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View all search resultsUnrest ‘wake-up call’ for Prabowo to address public grievances
The recent wave of protests that swept across the country should serve as a “wake-up call” for President Prabowo Subiano’s fledgling administration, analysts warn, saying the government has been lulled into a false sense of stability while ignoring deepening economic and political grievances.
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Activists carrying sunflowers hold placards during a protest against lawmakers' perks and police brutality, while some brandish brooms as a symbol of their calls for reform, on Sept. 3 outside the Senayan legislative complex in Jakarta. (REUTERS/Willy Kurniawan)
T
he recent waves of protests across Indonesia should serve as a “wake-up call” for President Prabowo Subianto’s fledgling administration, analysts warn, urging the government to move beyond rhetoric and tackle the root causes of public anger, including rising taxes, budget waste and growing economic inequality, to prevent future unrest.
Analysts further argue that the government has been lulled into a false sense of stability while failing to address deepening economic and political grievances, putting both public trust and fiscal legitimacy at risk.
Indonesia experienced its most serious unrest in years after demonstrations against government spending priorities, particularly lavish perks for lawmakers, spiralled into deadly riots. Tensions escalated last Thursday when an online bike-hailing service (ojol) driver was fatally run over by a police armored vehicle at a protest site in Central Jakarta, sparking nationwide outrage.
Over the weekend, people looted the homes of several public officials, including Finance Minister Sri Mulyani, while regional legislative council buildings in multiple regions were ransacked or set ablaze. In response, Prabowo ordered the military and police to take stern action against what he called “rioters and looters,” prompting intensified patrols across critical areas of the capital.
After canceling a planned protest on Monday over fears of a violent crackdown, the Alliance of Indonesian Women returned to the streets on Wednesday to rally against police brutality, carrying brooms as a symbolic demand for sweeping reform within the force.
Read also: With brooms in hand as symbol for change, Indonesian women join Jakarta protests
Nationwide, at least 10 people have been killed, 20 reported missing and more than 500 people injured in clashes between protesters and security forces, while police detained thousands of others in an effort to quell the unrest.
