"[If war breaks out] maybe our facilities and equipment would be destroyed, but I am certain that Indonesia would not be occupied by another country, because all the people would become components of the national defense," he continued. "This should be the focus of our thinking and national defense deployment moving forward."

"If this is really a political dynasty, I would have asked for a minister position or something a while ago,” Gibran said.

Addressing reporters on the sidelines of the congress, NasDem Party chairman Surya Paloh said he would leave it up to Anies whether he would take up the nomination.

The government and several parties in the ruling coalition are toying with the idea of abolishing direct regional elections and giving regional legislative councils (DPRD) the authority to elect regional heads, citing concerns over money politics.

Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri plans to attend the opening of the national congress of the NasDem Party on Friday.

Amid speculation about Paloh’s maneuverings, the party said it would devise its strategy for 2024 in the upcoming congress and that it was aiming to take over the PDI-P’s role as the nation’s largest party.   

The minister said that Papuans needed to be “politically cautious” about efforts to shape “public opinions” regarding the restive region that do not reflect the real situation. 

Coordinating Maritime Affairs and Investment Minister Luhut Pandjaitan gets additional responsibilities with a new presidential regulation (Perpres) vesting greater authority in the office of an already powerful minister.

They say there are at least 15 problematic articles in the recently amended law.

The elections body issued a similar regulation in 2018 that was eventually repealed by the Supreme Court.

The Jakarta Corruption Court acquitted the defendant of all charges against him at the verdict hearing on Monday.

Two days after the Cabinet's inauguration, Jokowi apologized that he could not accommodate all of his allies in the Cabinet line-up, saying that of the 304 names submitted to him, he could only choose 34 ministers and 12 deputy ministers.

Jokowi will appoint KPK supervisory council members without a formal selection process.

Nasdem and PKS said they would "strengthen the checks and balances" on government policies.

Rizieq Shihab, a controversial cleric who is in self-exile in Saudi Arabia, has the right to return home, according to Isfah Abidal Azis, the deputy secretary-general of the executive board of Indonesia’s largest Islamic organization Nahdlatul Ulama.

Defense Minister and Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo Subianto has rebuffed statements from his own party aides, who previously said he would not take his salary and would not use the official car he is entitled to as a minister. 

Jokowi's eldest son may join former president Sukarno’s grandson on the Gerindra ticket in next year’s Surakarta mayoral race.

Nahdlatul Ulama members have claimed Jokowi is following in the footstep of Soeharto by appointing a retired military official as religious affairs minister. 

As long as human rights violators still sit in the Cabinet, Mahfud MD's taking the post will not be a significant advance.

IDI chairman Daeng Muhammad Faqih said the controversy should have been closed, noting the need for collaboration to solve the many problems in the country's health service.

In an apparent attempt to build a broad coalition that is widely seen as key to achieving his developmental goals, the President quadrupled the number of deputy ministers — from only three in his first term — to accommodate more political parties in his administration.

Jokowi says concept of opposition does not exist in Indonesian democracy.

Three of the nine major political parties had not been included in the new administration: the Prosperous Justice Party (PKS), the Democratic Party and the National Mandate Party (PAN).

“In general, Jokowi’s Cabinet is a Cabinet full of political accommodations and compromise,” Parameter Politik Indonesia executive director Adi Prayitno told The Jakarta Post on Wednesday.

President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo's second-term Cabinet is a mix of old and new faces. Some members have proven track records in their respective fields. Others are best known not for their achievements but for their connections with influential figures.

Jokowi claimed after his inauguration on Sunday that the structure of the Cabinet was set and he would introduce his ministers on Monday morning. However, as he kept mum on the new Cabinet lineup, he instead held meetings with several figures to give hints of the new of his second-term ministers.

Gerindra Party chairman Prabowo has said he will help President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo regarding the country’s defense.

A representative of 100 volunteers of President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo said after a meeting with Jokowi on Sunday night at Merdeka Palace in Jakarta that the President confirmed that the Gerindra Party would be represented in the upcoming Cabinet.  

Constitutional Court chief justice Mahfud MD declined to mention which specific position Jokowi had offered him, saying only that the President had spoken to him about the country's problems.

Jokowi stated that human development would be a major priority of his administration as it would help the nation reach its full potential.