President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo is reportedly preparing to issue a new Presidential Regulation (Perpres) as a legal basis for the procurement of COVID-19 vaccine and the vaccination program in Indonesia. The President, in a limited cabinet meeting on Monday (Sep. 28), ordered his ministers to work on a detailed plan. He expects the program to be immediately implemented once the vaccine is available.

The so-called Coalition to Save Indonesia (KAMI), an opposition group led by the former Military (TNI) Commander General (ret) Gatot Nurmantyo, plans to hold a screening of the G30S/PKI movie tomorrow (Sep. 30). Gatot and his group have been actively rallying behind anti-communist campaign. So the screening plan is hardly a surprise. That said, the National Police (POLRI) refuses to grant a permit for the said screening due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The Commander of the Indonesian Military (TNI) Air Chief Marshal Hadi Tjahjanto instituted another round of job rotation. This time, the rotation affects 56 high-ranking military officers, including the two former members of the infamous Tim Mawar (Rose Team) of the Army’s Special Forces Kopassus, who have been made high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Defense. 

Amien Rais, one of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s biggest critics, has recently launched a book, in which he criticized the President and even urged the President to resign. Amien, as we all know, is preparing to part way from the National Mandate Party (PAN) and to establish a new political party. In stark contrast, Fahri Hamzah, who is also known as Jokowi’s biggest critic, recently met with Jokowi’s son-in-law Bobby Afif Nasution. He reiterated his endorsement of Bobby in the 2020 Medan city election. Fahri, a former key leader of the opposition party PKS, founded a new political party namely Gelora Party last year.

The former Military (TNI) Commander General (ret) Gatot Nurmantyo continues with his anti-communist campaign. Gatot also talked about his term as military commander. He talked about the report noting that he had claimed he was dismissed in December 2017 because he had ordered the screening of the G30S/PKI movie. He also stated that he had refused President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s decision to nominate him as military commander. Many believe that Gatot’s maneuver is a part of his strategy to boost his profile ahead of the 2024 presidential race.

Minister of Defense Prabowo Subianto, who is also the chairman of Gerindra Party, appointed six new high-ranking officials at the Ministry of Defense. Two of them were members of the infamous Tim Mawar (Rose Team) of the Army’s Special Forces Kopassus, the team responsible for the kidnapping of activists back in 1998. Human rights activists and civil society groups are interestingly criticizing President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo more than Prabowo for the said appointment.

Today, Indonesia reported its highest number of specimens tested in a day, with 46,133 specimens. The average number of tested specimens in the past week (starting Sep. 18) has reached over 40 thousand specimens a day, well beyond the target of 30,000 tests per day. With the increase in testing capacity, Indonesia also notes an increase in daily new case rate. 

Three pairs of mayor and vice mayor candidates will compete against each other in the 2020 city election of Tangerang Selatan, Banten. It is an election worth watching not just because of the high-profile figures contesting in the race, but also because the city of Tangerang Selatan is home to property giants.

The two largest Muslim organizations in Indonesia, the Nahdlatul Ulama (NU) and the Muhammadiyah, continue to urge the Central Government and the House of Representatives (DPR) to delay the 2020 simultaneous regional elections out of concern for the safety of the public during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Central Government and the DPR, meanwhile, believe that regional elections have to go on schedule.

Speculation continues on who will become the next police chief. The current Chief of the National Police (Kapolri) General Idham Azis will enter mandatory retirement in January 2021. Though we cannot discount the possibility of President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo extending Idham Azis’ term, we wonder if that’s possible.