The Public Virtue Research Institute (PVRI) has questioned President\nPrabowo Subianto\u2019s anti-criticism stance articulated following an acid\nattack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for\nDisappeared Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS).<\/p>\n
Less than 24 hours after the acid attack on Andrie, President Prabowo\nSubianto expressed his desire to discipline critics and observers he\ndeemed \u2018unpatriotic\u2019 on the day of the attack on Andrie.<\/p>\n
PVRI Board Chair Usman Hamid characterised Prabowo\u2019s statement as a\nserious threat to activists, academics, students, and ordinary citizens\ndefending democracy. Prabowo regards their criticism as disorder that\nmust be rectified.<\/p>\n
However, according to Usman, what is disordered is Prabowo\u2019s mindset\nand his policies, statements, and actions. \u201cThis statement demonstrates\nthat Prabowo\u2019s thinking and remarks are the root cause of today\u2019s\npolitical chaos, which disrupts the enforcement process by authorities\nsuch as the police,\u201d Usman told Tempo on Sunday, 15 March 2026.<\/p>\n
Usman believes the police are certainly capable of investigating\nterrorism against critics. However, he cautioned that the legal process\nagainst the assault perpetrators could stall if the head of state\nremains anti-criticism.<\/p>\n
The attempted murder using acid against Andrie on Thursday, 12 March\n2026, adds to the lengthening list of violence against critical voices.\nAndrie began receiving threats after disrupting a closed-door meeting to\ndiscuss the Defence Force Bill at the Fairmont Hotel on 15 March\n2025.<\/p>\n
This terrorism emerged several months after pig\u2019s heads were sent to\nTempo journalists, and chicken carcasses, Molotov cocktails, and\nintimidation in private spaces targeting several influencers after they\nvoiced criticism.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe recurrence and intensity of these acts of terrorism demonstrate\nthe chronic nature of political thuggery in Indonesia,\u201d said PVRI\nExecutive Director Muhammad Naziful Haq, in a written statement on\nSunday, 15 March 2026.<\/p>\n
Nazif stated that categorising observers according to patriotism\nstandards clearly endangers democracy. \u201cIt is like sending a signal: the\nsubmissive are nurtured, the critical are eliminated,\u201d said Nazif.<\/p>\n
According to him, the word \u201cdiscipline\u201d in the history of Indonesia\u2019s\npolitical regimes has often taken the form of violent action. He also\ncriticised state administrators who cannot distinguish between\npatriotism and policy criticism.<\/p>\n
Nazif said state administrators have recently been claiming major\nachievements solely through normative claims, but without concrete\nindicators and logical rationalisation.<\/p>\n
\u201cPolicy criticism is grounded in data and science. Patriotism is not\nnecessarily so, and generally relies on submissive love of the state,\u201d\nhe said. \u201cRegardless, because the state manages public welfare, it must\nbe administered critically, not submissively. Critical voices should be\nprotected, not silenced, let alone terrorised.\u201d<\/p>\n
PVRI researcher Zikra Wahyudi stated that Prabowo\u2019s remarks actually\nprovide an opportunity for violence against freedom of expression to\nflourish more freely. According to Zikra, political thuggery that\nsuppresses freedom of expression has never faced accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan Andrie be called an observer or activist who is unpatriotic?\nPublic confidence in state administrators and the police has declined\nsignificantly. If the perpetrator of the acid attack on Andrie is not\nfound, where is the commitment of state administrators and the police to\ndemocracy and human rights?\u201d said Zikra.<\/p>\n
President Prabowo mentioned observers criticising him during a\ncabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on 13 March 2026.\nHe threatened to discipline observers he deemed unpatriotic.<\/p>\n
The Gerindra Party Chairman accused several observers of lacking\npatriotic sentiment. He claimed they benefited financially from\ncriticising the government.<\/p>\n
Prabowo said there are several types of observers in Indonesia. One\nof them, he said, is the observer who dislikes his government\u2019s success\nbecause they have hidden motives. \u201cIn my view, their stance is narrow,\nnot patriotic,\u201d said Prabowo in a plenary cabinet meeting last\nFriday.<\/p>\n
Prabowo speculated about the motivations of these critics. According\nto him, they may feel defeated, lacking power, or have lost sources of\nmoney because of his government, which he claims is strict against\ncorruption. \u201cEspecially thieves and corrupt officials, they feel\ndisadvantaged by our government. We want to discipline them,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Prabowo revealed that he regularly receives intelligence information\nabout who is financing observers who dislike his government. He said he\nwants to take action against them. \u201cIn due course we will discipline all\nof that. But for now we are still trying with convincing methods,\u201d said\nPrabowo.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/pvri-prabowos-statement-is-root-cause-of-political-chaos-1773579110", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }