Jakarta – The country’s peek religious body, the Indonesian Ulama Council (MUI), is calling on the Indonesian public to use their right to vote on voting day in the 2019 presidential and legislative elections on April 17. Taking a position of not voting or golput is haram – forbidden under Islamic law.

From an oped piece titled The Sugar Industry’s Economic Rentierism

Indonesia is the world’s second-largest sugar importer behind China and imports have doubled over the last 10 years. Last year, less than half the sugar consumed in Indonesia was grown domestically.

Lisye Sri Rahayu, Jakarta – Presidential candidate Prabowo Subianto is known to hold land use rights (HGU) over thousands of hectares of land in Aceh and East Kalimantan. Prabowo has promised to return the land to the state within 10 days after being inaugurated as president.

Jakarta – National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) commissioner Choirul Anam says that the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) could forcibly summon Agum Gumelar over his admission about the abduction and forced disappearances of pro-democracy activists in 1998.

Jakarta – The younger brother of missing radical street poet and labour activist Wiji Thukul, Wahyu Susilo, is urging presidential hopeful Prabowo Subianto to go to the National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) and testify on the abduction and the forced disappearance of democracy activists by the Rose Team in 1997-98.

Jakarta – Dionysius Utomo Rahardjo, the father of pro-democracy activist Petrus Bima Anugrah who was abducted in 1998 for challenging Suharto’s New Order regime, is pessimistic that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo will resolve the human rights violations that took place in 1997-1998 if he is re-elected in April.

Dimas Jarot Bayu – A recent survey by Concept Indonesia (Konsepindo) shows that only four political parties will gain seats in the national parliament in the 2019 general election (pemilu).

Indah Mutiara Kami, Jakarta – The deputy chairperson of Prabowo Subianto’s Greater Indonesia Movement Party (Gerindra), Fadli Zon, has again met with fugitive Islamic Defenders Front (FPI) leader Habib Rizieq Shihab in Mecca where they posed together making the two-finger salute.

Samsudhuha Wildansyah, Jakarta – Presidential candidate incumbent President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo personally attended an event on March 10 to hear a declaration of support from the Betawi Brotherhood Forum (FBR).

At least 16 civil society groups in the West Java provincial capital of Bandung commemorated International Women’s Day (IWD) with a march on Friday March 8 demanding equality for women.

The group, calling itself the Clamber Alliance, focused on demanding rights for women workers, women’s farmers and women working in education.

Jakarta – Scores of people have been arrested and convicted using the “rubber” (catchall) articles in the Information and Electronic Transaction Law (UU ITE) as a result of a rise in criticism against the government.

Kosim Rahman – Former members of the recently banned Hizbut Tahrir Indonesia (HTI) group, which had previously campaigned for radical Islamic ideas, is believed to be supporting the 02 presidential campaign ticket (Paslon) of Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno in the 2019 elections.

Jakarta – The results of the latest LSI Denny JA survey show that support for the number 02 ticket in the 2019 presidential elections – Prabowo Subianto and running mate Sandiaga Uno – has increased among voters who want Indonesia to become like the Middle East or Saudi Arabia.

Block reads: Election regulation?

T-shirts reads: Vox Popoli, Vox Dei, Absentee voter.

With only a month to go before Indonesia holds simultaneous presidential and legislative elections, tens of thousands of people may not be able to vote.

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 – The Prabowo Subianto and Sandiaga Uno election campaign team (BPN) has admitted that three housewives in Karawang, West Java, who went door-to-door telling people that “the call to prayer would be banned and same-sex marriage would be allowed if Jokowi wins” are indeed election campaign volunteers.

Mulia Ramdhan Fauzani – The word golput or white group – to abstain from voting – has been heard more frequently in concert with the approach of the 2019 legislative and presidential elections. The general narrative that is most often heard is that golput is that it is irresponsible.

Woman: Drink this first Mr, so you can focus

Cup reads “overflowing with honesty and fairness”, book reads “PKPU 3/2019”, writing reads “Summary”.

Chen Toisuta, Ambon – Scores of student from the Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan) and the Papuan Student Alliance (AMP) have called on the public not to vote or golput in the legislative and presidential elections (pemilu) on April 17.

Rabul Sawal – Scores of students from the 2019 (Bourgeois) Election Boycott Committee (Komite Boikot Pemilu (Borjuis) 2019), held a protest action rejecting the 2019 presidential and legislative elections (pemilu).