On July 20, President Joko Widodo appointed Pol. Comr. Gen. Suhardi Alius to head the National Counterterrorism Agency (BNPT) to replace Tito Karnavian, who was recently appointed as National Police chief. He flew straight to Poso in Central Sulawesi, following his swearing-in ceremony to observe the location where the Tinombala joint task force had shot and killed terrorist suspect Santoso on July 18.

The amended 2016 state budget and the law on tax amnesty were passed by the House of Representatives (DPR) on June 28. Vice President Jusuf Kalla said the tax amnesty was the government's attempt to cover the 2.48 percent deficit in the budget. The global economic crisis has caused state revenues to decline, including those from taxes. In response, the government decided to slash the budget by Rp50 trillion.

Transportation Minister Ignasius Jonan has issued specific instructions to public transportation companies and departments for the Lebaran holidays. He has ordered that all safety features of all modes of transportation-buses, trains, ships and airlines-be strictly and carefully checked. "I don't want to take any risks with safety," he said.