On Friday, 7 August 2026, Hashim Djojohadikusumo, Chairman of the Advisory Board of Forum Golen Indonesia Forum (Masyarakat Indonesia Emas, FORMAS), inaugurated 20 new mass organizations (Ormas) to support and monitor the government’s policies. Ormas are mass-based voluntary groups that are formed along religious or social communities and are often used as an extension of the government, including to commit violence. With the creation of the 20 new Ormas, the total number of organizations that joined FORMAS reached 103 organizations. The inauguration through Hashim, who is also the younger brother of President Prabowo, appears to be part of a broader strategy to consolidate Prabowo’s power and build political legitimacy through the large-scale creation of government-aligned mass organizations. During the inauguration, the role of the new Ormas was presented as maintaining unity, providing constructive thinking, and help realize government programs, including the government’s controversial Free Nutritious Meals program (MGB).
When the state (or actors close to power) actively builds parallel “civil society” structures that prioritize loyalty over independent oversight, it can reduce genuine openness to critical input on government policies. The rapid expansion of politically aligned Ormas combined with narratives that frame critical organisations as less constructive contribute to polarisation of the civil society landscape, weakening the space for free association and critical discourse. It can further normalize government aligned “civil society”, gradually blurring the distinction between genuine civic actors and political support networks.