President Prabowo Subianto has conferred civilian honors on more than 100 national figures, with many of the medals going to his closest political allies, cabinet members, campaign financiers and even a family member.

The new ministry, an upgrade from the Haj Organizing Agency (BP Haji), will handle the organization and management of the annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca, as mandated by the 2019 Haj Law revision.

Hundreds of people marched in the streets around the House of Representatives complex in Central Jakarta on Monday in protest at lawmakers' excessive salaries and rampant corruption in the country.

Some protesters, clad in dark clothing, threw rocks and set off fireworks at riot police in the capital Jakarta. At least one motorcycle was set ablaze by protesters, but officials did not provide details of damage, any casualties or arrests. 

Coordinating Law, Human Rights, Immigration and Correctional Services Minister Yusril Ihza Mahendra said the government aimed for the legislature to start deliberations for the bill before the end of this year. 

The House of Representatives and the government have agreed to elevate the Haj Organizing Agency (BP Haji) into a full ministry and introduce broader changes in the management of the annual pilgrimage, as part of ongoing deliberations to revise the 2019 Haj Law.

The arrest of former deputy manpower minister Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan in a corruption case could mark a turning point for President Prabowo Subianto’s new administration, testing his anticorruption drive while giving him an opening to refresh his cabinet.

The House of Representatives has come under scrutiny after granting its members a Rp 50 million (US$3,054) housing allowance, a benefit critics argue highlights misplaced priorities in a legislature that has struggled to deliver laws and is widely viewed as a government “rubber stamp”.

Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer Gerungan allegedly received at least Rp 3 billion (US$183,859) and a sports motorcycle from an extortion ring pertaining to work safety certification, which inflated the application fee by around 20 times.

As part of the money laundering investigation, the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) seized luxury cars owned by people allegedly affiliated with the businessman and put the suspect on its most-wanted list.

The House of Representatives has unanimously appointed senior House staff member Inosentius Samsul as a Constitutional Court justice in a confirmation hearing lasting less than two hours, a swift process critics say underscores the dominance of political interests in judicial appointments.

Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer is among 14 people arrested by the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) in a graft raid relating to alleged extortion.

Activists have lamented the absence of human rights issues in President Prabowo Subianto’s first state address ahead of the country’s Independence day weekend, with some pointing to ongoing civil repression and the criminalization of dissent.

The move marks the first arrest of a member of President Prabowo Subianto’s cabinet.

Amid growing public unrest over reports of steep property tax hikes, Home Minister Tito Karnavian has instructed regional heads to consider economic conditions in their own jurisdictions and to exercise careful, effective public communication before implementing policies.

The Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) is planning to summon former religious affairs minister Yaqut Cholil Qoumas for another round of questioning as a witness in an investigation into alleged misallocation of last year’s haj quota.

Former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto was released early from prison after receiving parole on Independence Day, sparking furor among the public and antigraft activists.

Rather than attending the Independence Day celebration at the Merdeka Palace on Aug. 17, former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) matriarch Megawati Soekarnoputri opted to attend a ceremony held by party members in its headquarters in Jakarta.

The recent Constitutional Court ruling that upholds direct regional head elections has been met with divisive reactions from political parties in the House of Representatives, with those pushing for an indirect election giving no assurance that they would drop their campaign.

People’s Consultative Assembly (MPR) Speaker Ahmad Muzani of the Gerindra Party also teased the possibility for the assembly to push for changes in the country’s presidential system after an evaluation of whether it functions effectively or instead creates ‘vacuum of concentrated authority’.

Amid mounting public scrutiny of lawmakers’ paychecks, which reportedly stand at around Rp 100 million (US$6,100) per month, House of Representatives Speaker Puan Maharani has dismissed speculation about a recent salary hike, but confirmed that legislators now receive a housing allowance.

Building peace is one thing, but keeping it is another thing altogether, as a boundary dispute over four small islands off Aceh showed earlier this year.

The 2005 Helsinki agreement, which ended almost three decades of armed conflict between the Free Aceh Movement (GAM) and the Indonesian government, still stands as a reference for how to forge a path to peace between conflicting parties.

Former House of Representatives speaker Setya Novanto has been released on parole after serving about two-thirds of his 12-and-a-half year prison sentence for corruption in the botched e-ID card procurement project.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) chairwoman Megawati Soekarnoputri has reinstated Hasto Kristiyanto in his role as the party’s secretary-general, nearly two weeks after an amnesty from President Prabowo Subianto annulled his corruption conviction.

Excitement ran high as Indonesians marked the nation’s 80th Independence Day with a mix of tradition and festivity at the Merdeka Palace on Sunday, as President Prabowo Subianto made his debut at the helm of the ceremony.

Observers have pointed to arrogant attitudes shown by local leaders and a lack of meaningful participation in discussions on tax-related policies as being among the causes of recent public protests on tax rise in various regions across the country.

Among attendees of the ceremony were former presidents Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Fifth president Megawati Soekarnoputri skipped the celebration at the State Palace and opted to attend one held by her party the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P).

President Prabowo Subianto promised in his first State of the Nation Address on Friday to safeguard the country’s wealth for use by the state for the people’s prosperity and to put an end to its continuous outflow to other countries.

Joko “Jokowi” Widodo’s ascent to the presidency in 2014 stirred hopes for change in Indonesia, but a decade later, he departed leaving what experts have described as modest economic progress accompanied by the weakening of Indonesia’s democratic guardrails.