Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD says that almost 92 percent of candidate regional heads spread across all of Indonesia are funded by cukong (business tycoons).

Palupi Annisa Auliani (editor) – 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.

Jakarta – Hundreds of protesters from the People’s Movement Alliance (ARB) have again taken to the streets to oppose the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation (RUU Ciptaker) during a rally on Jl Gejayan in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta on Friday August 14.

Jakarta – 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.

On Monday July 27 in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta, SOLIDER (People’s Solidarity for Democracy) held a commemoration of the Kudatuli affair (the July 1996 riots), which was a manifestation of the conflict between the ordinary people and the New Order regime of former president Suharto.

Surabaya – Thousands of protesters from the Movement Alliance Against the Omnibus Law (Getol) packed Jl Pahlawan in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya on Thursday July 16. Roads in the vicinity of the rally have been closed off since earlier this afternoon.

On Tuesday July 15 a protest action against Papuan Special Autonomy (Otsus) Chapter II was held at the zero kilometre point in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta. The joint action was initiated by the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) and the Indonesian People’s Front for West Papua (FRI-WP).

On Tuesday July 14, pro-democracy and gender equality organisations and individuals in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta from the Enact the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Violence Alliance (Aliansi Sahkan RUU PKS) held took to the streets to peacefully demand the immediate ratification of the Draft Law on the Elimination of Sexual Viol

Jakarta – Indonesia Corruption Watch (ICW) researcher Egi Primayogha suspects that the practice of state highjacking or state capture has occurred through the revisions to Law Number 4/2009 on Mineral and Coal Mining (UU Minerba). The draft law was enacted into law by the House of Representatives (DPR) on Tuesday.

Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) is urging President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to temporarily halt operations by mining companies around the country which they believe are neglecting workers’ safety in the midst of the corona pandemic (Covid-19).

Budiarti Utami Putri, Jakarta – Mining Advocacy Network (Jatam) Coordinator Merah Johansyah Ismail suspects that the owners of mineral and coal (minerba) mining businesses are driving the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation.

Jakarta – The Civil Society Coalition from the Indonesian People’s Faction (FRI) is asking the government to evaluate the performance of the police during the corona virus (Covid-19) epidemic. According to the FRI, a number of activists have been intimidated and terrorised.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is calling on the government to establish an independent team to investigate the fatal shooting of two people in Mimika, Papua, on April 13.

Jakarta – The Banyuwangi municipal police say that a clash in the Pesanggaran sub-district of Banyuwangi, East Java, in late March was trigged by a protest by a group of people opposing a mine operated by the company PT Bumi Suksesindo (BSI) on the pretext of preventing the spread of the corona virus.

Jakarta – The Human Rights Defenders Coalition is urging President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to immediately order Indonesian police chief (Kapolri) General Idham Azis to put an end to violence by officers against environmental activists during the corona virus pandemic.

Agung Sandy Lesmana and Ria Rizki Nirmala Sari – The Free Papua Organisation (OPM) is offering a ceasefire in the midst of the corona virus pandemic. The option of a ceasefire however must also be agreed to by the Indonesian government by withdrawing all non-organic troops from Papua.

Pebriansyah Ariefana – Thousands of protesters opposing the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation who arrived from the south-west and east of Sidoarjo have begun to pack into the streets around the Waru Airport in the East Java (Jatim) provincial capital of Surabaya.

Surabaya – An action by thousands of workers and students from the East Java Movement Alliance Against the Omnibus Law (Getol) has urged President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to immediately cancel the deliberations on the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation. They also threatened that they will hold even larger protests if he does not.

From an op-ed piece titled The Obesity of the ‘Omnibus Laws’ Government Regulations

The government claims that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s so called Omnibus Law on Job Creation will simply some 1,244 articles covering 79 laws making it easier to attract foreign investment, and thereby create more job.

Jakarta – The Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) office in the East Java capital of Surabaya was besieged by scores of people wearing black safari suits from the mass organisation (ormas) Pancasila Youth (PP) and other affiliated groups.