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.

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).

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.

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.

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.

Jakarta – The 212 Alumni Brotherhood (PA 212), which is part of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI) National Anti-Communist Alliance (ANAK), plans to hold joint screenings (nobar) of the film Betrayal of the September 30 Movement/Indonesian Communist Party (G30S/PKI).

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Cross-Factory Labour Federation (FBLP) has spoken out in response to a request by House of Representatives (DPR) Speaker Puan Maharani who asked workers not hold demonstrations against the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation (RUU Cipta Kerja) because of the Covid-19 pandemic.

Sania Mashabi, Jakarta – Association of Indonesian Public Health Experts (IAKMI) board member Hermawan Saputra says that it is not the right time for the government to reopen cinemas while the corona virus pandemic or Covid-19 is still not under control.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Committee for the Safety of Journalists (KKJ) says that the hacking of mass media websites is a new threat against the work of journalists in Indonesia.

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.

Achmad Nasrudin Yahya, Jakarta – The Labour Movement with the People (Gebrak) has asserted that there will be no compromise with the government or the House of Representatives (DPR) over their opposition to the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation (RUU Cipta Kerja).

Agus Rahmat and Eduward Ambarita – Postings by artists and influencers on social media supporting the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation (RUU Cipta Kerja) have attracted lively debate. Suspicions have emerged that they are being mobilised by the government.

Jakarta – The election monitoring group Association for Elections and Democracy (Perludem) is predicting that there will be 31 regions where there will be sole candidates in the 2020 elections of regional heads (pilkada).

Jakarta – The National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) suspects that an incident in which the director of the East Kalimantan chapter of the Indonesian Forum for the Environment (Walhi) and two other activists were forcibly taken to a local hospital for isolation had no relationship with Covid-19.

Jakarta, CNN Indonesia – The Indonesian Public Health Experts Association (IAKMI) has criticised the government for failing to involve professional healthcare organisations in dealing with the corona virus (Covid-19) pandemic.

Zakarias Demon Daton, Samarinda – Health officials in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, tried to force three activists to undergo isolation at a local hospital after claiming that they had tested positive for Covid-19.

Jakarta – National Human Rights Commission (Komnas HAM) Commissioner Choirul Anam says that the government’s narrative on lifestyles under the “new normal” has in fact complicated the handling of the coronavirus (Covid-19) epidemic in Indonesia.

Ihsanuddin, Jakarta – Amnesty International Indonesia Executive Director Usman Hamid has slammed violence by police against peaceful demonstrators opposing the Draft Omnibus Law on Job Creation yesterday.