Jakarta – The Papuan People’s Solidarity Team will return the scholarship funds received by human rights activists Veronica Koman to the Ministry of Finance’s Endowment Fund for Education (LPDP) tomorrow.

Dian Erika Nugraheny, Jakarta – Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) researcher Heroik Pratama says that the increase in the number of sole candidate tickets (paslon) this year represents a strategy being used by the political parties to ensure victory in the 2020 election of regional heads.

Jakarta – The enforcement of total Large Scale Social Restrictions (PSBB, partial lockdown) in Jakarta will be an obstacle for plans by the 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212) and affiliated groups to hold joint screenings (nobar) of the film The Betrayal of the 30 September Movement/Indonesian Communist Party (G30S/PKI).

Jakarta – The Mining Advocacy Network (JATAM) says that 11 people were arrested by the South Sulawesi regional water police (Polair) during an action against the ship Boskalis which was mining sand at a local fishing area on Kodingareng Island on Saturday morning, September 12.

Jakarta – The Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) is urging National Police Chief Idham Azis to cancel the plan by the Covid-19 Task Force to employ preman (street thugs, petty criminals) to enforcing health protocols in markets.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – The Press Council has released the survey results on the 2020 Press Freedom Index (IKP) in 34 provinces throughout Indonesia.

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).

Box reads: Empty ballot box

The number of sole candidates running in regional elections has steadily grown over the past five years leading to growing concerns that the upcoming polls may undermine 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.

Toyiban, Manokwari – Defense Minister Prabowo Subianto has approved a program to recruit 1,000 Special Autonomy non-commissioned officers  (Bintara Otsus) which was proposed by the West Papua/Kasuari/XVIII Regional Military Command (Kodam).

Haryanti Puspa Sari, Jakarta – Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras) Coordinator Fatia Maulidiyanti says that based on Kontras’ records, there were 256 attacks against human rights defenders between January and July 2020.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Amnesty International Executive Director Usman Hamid has again called on President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo to keep his pledge to solve the 2004 assassination of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib.

Haryanti Puspa Sari, Jakarta – Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH) Director Arif Maulana says that the government has two more years left to solve the assassination of human rights activist Munir Said Thalib before the case expires.

Tsarina Maharani, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Politics, Security and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD has responded to the polemic about political dynasties in the 2020 election of regional heads (Pilkada).

Rakhmat Nur Hakim, Jakarta – Coordinating Minister for Security, Politics and Legal Affairs Mahfud MD says that democracy, which has developed rapidly in the public realm, has resulted in the government feeling that it is wrong whatever it does.

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.

From an oped piece titled Watch out, the sabotage of ‘political legislation’ in the era of the pandemic

Illustration by Kompas/Heryunanto.

Jakarta – Arif Susanto, a political analyst from the think tank Exposit Strategic, has criticised Presidential Chief of Staff Expert Donny Gahral Adian who said recently that buzzers are an unavoidable part of democracy.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Covid-19 Task Force spokesperson Wiku Adisasmito has conceded that the positivity rate in Indonesia has continued to rise over time. The positivity rate is the ratio of positive cases compared with the number of tests conducted.

Jakarta – The acting director general for health services at the Health Ministry, Abdul Kadir, says that Indonesia no longer needs large scale social restrictions (PSBB), despite the fact that the corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic is not over yet.