Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – Pollycarpus Budihari Priyanto, convicted of the murder of renowned human rights activist Munir Said Thalib, has joined Tommy Suharto’s new Working Party.

Viva democracy and equality!

March 8, 2018, is exactly 118 years since the Women’s Conference in Denmark which set March 8 as International Women’s Day (IWD).

Muhyiddin, Jakarta – Activist and writer Taufik Ismail says that although the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) no longer exists in Indonesia it is currently starting to be revived in order to take revenge for the defeat of the PKI in 1965.

Abi Sarwanto, Jakarta – United Development Party (PPP) chairperson Muhammad Romahurmuziy suspects that there is a “powerful individual” behind the recent spate of attacks on Islamic scholars and religious figures.

Abraham Utama – The Working Party (Partai Berkarya), which was initiated by former President Suharto’s youngest son Hutomo Mandala Putra alias Tommy Suharto, is aiming to occupy third place in the 2019 legislative elections.

A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indonesian military (TNI) and police on the involvement of the TNI in police duties such as confronting protests and strikes has been criticised as a step back for reformasi.

Yogya – Activists commemorating 44 years since the Malari Affair on January 15 again reminded people that many of the demands and hopes of that time have yet to be realised.

Muhammad Aminudin, Malang – A demonstration by the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) in the East Java city of Malang ended in a clash with Pancasila Youth (PP) members who were offended by the protest.

Bastian Tebai, Semarang – On Tuesday December 19, the Papua Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) held simultaneous protest actions around the country against the Trikora declaration that was made on December 19, 1961, 56 years ago.

Jakarta – Hundreds of people from the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP) gathered on Jl. Pangeran Diponegoro in Central Jakarta on Friday December 1.

Suharto’s former ruling party Golkar, which for years has stood by Setya Novanto in the face of a string of corruption scandals, is moving quickly to distance itself from the House speaker and party chair who they now see as an electoral liability following his arrest by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) last week.

Friski Riana, Jakarta – Jakarta Deputy Governor Sandiaga Uno has confirmed that the Jakarta regional government will allocate grants of some 1.7 trillion rupiah from the 2018 regional budget (APBD) to several organisations.

Heyder Affan – A number of locations in the vicinity of Purwodadi, Central Java, have been confirmed as sites of mass grave, places where bodies were disposed of and sites where people accused of being members or sympathisers of the Indonesian Communist Party (PKI) were executed in the months after October 1965.

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.

Bayu Ardi Isnanto, Solo – President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo attended the keynote event of the Pancasila Youth’s (PP) 58th anniversary in the Central Java city of Solo. The president was given the opportunity to present his greetings and close the event.

Abraham Utama – The Indonesian Military (TNI) says that it will not changes its policies or views on the September 30 Movement (G30S) in 1965 regardless of the release of 39 secret US documents that have been opened to the public and “reveal a number of new facts”.

Riva Dessthania Suastha, Jakarta – The Indonesian government will check the validity and accuracy of scores of recently declassified US documents on the September 30 Movement affair in 1965 and the army’s plan to overthrow then President Sukarno.

Lowokwaru – Australian writer Max Lane packed out a collegial seminar and book dissertation on his new book titled Indonesia is not Present on this Earth of Mankind (Indonesia Tidak Hadir di Bumi Manusia) at the Malang State University (UNM) social science faculty in East Java on Tuesday October 3.

Klojen – The name Pramoedya Ananta Toer, Indonesia’s foremost writer who was born in 1925 and died in 2006, still resonates to this day, not just in Indonesia but internationally, bridging the cultural divide.

Dandhy Dwi Laksono – As in the case of the song Genjer-Genjer which was composed by M. Arief, the song Garuda Pancasila was also written by an artist from the People’s Cultural Institute (Lekra). His name was Sudharnoto.