PDIP Sues Zulfan Lindan Over Accusations of Involvement in August 2025 Protests
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP) has officially filed a lawsuit against politician Zulfan Lindan and PT Temukan Perspektif Indonesia—the company that oversees the media outlet Total Politik—at the South Jakarta District Court for alleged unlawful acts. The lawsuit was formally registered by PDIP cadre Abdul Rohman on Tuesday, 23 June 2026.
The suit was triggered by a statement from Zulfan Lindan accusing the party, whose symbol is a white-snouted bull, of deliberately attacking the government by engaging in the mobilisation of a massive wave of demonstrations in August 2025.
PDIP Central Executive Board Chairman Ronny Talapessy asserted that Zulfan’s accusations were completely irresponsible and unverified. “That is why we are taking this legal step as our legal right. This is important so that we are more careful in issuing statements, especially speculative statements that cannot be verified and are more sensational in nature,” Ronny said when contacted on Thursday, 16 July 2026.
Before bringing the case to court, PDIP claimed to have sent a formal warning to the defendants. They also filed a complaint with the Press Council and attached a right of reply for Total Politik to publish. However, PDIP assessed that Total Politik and Zulfan did not fulfil their obligations as recommended by the Press Council.
Zulfan Lindan and Total Politik founder Budi Adiputro had not responded to confirmation messages sent via WhatsApp and Instagram at the time this report was filed.
Flashback: The Docket of the August 2025 Demonstrations
The wave of protests in August 2025 stemmed from public opposition to several government and House of Representatives (DPR) policies, one of which was a planned increase in parliamentary allowances. Public tension escalated further following the tragic death of an online motorcycle taxi driver who was run over by a tactical vehicle belonging to the Mobile Brigade Corps amid the demonstrations.
Here is the timeline and key points related to the August 2025 demonstrations:
- The DPR Salary Polemic and Controversial Leadership Statements
The issue surfaced after House Commission I member TB Hasanuddin revealed that the total income of a DPR member could reach Rp100 million per month, or around Rp3 million per day. One component of the increase came from a housing allowance replacing official residences, which reached approximately Rp50 million. This policy drew sharp public criticism for being perceived as lacking empathy during an economic crisis. The wave of protests even led to calls for the dissolution of the DPR. Responding to these demands, the then-Deputy Chairman of House Commission III, Ahmad Sahroni, sparked controversy by labelling those calling for the DPR’s dissolution as “idiots.”
- Chronology of the Mass Actions (25–31 August 2025)
Monday, 25 August 2025: Thousands of protesters from the All-Indonesia Student Executive Board, labour unions, students, and online motorcycle taxi drivers gathered at the DPR/MPR building in Jakarta. As the afternoon progressed, the situation turned tense. Officers fired tear gas, inner-city toll roads and commuter line services were paralysed, and several police posts were vandalised. Hundreds of demonstrators were arrested.
Thursday, 28 August 2025: Mass escalation peaked again, led by labour union groups demanding labour reforms. That evening, a tragic incident occurred in Pejompongan, Central Jakarta. Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old online motorcycle taxi driver who was delivering food, was fatally run over by a Brimob tactical vehicle.
Friday, 29 August 2025: News of Affan’s death spread widely, igniting collective anger nationwide.
- Riots Spread to Various Cities
The demonstrations spread to more than 20 major cities across Indonesia. In several regions, the actions resulted in the burning of public facilities. In Makassar, the protest on 29 August 2025 escalated into a major riot. The Makassar City DPRD building was set ablaze, resulting in the deaths of three people: Syaiful Akbar, Muhammad Akbar Basri, and Sarinawati. Additionally, an online motorcycle taxi driver named Rusmadiansyah was killed by the mob after being accused of being a state intelligence agent. In Manokwari, protests broke out in rejection of the transfer of four political prisoners from Sorong to Makassar.
- The Birth of the “17+8 Demands” and the DPR’s Response
Following the series of actions that continued until 1 September 2025, civil society groups formulated a manifesto titled “The 17+8 People’s Demands,” which encapsulated popular aspirations circulating on social media. Two main points of these demands were: a call for President Prabowo to withdraw the military from civilian security duties and guarantee no criminalisation of activists and demonstrators; and a demand that the DPR freeze the salary and allowance increases and cancel the provision of new facilities, including pension benefits. Responding to the massive public pressure, Deputy Speaker of the DPR Sufmi Dasco Ahmad stated that the provision of housing allowances for parliament members was officially halted as of 31 August 2025. Dasco also pledged that the parliament would conduct a comprehensive evaluation of all DPR member allowance components.