Soldiers vs movie (2)
“We did not ban the screening of Pesta Babi.” That statement from Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendrawas intended to calm public controversy surrounding the documentary film. Instead, it exposed a deeper and increasingly visible problem inside democracy: the widening disconnect between official democratic rhetoric and the reality experienced by citizens on the ground.
Between judicial welfare and public trust
Recently, President Prabowo Subianto ordered the Minister of Housing and Settlement Areas (PKP), Maruarar Sirait, to construct approximately 8,900 official residences for judges across Indonesia. This directive has drawn strong public reaction, as it came at a politically sensitive moment when budget tightening is underway across multiple sectors, economic pressures persist, and public trust in legal institutions continues to erode.
MBG lawsuit quietly disappeared
Last week, the Constitutional Court approved the withdrawal of a judicial review petition challenging provisions of the 2026 State Budget Law related to MBG. The petition had been filed by “MBG Watch,” a coalition of civil society groups that includes anti-corruption activists, legal aid organizations, consumer advocates and fiscal policy watchdogs such as Transparency International Indonesia, YLBHI, CELIOS and YLKI.
The inclusion of the 3B group in MBG coverage
The National Nutrition Agency (BGN) now requires all Nutrition Fulfillment Service Units (SPPG) to expand the beneficiary lists to include the 3B groups (pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, and toddlers) within their respective service areas. The deadline is two weeks, and non-compliance may lead to temporary suspension of an SPPG. The challenge, however, is that this is not simply a matter of expanding coverage. It requires readjustment of the MBG program’s existing design.
Soldiers vs movie
The controversy surrounding the documentary Pesta Babi may appear to be merely another dispute over a politically sensitive film. In reality, however, the public backlash reveals something far more serious: growing anxiety over the return of security institutions into Indonesia’s civilian democratic space.
KDMP & KNMP Managers: 2-Year Free Trial
In a media briefing on Monday (11/05), Finance Minister Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa revealed that salaries for village cooperative (KDMP) and fishing village (KNMP) managers will be funded by the state budget for the first two years. It sounds like a free trial. But what happens once that initial support ends and the government steps back?
Connectivity or control?
The inauguration of a new Community Gateway in Wamena by Telkomsat may appear, at first glance, as another infrastructure success story. The government celebrates it as a leap forward for digital inclusion in Papua, promising internet capacity increases of up to fivefold across the highlands. Officials frame the project as proof that Indonesia is finally bringing connectivity to one of its most isolated regions.
Teachers fight back against fiscal politics
The recent pushback from the Federation of Indonesian Teachers Unions (FSGI), demanding local governments properly validate honorary teacher data, is not merely administrative advocacy.
Homeless media controversy
The controversy of “homeless media” may appear trivial at first glance — merely another social media dispute triggered by remarks from government communication officials. What happens when the state begins blurring the line between partnership and co-optation in the media ecosystem?
Bakom and New Media
The Government Communications Agency (Bakom) claims to have made a number of homeless media its “partners.” The list, reportedly drawn from members of the Indonesia New Media Forum (INMF), was read out by Bakom Head Muhammad Qodari at a press conference on Wednesday (06/05). Curiously, many of those named have publicly denied any such affiliation through their official social media accounts. But the damage has already been done.