According to Communication and Information Technology Minister Tifatul Sembiring, a member of the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono had asked him to tel

Rangga Prakoso – With just three months left in the year, the House of Representatives' performance for 2011 is on its way to being worse than last year's, activists say.

The political, economic, social and cultural situation, over which there has been great apprehension of late, has resulted in the public almost entirely loosing trust in those who run t

Bagus BT Saragih, Jakarta – A watchdog group says the 560 members of the House of Representatives are quick to put the government and state institutions under the microscope to find eve

Esther Samboh and Nani Afrida, Jakarta – With less than two weeks to go before the President is expected to announce a major reshuffle of his Cabient, rumors and hoaxes about who would

Jakarta – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono is reportedly now short-listing the names of new ministers for his first Cabinet shake-up during his second term in office.

Arientha Primanita – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has denied that the names of prospective new ministers have been leaked to the public ahead of a much-discussed cabinet reshuffle

Arientha Primanita & Camelia Pasandaran – House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie is using the results of a recent survey indicating plunging public trust in politicians to re

House of Representatives speaker Marzuki Alie says he is well aware of the public's low opinion of politicians, promising to launch a hot-line and Web site for public complaints about e

East Timor's President Jose Ramos-Horta saw his fledgling nation's parliament as corrupt and ineffective and believed himself both "above local politics" and indispensable, leaked US me

Philip Dorling – East Timor's parliament is "corrupt and ineffective", Prime Minister Xanana Gusmao has an alcohol problem and former prime minister Mari Alkatiri is "arrogant and abusi

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The religious-based Prosperous Justice Party has asked the House of Representatives (DPR) to dismiss disgraced legislator Arifinto, who was caught watching po

Camelia Pasandaran & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono has finally signed a letter dismissing disgraced graft suspect and former Democratic Party treasur

Markus Junianto Sihaloho, Anita Rachman & Ronna Nirmala – Two rogue lawmakers – one convicted of breaking the law and the other accused – are still receiving their monthly paychecks

Anita Rachman – House of Representatives Speaker Marzuki Alie was expected to read out a brief end-of-year report before the close of the plenary session on Friday – marking the end of

Anita Rachman – The deputy house speaker is tackling the House of Representatives chronic absentee lawmaker problem head-on.

Anita Rachman – The House of Representatives declined during Tuesday's plenary to name three disgraced lawmakers that are facing sanctions from the House Ethics Council, due to personal

Anita Rachman – An alliance of nongovernmental organizations urged the Regional Representatives Council on Monday to drop its plan to build 33 provincial constituent offices across the

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Papuan people want only one People's Assembly (MRP) for the entirety of native Papuan land because they fear that separate MRPs will lead to disparity in

Elly Burhaini Faizal, Jakarta – The food estate policy that has encouraged foreign investment in agriculture may not prevent potential food crises, activists say.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – A deputy speaker of the House of Representatives said today that House leaders had agreed to impose a moratorium on overseas trips to help expedite bill delib

Jakarta – The government is still dealing with problems by military means (securitisation, use of extraordinary means in the name of security) in attempting to overcome problems in Papu

Nethy Dharma Somba, Jayapura – Dorkas Dwaramuri has been elected chairwoman of the Papua People's Council (MRP) for the period 2011-2016 – she was the first woman ever appointed to the

Anita Rachman – The House of Representatives' Ethic Council has finally dismissed three lawmakers found guilty of various corruption crimes.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – National Mandate Party (PAN) Lawmaker Waode Nurhayati on Tuesday said she would not publicly apologize to leaders of the House of Representatives for calling

Anita Rachman – Although House Speaker Marzuki Alie has suspended all activities related to the construction of a new legislative office building, the project has not been completely dr

Anita Rachman – House Speaker Marzuki Alie announced on Monday that the House of Representatives was suspending all ongoing activities related to the construction of the controversial n

The head of an Indonesian budget watchdog said today his NGO would not make a public apology to the House of Representatives, as demanded by the House secretary general Nining Indra Sal

Anita Rachman – How much money do Indonesian lawmakers actually take home every month?

Jakarta – House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Anis Matta on Thursday questioned the ongoing public criticism of the House of Representatives, saying the House was the most transpare

Anita Rachman – A state budget watchdog has released another eyebrow-raising report, showing House members collectively spend Rp 151 billion ($18 million) on phone bills each year.

Jakarta – Legislators questioned a plan to construct a new House building, while protesters threw pamphlets on them during the first session after a month-long recess at a half-empty Ho

In the latest blow to Indonesian lawmakers trying to shake off their reputation for incompetence, members of a House of Representatives commission visiting Australia embarrassed themsel

Anita Rachman – Despite the intense criticism of lawmakers' overseas study trips, members of the House of Representatives' Commission II jetted off to India this week, claiming they nee

Criticism of the House of Representatives Commission VIII is mounting on social media Web sites after a gaffe during a discussion with the Association of Indonesian Students in Australi

Jakarta – Puncak Jaya Regent Lukas Enembe has ordered soldiers not to carry weapons during peacetime, particularly when in the town, saying it scares residents.

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – An outspoken Democratic Party legislator on Tuesday accused other members of House of Representatives Commission III of using their power to protect business

Hundreds of dock workers demonstrated on Monday at the Port of Merauke, demanding wage increases from $US8 (70,000 rupiah) to $US23 (R200,000) per each ship unloaded.

Anita Rachman – Prosperous Justice Party (PKS) politician Arifinto says he has no responsibility to answer to leaders of the House of Representatives on the issue of his resignation.

Anita Rachman – Six artists propped up artworks depicting politics and public toilets against the security fence of the House of Representatives on Wednesday morning in protest to the p

Anita Rachman – Corruption watchdogs have stepped up their attacks on the controversial legislative building project after reports linking a graft suspect to a private company bidding o

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The intense criticism over lawmakers' overseas study trips is not a message that people want the jaunts stopped, but that they want a greater say in their pla

Olivia Rondonuwu – For anyone interested in the state of democracy in Indonesia, a look at recent headlines is instructive: a lawmaker caught watching porn in the legislature, 15 politi

Banjir Ambarita, Camelia Pasandaran & Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Officials in Papua on Monday defended the decision to deposit development funds worth Rp 1.25 trillion ($145 million

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – The opening of the first lawsuit aimed at halting the construction of a controversial new office tower for legislators had to be adjourned on Monday when none

Anita Rachman – Despite recent public outrage about their extravagant spending, lawmakers are set to rack up a bill of close to Rp 13 billion ($1.5 million) on overseas "study" trips ov

Ulma Haryanto – One of the main refrains from members of the House of Representatives who say a costly new office tower needs to be built is, "Our offices are cramped."

Bruce Gale – "We are stuck with this bunch of mostly political clowns for four more years."

Markus Junianto Sihaloho – Two state-owned contractors implicated in illegal markups in a prior project are among five companies that have passed the first qualification phase for the c

Anita Rachman – A state budget watchdog on Thursday released data detailing extravagant spending by House Commission I members on comparative study trips.