JAKARTA President Prabowo Subianto is at a crucial point in his leadership. In order to maintain the political stability and integrity of the country, observers ask the president to take firm, courageous, and measurable steps.
Although the wave of demonstrations has begun to subside, the public spotlight on Prabowo's government is maintained. There are a number of homework that must be completed if the president wants to restore national political stability.
Among them is to stop the pattern of raising the people inherited by the Seventh President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo and reform the total DPR.
"The wave of public criticism of the cabinet and government policies shows the wider distance between the political elite and the people's pulse," said Executive Director of the Voxpol Center Research and Consulting Pangi Syarwi Chaniago, in a statement received by VOI.
Demonstrations in a number of areas over the past nearly a week have colored the national, even international, headline media. One of the things that prompted this action was that DPR members received an additional housing allowance of IDR 50 million per month, amid the government's efforts to reduce spending in the context of budget efficiency.
In fact, Kompas data states that the total salary and allowances of the DPR are quite large, around Rp. 230 million per month. This figure is equivalent to 105 times the minimum wage in Banjarnegara, Central Java, which is only Rp. 2.17 million per month.
Not to mention the statements of a number of DPR members who are not empathetic, one of whom is from Deputy Chairman of Commission III from the Democratic National Party (Nasdem) faction Ahmad Sahroni. He labeled tolol to those who called for the lembali of the legislation to be dissolved.
Meanwhile, two other members of the DPR, Eko Patrio and Uya Kuya, were caught dancing at the end of the MPR session some time ago.
Seeing the row of controversies carried out by members of the DPR, Pangi Syarwi Chaniago urged the government to reform the total DPR and political ethics. He also advised political parties to fire non-sensitive members of the DPR.
"Moreover, dancing in the midst of people's suffering. Gestur like this creates collective wounds, injures the dignity of legislative institutions, and worsens the political image in the eyes of the people, sparks chaos, political instability (disorder) as of today," said Pangi.
He also urged to evaluate or even stop all policies that trouble the people, including unrealistic plans or regulations and actually add to the suffering of the community in the midst of increasingly difficult economic conditions.
In addition to highlighting the performance of the DPR, Pangi also said that reform within the Indonesian National Police (Polri) was an important part in efforts to restore the umdingrakyat animotrust.
A wave of criticisms of the repressive actions of the police in handling the August 2025 demonstration continues to arrive. The Executive Director of the Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies, Rizky Argama, said that the series of brutal actions by the authorities showed a pattern of blocking the democratic space.
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Based on the footage circulating on social media, he said, it shows that there was sweeping, beating, and persecution of the mass of action, including journalists. The peak was on the evening of August 28, when an online motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan died after being run over by a tactical vehicle (rantis) by the police.
This incident sparked the emotions of the community, until a demonstration took place at the National Police Headquarters the next day by demanding the dismissal of National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo. The National Police institution, said Pangi, has been perceived by the public as repressively trained, manipulating cases, being more of a protector of officials than a protector of the people.
"The Police's reform is a necessity," said Pangi.
Stopping National Police Chief Listyo Sigit can be an option to reduce political tension, according to Pangi. Not only the National Police Chief, he also urged President Prabowo to stop the pattern of caring for Jokowi's people.
"Ministers who have polemics, do not take sides and do not have the slightest empathy for the people, and fail to show policy alignment, must be removed. Cabinets containing weak figures will only be a burden, not the driving force of the president's big vision," he stressed.
Of the 48 ministers in the Red and White Cabinet, it is known that there are 17 names of Jokowi's ministers who were re-inducted by Prabowo, even 12 of whom held the same position, while five other names changed positions.
Among them are Coordinating Minister for Economic Affairs Airlangga Hartarto, Minister of Home Affairs Tito Karnavian, Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Minister of Health Budi Gunadi Sadikin, and Minister of Energy Mineral Resources (ESDM) Bahlil Lahadalia.
Currently President Prabowo Subianto is at a historical moment, choosing to be a leader who truly sides with the people, or simply continuing the legacy of old burdens that are increasingly accelerating public anger.
"The total reform of the red and white cabinet, the DPR, Polri, to review all economic policies that trouble the people is the only way to prevent anarchism, violence, and threats of instability that become a time bomb," he said.
This is a golden momentum to improve and carry out a total reform agenda with the people, Pangi ends.
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