Will Indonesia’s Prabowo Subianto survive intense protests triggered after delivery rider’s death?

Indonesia has been gripped by a wave of protests that began last week as the public anger against lawmakers boiled over. Thousands of protesters, including students, workers and activists, demonstrated outside the nation’s parliament on August 25 against financial perks for lawmakers.

The protests turned violent after a motorcycle gig driver died due to police violence during an agitation in the capital, Jakarta, on August 28. The anti-government demonstrations have left at least eight people dead and led to incidents of looting and arson.

The deadly protests come as the biggest test for President Prabowo Subianto since he assumed the presidency in October.

Let’s take a closer look.

Deadly protests in Indonesia

Last Monday, protesters gathered outside Indonesia’s parliament to agitate against a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (Rs 2.69 lakh) for the parliamentarians, almost 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.

The demonstrators called for “lavish” allowances to be taken back. A press release from the student group, Gejayan Memanggil, said they also protested against “corrupt elites” within the government and policies that benefit conglomerates and the military.

Some protesters were spotted holding a flag from the Japanese manga series One Piece , which has become a symbol of protest against government policies in Indonesia.

Riot police fired water cannon and teargas as protesters threw stones and set off fireworks as they attempted to storm the parliament building.

The unrest continued for the following days. On Thursday (August 28), a young motorcycle taxi driver was run over by a police vehicle during a demonstration in the capital, which further escalated the public anger.

Affan Kurniawan , 21, was reportedly completing a food delivery order when an armoured police vehicle hit and ran him over outside Indonesia’s House of Representatives.

Tensions were inflamed, with demonstrations spreading beyond Jakarta to other Indonesian cities.

In Makassar, South Sulawesi, three people were killed on Friday after protesters set fire to a regional parliament building. Many vehicles were also torched on the street outside, reported CNA.

Unrest was also reported in cities of Surabaya, Bandung, Solo, and Yogyakarta.

Protests continued over the weekend, with angry demonstrators hurling Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at a police compound in the capital.

The walls of the Jakarta Police headquarters and the fences of the national parliament building were defaced with anti-police graffiti.

The home of Indonesia’s finance minister, Sri Mulyani Indrawati, outside the capital Jakarta, was among several targeted by looters on Sunday, AFP reported. She was not in the house at the time.

Protests were also planned for Monday (September 1). However, students and civil society groups called off demonstrations in Jakarta, citing fears of increased security measures after deadly riots spread across the country over the weekend, as per Reuters.

TikTok, which is owned by China’s ByteDance, has suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.

What’s behind the anti-govt protests in Indonesia?

The public anger has grown in Indonesia over rising prices and worsening unemployment. The Indonesian government’s decision to cut budgets for education, health and public works has also infuriated people.

Experts say Indonesians are frustrated with their economic situation. “There are also problems with unfair taxes, people’s declining purchasing power and the lack of job opportunities,” Bhima Yudhistira Adhinegara, executive director of the Center of Economic and Law Studies, told AFP.

Bhima said the public’s anger brimmed over because of the lack of empathy shown by lawmakers. “The problems piled up like dried hay, and the parliament lit the fire,” he said. “This is just the tip of the iceberg.”

Ahmad Sahroni, a legislator from the National Democratic Party (Nasdem), invited the protesters’ rage by labelling those calling for parliament’s dissolution as “the dumbest people in the world.”

Videos on social media on Saturday showed protesters breaking into Sahroni’s house in Jakarta, destroying his car and carrying back what seemed to be luxury bags, watches, a television, fitness equipment and even his bathtub.

Anti-government protesters are demanding higher wages, lower taxes and stronger anti-corruption measures. Activists say police and MPs are perceived to be widely corrupt in Indonesia.

The demonstrators are also calling for police reforms following the delivery person’s death. The Civil Society Coalition, an umbrella group of hundreds of civic organisations in Indonesia, urged Prabowo to sack National Police Chief Listyo Sigit Prabowo, accusing him of failing to reform the force’s repressive character.

Speaking to CNA, Agung Baskoro, a political analyst at the Trias Politika institute, said: “Police reform must be carried out from the top down and overhauled in a drastic way.”

“It’s not just about crowd-control procedures, but also deeper issues such as public services and meritocracy within the police force.”

Prabowo’s big challenge

The protests have come as a significant challenge for Probowo, who faced little political opposition since taking office in October.

On Sunday, the Indonesian president said political parties have agreed to cut some state-funded perks for lawmakers to quell the protests. He also said he directed the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters.

Prabowo, a former general, said in his speech that “we cannot deny that signs of extrajudicial, even unlawful, actions are beginning to emerge, some even leading to treason and terrorism.”

Prabowo did not clarify the allowance of which lawmakers would be reined in, but declared a moratorium on overseas trips would also be imposed.

He previously promised an investigation into police violence as well as support for Affan’s family.

Amid unrest, the Indonesian president had to cancel his trip to China for the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit on August 31-September 1 and a “Victory Day” parade on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II.

However, his latest announcements are unlikely to assuage protesters.

Muzammil Ihsan, head of the All Indonesian Students’ Executives Body, the country’s largest student group, told Reuters that the move was “not enough” and that more protests were being “considered”.

“The government must resolve deep-rooted problems,” he said. “The anger on the streets is not without cause.”

Experts say the Indonesian president needs to show the public that the government cares, or else there could be a domino effect.

“If I were the president, I’d remove the National Police chief from his post,” Made Supriatma, visiting fellow at Singapore’s ISEAS-Yusof Ishak Institute, told AFP. “The people need a symbolic gesture from him.”

Prabowo will, however, weather the storm.

Ray Rangkuti, a political analyst at the Lingkar Madani think tank, told CNA that these nationwide protests are not likely to topple Prabowo’s government.

“Judging from the scale of the unrest, it is unlikely (to spread to Prabowo),” Ray said.

With inputs from agencies