JakartaPost-Oct 26, 2026
Indonesia has seen a decline in the rule of law over the past two years, marked with an increased use of law as a tool of power that weakens checks on government and undermines people’s rights. According to the 2026 Rule of Law Index published by the World Justice Project on Oct. 20, the same day the President Prabowo Subianto administration turned two, Indonesia’s score slipped to 0.51 from 0.52 in 2025. The index measures a country’s adherence to the rule of law on a 0 to 1 scale, with 1 being the strongest compliance. The drop follows a downward trend that began in 2023, when Indonesia scored 0.53. This year’s score put the country in the 75th position among 143 nations assessed, falling from 69th last year and trailing regional peers Malaysia (53rd) and Singapore (14th). The index highlighted that Indonesia’s performance weakened across all eight factors, while scoring the lowest in criminal justice, absence of corruption and fundamental rights. A coalition of rights and legal advocacy groups has identified some recurring patterns throughout Prabowo’s administration in the past two years, including state abuse of legal authority and ineffective control mechanisms, among other issues. Checks on government power have weakened as oversight institutions have struggled to operate independently, the coalition said. It referred to the House of Representatives, which is dominated by Prabowo’s ruling coalition, while other institutions are increasingly vulnerable to government influence. The coalition also warned of mounting pressure on freedom of expression. In the past two years, the handling of anti-government protests has been marred by alleged human rights violations, including police brutality, activist criminalization and attempts to silence dissents. Rights groups found at least 11 deaths and more than 5,000 arrests during and after nationwide demonstrations in August 2025 protesting low wages and lawmakers’ lavish perks. “The common thread is that the law no longer functions as a constraint on government power, but it has become a tool of power,” said Arif Maulana of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI) in a discussion hosted by the Center for Indonesian Law and Policy Studies (PSHK) in Jakarta on Thursday. Read more at:
