Indonesia is grappling with a significant political crisis after police authorities identified four senior officers as suspects in an alleged illegal surveillance operation. The scandal, which emerged earlier this month, involves the interception of communications targeting President Prabowo Subianto and other prominent national figures. This development has brought long-standing accusations of state spying to the center of government attention.
Among the arrested suspects is Listyo Sigit Prabowo, the former national police chief who recently served as the president's chief of staff. Investigators claim that the officers monitored communications without proper authorization during 2025 and 2026. Furthermore, they allegedly attempted to delete records of these operations to conceal their activities.
Suyudi Ario Seto, the current police chief, briefed a parliamentary panel this week on the scope of the surveillance. He stated that the operation targeted the president, palace officials, ministries, state institutions, lawmakers, governors, anti-corruption officials, and various activists. A parliamentary commission is currently investigating the motives behind the wiretapping, while the police have opened a separate inquiry into possible treason-related offenses.
The incident has intensified tensions between President Prabowo and his predecessor, Joko Widodo, often referred to as Jokowi. The government has ordered an additional 20,000 troops to Jakarta as a precautionary measure, although no evidence suggests the wiretapping was part of a broader campaign to remove Prabowo from power. Amnesty International has called for an examination of whether the surveillance was used to intimidate critics and weaken civil liberties.
Experts note that while Indonesia's Electronic Information and Transactions Law prohibits unauthorized interception, other legislation allows surveillance for specific law enforcement purposes. Yohanes Sulaiman, an associate professor at Universitas Jenderal Achmad Yani, observed that the police and intelligence agencies often operate with few constraints. He highlighted a lack of specific regulations governing eavesdropping by law enforcement, which allows existing laws to be frequently flouted.
The current scandal is part of a long history of surveillance in Indonesia. During the New Order regime under Suharto, intelligence agencies were central to monitoring political opponents. Even after democratization, controversies have persisted, including a 1999 leak involving former President BJ Habibie and a 2024 case where the Densus 88 unit surveilled a deputy attorney general. Gatra Priyandita, a senior analyst at the Australian Strategic Policy Institute, emphasized that the current allegations are significant due to their scale and their focus on the sitting president.
Since taking office in October 2024, Prabowo has worked to consolidate his authority over security institutions. Critics argue he has accelerated the militarization of civilian government. However, he inherited a security establishment shaped by Jokowi, who supported Prabowo's campaign in 2024. The alliance was crucial for Prabowo's electoral victory, but it meant governing alongside networks loyal to the former president.
In a related development, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Prabowo's vice president and Jokowi's son, resigned on Thursday amid a controversy over his educational credentials. The Constitutional Court and Supreme Court determined that his overseas high school qualifications did not meet legal requirements. This academic probe is distinct from the wiretapping investigations but adds to the political turbulence.
Recent government reshuffles, including the replacement of Listyo in October, are viewed as efforts by Prabowo to strengthen his control against Jokowi loyalists. Nicky Fahrizal, a researcher at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, described the surveillance as a calculated abuse of power. He argued that the police's direct answer to the president increases the risk that they act based on political interests rather than legal mandates.
Prabowo established a police reform commission last year to address issues of professionalism and accountability. However, the latest scandal suggests that meaningful reforms have not yet been implemented. Fahrizal called for a unified legal framework to consolidate fragmented surveillance regulations and impose tighter controls on police interception powers. Without such changes, he warned that divided political loyalties could continue to spread through the security institutions, posing a dangerous risk to governance.
