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The Star
5 days ago
- Politics
- The Star
Jakarta governor Pramono's first 100 days a mixed bag
Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung (right) and his deputy, Rano Karno (centre), talking with a prospective tenant of low-cost rental apartments (rusunawa) in Jagakarsa in South Jakarta on May 8, 2025. - Antara JAKARTA: While a recent survey reveals public satisfaction with many of Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung's programmes, activist groups have pointed out several flaws in his policies during his first 100 days in office. The public opinion poll from Indikator Politik Indonesia showed that Pramono's approval rating stood at 60 per cent since taking office in mid-February. Compared with the approval ratings of his counterparts across five other provinces in Java, Indikator placed Pramono in the second-lowest position. The survey, released on May 28, also indicated that while around 70 per cent of respondents were satisfied with six of Pramono's surveyed programmes, such as extending the operational hours of public libraries and holding job fairs, better policy communication is needed for Pramono's office to inform more residents. The pollster's founder Burhanuddin Muhtadi said that only one third of residents were aware of Pramono's programmes, despite Jakartans' high exposure to media. Since assuming office, the former cabinet secretary has been making efforts to fulfil his campaign promises, either introducing new initiatives like extending operational hours of public spaces or resuming past policies such as the Ciliwung River normalization and relocation of evicted Kampung Bayam residents. At City Hall on Monday, four Jakarta-based civil groups gathered to release the results of their own assessment of certain programmes of the new Jakarta administration, such as workforce policy and some past initiatives that the city reenacted, such as the river normalisation and the Kampung Bayam relocation programme. The groups were Greenpeace Indonesia, the Jakarta Urban Poor Network (JRMK), Urban Poor Consortium (UPC) and Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta). The results of their assessment showed that the Pramono administration gained an average score of 20 for all of the assessed policies, way below the threshold set by the civil groups, which stands at 75. The groups particularly criticized how Pramono reenacted the river normalization project and the relocation of displaced Kampung Bayam residents without transparency and without listening to the aspirations of the affected populations, while prioritising short-term solutions that could further harm the vulnerable groups. Pramono has set a target of completing the Ciliwung River normalization by 2026, a long-stalled project that aims to help mitigate flooding in Greater Jakarta. In the case of Kampung Bayam, Pramono moved in March several of its evicted residents to a low-cost vertical housing complex (rusun) Kampung Susun Bayam, located near the Jakarta International Stadium (JIS) in Tanjung Priok, North Jakarta. The residents had been left hanging for years after their former houses were demolished to pave the way for the construction of the sports complex, under the leadership of former governor Anies Baswedan. The activist groups, however, claimed that the monthly rents in the new housing complex left several residents hesitant about moving as they may be too high. 'The new city administration is trapped in instant solutions, exacerbating the city's perennial problems,' said Greenpeace Indonesia campaigner Jeanny Sirait, referring to problems surrounding floods and land tenure. Chico Hakim, special staffer to the governor, told The Jakarta Post that the administration had received the assessment results from the civil groups, saying that it would look into every criticism and suggestion. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
The Guardian
20-03-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Indonesia passes controversial law allowing greater military role in government
Indonesia has ratified controversial changes to its military law allowing armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts, a move that analysts fear could usher in a resurgence of the military in government affairs. Activists in the world's third-largest democracy have criticised the revisions, warning they signal a return to Indonesia's 'New Order' era, when the country was led by former authoritarian ruler Suharto, who stepped down in 1998. The country is now led by President Prabowo Subianto, an ex-special forces general and former Suharto son-in-law, who was inaugurated in October. Indonesia's law minister, Supratman Andi Agtas, has denied the law was a return to the military dominance that characterised the Suharto dictatorship, saying instead it was necessary due to domestic and geopolitical challenges. Defending the revised law, defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin told parliament: 'The geopolitical changes and global military technology require the military to transform … to face conventional and non conventional conflicts.' Before the law was passed, active soldiers were able to hold posts in organisations such as the defence ministry and state intelligence agency. The changes broaden the scope of civilian posts that officers can hold, including the attorney general's office, the state secretariat, the counterterrorism agency and the narcotics agency. It also extends sitting officers' retirement age. The parliament, which is dominated by Prabowo's ruling coalition, approved the revised changes in a plenary session on Thursday. Speaker Puan Maharani led the unanimous vote and officially passed the law, saying that it was in accordance with the principle of democracy and human rights. 'President Prabowo appears intent on restoring the Indonesian military's role in civilian affairs, which were long characterised by widespread abuses and impunity,' said Andreas Harsono, senior Indonesia researcher at Human Rights Watch. 'The government's rush to adopt these amendments undercuts its expressed commitment to human rights and accountability.' Kennedy Muslim, a political analyst from Indonesian pollster Indikator, said: 'We've seen this creeping militarisation for quite some time, that's why civil society is right to be alarmed by this trend. But I think the concern that this is back to the New Order is quite overblown at the moment.' Muslim said that polls show the military consistently ranks high in public trust surveys, but the new law had the potential to erode this. The bill was approved less than two months after the president formally requested an amendment to the legislation. Activists have complained about the expedited lawmaking process, and the secretive nature of deliberations over the bill. Students organisations have said they plan to protest outside the parliament in Jakarta on Thursday, with one student group, describing the law as 'democracy killing'.
Voice of America
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Students lead 'Dark Indonesia' protests against budget cuts
Thousands of students staged 'Dark Indonesia' protests in cities across the country on Thursday against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto, fearing they will undermine social support systems and their futures. Clad in black, about a thousand placard-carrying students in the major city of Yogyakarta marched through a busy thoroughfare, yelling out demands for change, four months after Prabowo took office following a landslide election win. There were protests in other cities, including the capital Jakarta, and Medan on Sumatra island. 'Dark Indonesia' has gained traction on social media to represent concerns about the cuts. Another popular trend, 'Just Escape First', sees people sharing advice on how to escape to work and live overseas. Herianto, a student leader in Jakarta, said students are protesting cuts in the education sector after Prabowo ordered a cost-cutting drive to free up around $19 billion that can be used to fund his policies, including a school lunch plan. "Indonesia is dark because there are many policies that aren't clear to our society," said Herianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "The cuts are designed to plug a hole in the free meal program expenses. Education is one of the things that could be impacted. Students are so angry." Speaking at the protest in Jakarta on Thursday, state secretariat minister Prasetyo Hadi said the government had received the students' demands and would study them. Prabowo's office has said the funding changes would not affect the education sector and teacher welfare, but with ministries cutting back a wide range of spending there are concerns that it could disrupt government services. The students were also demonstrating against the military's move into civilian roles and a lack of subsidized cooking gas. Prabowo remains broadly popular across the sprawling country, with his approval rating near 80% in surveys conducted by independent pollsters, including one last month by research firm Indikator Politik Indonesia. Indikator executive director Burhanuddin Muhtadi told Reuters Prabowo's popularity could dip as the policies were rolled out, when the country's middle class had shrunk. "If the government does not respond well to this issue, there can be anxiety from the middle class and could lower its popularity," he said. The demonstrations were the biggest since last August, before Prabowo took office, when the parliament shelved plans to revise election laws after thousands of protesters took to the streets, setting fires and facing down tear gas and water cannon.
