Rizieq Shihab, the supreme leader of the disbanded hardline muslim group FPI, has on Thursday (June 10) read his defense in a trial held at the District Court of East Jakarta (PN Jaktim). What’s worth highlighting is Rizieq throwing dirt on some high-profile figures in President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s inner circle, including the President’s special staffer Diaz Hendropriyono, who Rizieq claimed was involved in the assassination of his six bodyguards in December 2020.

Indonesia and France agreed to increase cooperation in the maritime sector. The agreement was sealed in a courtesy call on Tuesday (June 8) between the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Mahendra Siregar and his counterpart the France Minister of Maritime Annick Girardin. The agreement is worth highlighting in light of the negotiation to purchase France’s Scorpene submarines. In the meantime, Germany’s naval company Thyssenkrupp Marine System (TKMS) reportedly offered its HWD Class 214 diesel-electric submarine to Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto. The United States (US) arms producer Lockheed Martin, meanwhile, is still offering its F-16 Viper fighter jet to Indonesia.

The opposition party PKS continues to criticize the Government’s plan to move the capital city from Jakarta to the neighboring regencies of Penajam Paser Utara and Kutai Kartanegara in the resource-rich province of East Kalimantan. PKS argues that the development of the new capital is illegal because it does not have a legal umbrella.

The Minister of Law & Human Rights Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly made a joke in a hearing with the House of Representatives (DPR) Commission III on Wednesday (June 9). Yasonna, who is also a politician from the ruling party PDIP, said that Agus Harimurti Yudhoyono (AHY) was still young and so, it would take a while before he became president of the Republic. Though it’s just a joke, it’s still worth highlighting given the response from AHY’s Democratic Party and the public over the said joke.

The Cendana family, the family of the late President Soeharto, held a commemoration of the 100th birthday of Soeharto at the At-Tin Mosque in the Taman Mini Indonesia Indah (TMII) cultural park on Tuesday (June 8). The Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto and the Jakarta Governor Anies Baswedan were present.

The recent meeting between the fifth President Megawati Soekarnoputri (who is also the chairperson of the ruling party PDIP) and the Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto (who is also the chairman of the Gerindra Party) has triggered many speculations about a possible coalition between PDIP and Gerindra. Some even suspected that Megawati and Prabowo would run as a presidential pair in the 2024 race. Apart from the speculations surrounding the 2024 presidential race, some wonder whether Megawati Soekarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto also talked about military procurements. 

Like the other party chairmen, the Chairman of Golkar Party Airlangga Hartarto has been very busy meeting with those who may run in the 2024 presidential race. Some Golkar politicians even believe that the announcement of Airlangga’s presidential bid is only a matter of time.

The fifth President Megawati Soekarnoputri, who is also the chairperson of the ruling party, attended the inauguration of the statue of the first President Soekarno a.k.a Bung Karno, who is also Megawati’s father, at the Defense Ministry’s building. Megawati came at...