Indonesian deputy human rights minister slammed for proposing state funding for NGOs

FILE PHOTO: Members of civil groups and labour unions march with flags and signs on Sept. 4, 2025 during a protest against police repression, during nationwide demonstrations in Jakarta. - AFP

JAKARTA: Civil society groups have slammed a suggestion by the deputy human rights minister to fund nongovernmental organisations (NGOs) from the state budget over concerns about foreign donor influence, amid the government’s plan to codify anti-foreign propaganda drives.

Speaking to a limited number of media outlets on Thursday (Jan (Jan 22), deputy minister Mugiyanto Sipin shared his thoughts on the roles of a country’s NGOs and said they could unknowingly spread another country’s agenda due to the foreign funding they receive.