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View all search resultsPrabowo’s drive for stability turns House into rubber stamp
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Lawmakers attend a House of Representatives plenary session on July 1, 2025, at the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta. (Antara/Dhemas Reviyanto)
P
resident Prabowo Subianto’s pursuit of political stability through a dominant ruling coalition has turned the House of Representatives into a rubber stamp for his administration, undermining the legislature’s ability to scrutinize government decisions, challenge executive power and represent the public’s interests.
With seven of the eight political parties in the House backing the government, a series of controversial legislation and decisions have been passed quickly with little critical debate and meaningful public participation, raising concerns about the erosion of checks and balances, analysts interviewed by The Jakarta Post said.
A prime example was a populist piece of legislation on manpower protection, which was passed by the House last week, about a month after Prabowo assigned government representatives to start the joint deliberation with lawmakers. The House touted the new law as a “gift” to workers, following Prabowo’s promise during May Day commemorations.
Another example happened early this month, when the House approved Prabowo’s nomination of Gen. Suyudi Ario Seto to replace Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo as the new police chief after only a 30-minute confirmation hearing that did not include a question-and-answer session with lawmakers.
Other contentious moves include the passing of the revision to the military law in March last year that allowed armed forces personnel to hold more civilian posts, following what critics described as opaque deliberations, including several closed-door meetings at a hotel in Jakarta.
Similar concerns over rushed deliberations also surrounded the passage of revision to the police law in June, which allowed serving officers to take up certain civilian government posts, prompting rights activists to warn of the police’s expanding influence beyond law enforcement and the potential erosion of its professionalism.
The military and police’s expanded role has been linked to Prabowo’s growing reliance on the two institutions to help support his ambitious free nutritious meal and food self-sufficiency programs, which critics say risks further blurring the line between national defense, law enforcement and civilian affairs.
