PRESSURE ON PRESIDENT
Prabowo, who took office in 2024, has come under increasing pressure over his government’s handling of the economy and response to destructive wildfires.
Students and others have mounted large protests against him in recent weeks, also denouncing what they perceive as growing authoritarianism and rampant corruption.
The president’s approval ratings have fallen to a record low, and he reshuffled his Cabinet for a seventh time last month, appointing Listyo, 57, as his chief of staff.
The men are not related.
Listyo had until then served as national police chief during the period of the alleged wiretapping that investigators say started in 2025.
Social media users in Indonesia have speculated on the seeming volatility at the top echelons of government.
Indonesia’s military chief this week ordered the deployment of thousands of troops to the capital Jakarta – a move that has added to the disquiet.
Indonesia National Armed Forces (TNI) spokesman Muhammad Nas told AFP “the deployment of troops is a routine measure carried out to ensure the operational readiness of the TNI”.
Analyst Khairul Fahmi of Indonesia’s Institute for Security and Strategic Studies (ISESS) told AFP that “greater transparency about the deployment would certainly help prevent unnecessary speculation”.
But for the moment, he said, “I see no sufficient evidence to conclude that the deployment signals an imminent military intervention or confrontation between state institutions.”
The wiretapping scandal has come with pressure also growing on Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, the son of Prabowo’s predecessor and political rival Joko Widodo.
Widodo’s party is a member of the ruling coalition, and his popularity is widely seen to have helped Prabowo to the top job, with Gibran by his side.
There have been renewed calls to unseat Gibran after Indonesia’s Supreme Court ruled last month to annul his high school certificate – which opponents say disqualifies him from the vice presidency.
