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.
The deputy minister cited an example of former United States secretary of state Colin Powell’s 2001 directive to US ambassadors to support NGOs in their respective countries, as they were the US’ “combat team” for its geopolitical missions.
“When we work in NGOs, we don’t feel like we are pursuing the agenda of the US or any donor country,” Mugiyanto said. “But on the [donor country’s] side, they do intend [the funding] for their own [needs]. Without us realising it, we are also serving their interests.”
He then suggested that NGOs in Indonesia should be funded by the state to avoid foreign funding and ensure that they work “in Indonesia’s interests as a nation”.
A coalition of 25 civil society organisations, including human rights watchdogs Amnesty International Indonesia and Imparsial, has since denounced Mugiyanto’s comment for its “misleading and ahistorical oversimplification” of NGOs that dismisses their roles as part of the checks and balances in a democratic state.
“Equating international support with hidden agendas or threats to sovereignty is an outdated narrative repeatedly used by powers that are allergic to criticism,” the coalition said in a statement on Saturday.
“This narrative is not only lacking an empirical basis, but also serves as a political tool to delegitimise critical voices and silence public scrutiny.”
The coalition also opposed the idea of state-funded NGOs, saying it would undermine their independence from government influence. “Making the state budget the sole source of funding [for NGOs] risks violating the principles of freedom of association and expression, and opens up space for subtle repression against orgaations critical of the state,” the coalition said.
Asked by The Jakarta Post for comment on the coalition’s concern on Sunday, deputy minister Mugiyanto urged anyone to “closely read and understand” the context of his quotation.
He did not give further response.
Part of the plan?
Mugiyanto’s statement came on the heels of the government’s recent plan to draft a bill to combat disinformation and foreign propaganda, a proposed legislation that has alarmed rights groups for its potential to narrow the space for public criticism and freedom of expression.
The plan followed President Prabowo Subianto’s instructions and is currently being studied by the Law Ministry. A circulating academic manuscript serving as the basis for the draft bill said that existing regulations dealing with the matter remain fragmented and inadequate to tackle the problems systematically.
The Indonesian Legal Aid and Human Rights Association (PBHI) chair Julius Ibrani said that Mugiyanto’s statement reflected the government’s efforts to clamp down on civil liberties, including through the anti-disinformation and foreign propaganda draft bill.
“Labeling NGOs as extensions of foreign donors aligns with the President’s constant denouncing of ‘foreign stooges’ for [most things]. It has become a hallmark of this regime,” Julius told the Post on Sunday.
State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi previously clarified that the bill has not been formally drafted and would be accompanied by responsibility to prevent misuse for harmful purposes. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
