Jakarta – Former Army Strategic Reserves Command (Green Berets, Kostrad) chief of staff retired Major General Kivlan Zen has spoken out about a request for money from Wiranto in 1998. Zen claimed that he asked Wiranto for money to cover the cost of setting up Pam Swakarsa.

Jakarta – Setara Institute for Democracy chairperson Hendardi believes that the statement by the ruling Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) Deputy Secretary General Ahmad Basarah, who referred to former president Suharto as the “teacher of corruption in Indonesia”, should be used as momentum for the government to expose the corruptio

Jakarta – The People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) – the highest legislative body in the country – has responded positively to plans to reactivate Pancasila Moral Education (PMP) courses in schools.

Kristian Erdianto, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid believes that during the four years of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo leadership the protection of human rights has gone backwards.

Vindry Florentin, Jakarta – Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) deputy coordinator Feri Kusuma says that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s statement on the banned Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) at the TNI’s (Indonesian military) anniversary was inappropriate.

Wahyu Amuk, Padang – If Indonesia does not properly address the era of globalisation and modernisation there will be negative impacts with gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) lifestyles, drugs and free sex running rampant, which will destroy the nation’s younger generation.

Dadang Kurnia, Bambang Noroyono – The sensitive LGBT issue has become a political hot potato following a statement by People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Zulkifli Hasan.

The people’s (Rakyat) so-called representatives (Wakil) – the notoriously lazy and corrupt House of Representatives (MPR) – are proposing a series of controversial revisions to the 2014 Legislative Institutions Law (RUU MD3) which critics say will give legal impunity to lawmakers and threatens to erode freedom of speech and expression.

Amirullah, Jakarta – President Joko Widodo or Jokowi says that the Pancasila Youth (Pemuda Pancasila, PP) are a special social organisation (ormas) and he is calling on the group to be the bulwark of the state ideology of Pancasila.

On Monday May 8, Coordinating Minister for Politics, Security and Legal Affairs (Menkopolhukam) Wiranto, Justice and Human Rights Minister (Menkumham) Yasonna Laoly, Home Affairs Minister (Mendagri) Tjahjo Kumolo and National Police Chief (Kapolri) General Tito Karnavia issued a statement at the security affairs ministry on the dissolution of th

Confederation of Indonesian Trade Unions (KSPI) labour activist Iswan Abdullah A Siata is paying close attention to the communist movement that has begun to reemerge in Indonesia of late.

Elvan Dany Sutrisno, Jakarta – People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) speaker Zulkifli Hasan says he agrees with Research, Technology and Higher Education Minister Muhammad Nasir who said recently that lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) groups should be banned from campuses because they are not in accordance with Indonesian cultural val

Anas Apriyadi, Bantul – Scores of sets of children’s toy miniature soldiers in Bantul, Yogyakarta, were seized from a number of toy shops by TNI (Indonesian military) soldiers from the Bantul 0729 district military command (Kodim) because they contained communist symbols – pictures of the hammer-and-sickle.

Sherr Rinn – On Monday October 20, the Student Struggle Center for National Liberation (Pembebasan) held protest actions in several Indonesian cities including Jakarta, Medan and Siantar in North Sumatra, Yogyakarta in Central Java, Tarakan in East Kalimantan, Palu and Poso in Central Sulawesi, Makassar in South Sulawesi and Ternate in North Mal

Kartika Virgianti, Jakarta – One hundred and thirty-two civil society and non-government organisations (NGOs) have expressed their concern over Indonesian democracy which will soon return to the era of the New Order dictatorship.

Tri Susanto Setiawan, Febriana Firdaus, Prihandoko, Jakarta – After abolishing the direct election of regional heads by the people, Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Coalition has initiated a discourse on returning to a system by which the president is elected by the People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR, upper-house).

Solo – A document detailing the division of parliamentary leadership positions allegedly agreed to by members of Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White coalition and the Democrat Party has been circulating on Twitter.

Nala Edwin, Jakarta – Prabowo Subianto’s Red and White Coalition has succeeded in returning the election of regional heads into the hands of Regional Representative Councils (DPRD) as it was under the New Order dictatorship of former President Suharto.

Agus Rahmat, Jakarta – One of the Golkar Party’s mass organisations, Kosgoro 1975 (Mutual Assistance Cooperative) is opposing the recommendation by the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) that the government apologise to the families of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI).

Jakarta – Because the government has failed to fulfill its promise of agrarian reform, the process of rural proletarianisation continues unabated. Rural communities, the majority of whom are farmers that once owned land, have begun to loose their source of income because they no longer have control over land.