Megawati Calls for Stronger Rules on Phone Surveillance
The Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle leader linked her call to concerns about alleged surveillance involving President Prabowo Subianto, and also addressed forest fires and party discipline.
JAKARTA, Indonesia — A call for tighter controls on phone surveillance has brought privacy and government authority into focus in Indonesia, where former president and Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) leader Megawati Soekarnoputri raised concerns about alleged spying involving President Prabowo Subianto.
Speaking Monday, Nov. 9, 2026, at the PDI-P Party School in Lenteng Agung, South Jakarta, Megawati said the law should clearly specify who may conduct surveillance and under what circumstances. She said she avoids using a mobile phone because she fears her communications could be monitored.
Megawati connected her demand to public attention surrounding alleged illegal surveillance of Prabowo. She also referred to her longstanding view that National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo should be replaced, saying that position was driven by rules rather than personal animosity.
“I’m not jealous, I don’t hate him. It’s about the rules,” Megawati said.
“That’s why I’m asking for the law on surveillance to be stronger,” she said, arguing that clearer legal limits could prevent the practice from being carried out arbitrarily or abused.
Forest fires and orangutan habitat
At the event, part of the 2026 National Waste Awareness Week, Megawati also addressed forest and land fires, known in Indonesia as karhutla. She said the damage extends beyond the area burned, pointing to destroyed trees and the time needed for vegetation to recover.
“The loss from forest fires is the trees. I’ve thought, my God, when will they be able to grow again?” she said.
Megawati rejected the idea that forests could simply be converted into oil-palm plantations, describing oil palm as a monoculture unlike a forest with varied plant life. She said forests provide shelter for wildlife, including orangutans, and pointed to conservation areas as refuges when animals’ habitats are threatened.
Leader urges party members to speak up
Megawati criticized PDI-P members she said were reluctant to state their views, including those who remained silent when she faced attacks. She also took aim at online political commentators who, in her view, did not openly declare their positions.
“My subordinates aren’t brave, you know? That’s what irritates me,” she said.
She urged party members to uphold their principles and not treat political advantage or office as their main goal. Megawati warned members who no longer followed the party line to resign, and cautioned them against corruption.
Recounting the party’s early efforts to recruit members across the country, she said its strength depended on continued work and growth. “If you are lazy and don’t want to work, eventually the party will shrink,” she told members.
