PVRI: Prabowo's Statement is Root Cause of Political Chaos
The Public Virtue Research Institute (PVRI) has questioned President Prabowo Subianto’s anti-criticism stance articulated following an acid attack on Andrie Yunus, Deputy Coordinator of the Commission for Disappeared Persons and Victims of Violence (KontraS).
Less than 24 hours after the acid attack on Andrie, President Prabowo Subianto expressed his desire to discipline critics and observers he deemed ‘unpatriotic’ on the day of the attack on Andrie.
PVRI Board Chair Usman Hamid characterised Prabowo’s statement as a serious threat to activists, academics, students, and ordinary citizens defending democracy. Prabowo regards their criticism as disorder that must be rectified.
However, according to Usman, what is disordered is Prabowo’s mindset and his policies, statements, and actions. “This statement demonstrates that Prabowo’s thinking and remarks are the root cause of today’s political chaos, which disrupts the enforcement process by authorities such as the police,” Usman told Tempo on Sunday, 15 March 2026.
Usman believes the police are certainly capable of investigating terrorism against critics. However, he cautioned that the legal process against the assault perpetrators could stall if the head of state remains anti-criticism.
The attempted murder using acid against Andrie on Thursday, 12 March 2026, adds to the lengthening list of violence against critical voices. Andrie began receiving threats after disrupting a closed-door meeting to discuss the Defence Force Bill at the Fairmont Hotel on 15 March 2025.
This terrorism emerged several months after pig’s heads were sent to Tempo journalists, and chicken carcasses, Molotov cocktails, and intimidation in private spaces targeting several influencers after they voiced criticism.
“The recurrence and intensity of these acts of terrorism demonstrate the chronic nature of political thuggery in Indonesia,” said PVRI Executive Director Muhammad Naziful Haq, in a written statement on Sunday, 15 March 2026.
Nazif stated that categorising observers according to patriotism standards clearly endangers democracy. “It is like sending a signal: the submissive are nurtured, the critical are eliminated,” said Nazif.
According to him, the word “discipline” in the history of Indonesia’s political regimes has often taken the form of violent action. He also criticised state administrators who cannot distinguish between patriotism and policy criticism.
Nazif said state administrators have recently been claiming major achievements solely through normative claims, but without concrete indicators and logical rationalisation.
“Policy criticism is grounded in data and science. Patriotism is not necessarily so, and generally relies on submissive love of the state,” he said. “Regardless, because the state manages public welfare, it must be administered critically, not submissively. Critical voices should be protected, not silenced, let alone terrorised.”
PVRI researcher Zikra Wahyudi stated that Prabowo’s remarks actually provide an opportunity for violence against freedom of expression to flourish more freely. According to Zikra, political thuggery that suppresses freedom of expression has never faced accountability.
“Can Andrie be called an observer or activist who is unpatriotic? Public confidence in state administrators and the police has declined significantly. If the perpetrator of the acid attack on Andrie is not found, where is the commitment of state administrators and the police to democracy and human rights?” said Zikra.
President Prabowo mentioned observers criticising him during a cabinet meeting at the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on 13 March 2026. He threatened to discipline observers he deemed unpatriotic.
The Gerindra Party Chairman accused several observers of lacking patriotic sentiment. He claimed they benefited financially from criticising the government.
Prabowo said there are several types of observers in Indonesia. One of them, he said, is the observer who dislikes his government’s success because they have hidden motives. “In my view, their stance is narrow, not patriotic,” said Prabowo in a plenary cabinet meeting last Friday.
Prabowo speculated about the motivations of these critics. According to him, they may feel defeated, lacking power, or have lost sources of money because of his government, which he claims is strict against corruption. “Especially thieves and corrupt officials, they feel disadvantaged by our government. We want to discipline them,” he said.
Prabowo revealed that he regularly receives intelligence information about who is financing observers who dislike his government. He said he wants to take action against them. “In due course we will discipline all of that. But for now we are still trying with convincing methods,” said Prabowo.