Indonesia’s worst wave of violent protests in years appears to have come to a pause for now after the federal government ordered the army and police to take stern motion in opposition to rioters and looters.
Some college students and civil society teams referred to as off their protest on Monday, citing fears of heightened safety measures imposed after deadly riots throughout the nation on the weekend, Reuters reported.
At least 5 individuals have been killed within the protests, which started peacefully over controversial housing perks for lawmakers but erupted on Thursday when an armored police automobile hit and killed a rideshare driver, in accordance to government-run information company Antara.
The unrest escalated over the weekend as hundreds of protesters throughout the sprawling archipelago set fireplace to legislative buildings and looted parliamentarians’ properties.
Economic and political frustration has been brewing for months beneath the management of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, who took workplace final October and was pressured to cancel a deliberate journey to China this week to cope with the turmoil.
Though Prabowo made concessions after days of deadly protests, deep discontent over his insurance policies is but to be addressed.
Here’s what to know.
Rallies started final Monday outdoors the House of Representatives in Jakarta as protesters, primarily made up of scholars and labor union members, objected to a month-to-month housing allowance of fifty million rupiah ($3,000) for lawmakers – greater than 10 occasions the nationwide common minimal wage.
Daniel Winarta, a consultant for the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), stated a lot of the discontent centered across the worsening financial hardships for extraordinary Indonesians, as wages stagnate and residing prices rise.
“People’s purchasing power is low, and we are struggling here,” Winarta advised NCS. “Our parliamentary representatives are showing off their richness… These representatives are not representing us.”
On Thursday (August 28) night, an armored police automobile hit and killed rideshare motorcycle driver Affan Kurniawan throughout a conflict between police and protesters in Jakarta.
His loss of life triggered extra protests into the weekend, spreading to different main cities throughout the nation.
Short-video app TikTok stated on Saturday it had suspended its dwell function in Indonesia for a couple of days to “keep TikTok a safe and civil space.”
Tense scenes broke out on Sunday when the army was deployed to guard the presidential palace, whereas looters broke right into a home owned by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati outdoors the capital Jakarta.
Speaking at a press convention on the presidential palace and flanked by the leaders of assorted political events on Sunday, Prabowo introduced that Indonesia’s political events had reached a consensus to scale back lawmakers’ advantages.
However, he additionally stated he had ordered the army and police to take stern motion in opposition to rioters and looters and prompt that parts of the violence resembled acts of terrorism and treason.
Amnesty International stated that attaching these labels to protesters ignored the underlying causes for the protest.
“Labeling public demonstrations with accusations of treason or terrorism is excessive, especially when it’s constantly presented with the narrative of ‘foreign interference’ and ‘stirring up conflict’ when people are demonstrating to voice their concerns about problematic government policies,” stated Usman Hamid, govt director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
“The president’s statement is insensitive to all the grievances and aspirations the public has voiced during the demonstrations.”
Cho Yong Gi, a 22-year-old college scholar, stated regardless of the warnings from Prabowo, individuals will proceed to specific criticisms of the federal government on social media.
“I don’t think there’s a fear to speak up, but there’s a fear that if you go to the street to do a demonstration, there might be undercover police or military personnel to arrest people.”
Prabowo, a former military common with a controversial previous, took over as president of the world’s third-largest democracy final October with guarantees to deal with corruption and enhance nationwide self-reliance.
But lots of his flagship insurance policies have been broadly controversial, and the newest protests symbolize probably the most vital problem but to his management.
Demonstrations in opposition to Prabowo’s controversial insurance policies started with the “Gelap Indonesia” (Dark Indonesia) motion in February 2025, which took intention at reforms to expand the military law but quickly snowballed into social points together with police violence and corruption.
Prabowo’s free school lunch program has additionally been marred by mass meals poisoning circumstances throughout the archipelago, with 1,000 individuals falling ailing since its launch in January. People have been already indignant about cuts to street upkeep and different funds reallocations to fund this system.
Proposals to increase land and property taxes have additionally fueled anger, together with protests within the city of Pati in opposition to a proposal for an exorbitant 250% property tax hike in Central Java, which was later withdrawn.
Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono advised NCS that Prabowo stays in style amongst his most fervent supporters and backers from the army and enterprise elites.
However, Indonesians with “very scattered and very diverse” grievances don’t help him and need their voices heard, Harsono stated.
“It is less than a year, but we have seen at least three major protests since October last year when Prabowo took office,” he stated, referring to the latest protests, and different main demonstrations throughout Labor Day on May 1 and Independence Day on August 17.
Whether these protests reignite with renewed vigor to throw Prabowo out of workplace will depend upon how the federal government responds to financial grievances, Harsono stated.
People are nonetheless upset at what’s seen as an absence of change and the federal government’s violent crackdown on the latest protests, Jorgiana Augustine, 28, advised NCS.
“The public anger has stemmed from a very long term economic questions and this week’s events are just a catalyst,” she stated.
“We’re not going to be surprised if another protest happens again.”