as they read out their demands.

Rallies commemorating International Labour Day in Indonesia were not just held in Jakarta. In Karawang, West Java, it was also the case except there the commemorations were joined by farmers.