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View all search resultsUnderstanding the 17+8 Demands amid democratic decline
There are parties who are deploying state-sponsored influencers and cybertroops to spread disinformation and could delegitimize the 17+8 movement.
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The actors and content creators brothers Andovi da Lopez (right) and Jovial da Lopez display the “17+8 Demands” during a rally on Monday outside the House of Representatives building in Senayan, Jakarta. (Antara/Nabil Ihsan)
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n the wake of a recent death of an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver at the hands of the police and subsequent riots in several major Indonesian cities, the “17+8 Demands” have gone viral on social media. The number, which references Indonesia’s Aug. 17 Independence Day, represents a comprehensive list of short- and long-term goals for the government.
The first 17 demands, intended to be met within one week, are aimed at increasing transparency and accountability from the government, the House of Representatives, political parties and security forces. This includes ending police brutality, transparently investigating violence during the recent demonstrations and returning the military to the barracks. The short-term demands also call on the House to be more transparent with its budget and for political parties to be more ethical and accountable to the public.
The remaining eight demands, to be fulfilled within one year, are more institutional, focusing on structural issues like tax reform, police reform, anti-corruption legislation and overhauling economic and labor policies.
The 17+8 Demands have three important significances. First, it is the first comprehensive summary of the demands of various elements of society, calling for an end to security force brutality, greater transparency and improved labor welfare.
Second, the 17+8 Demands provide clear guidance on critical issues that must be addressed, offering a direction for advancing the reform agenda, which has stagnated and even deviated from its original objectives.
Third, the 17+8 Demands represent a new expression of social and political movements in Indonesia, driven by a younger generation that works organically using new methods that did not exist in 1998. This new generation of social movements, represented by social media influencers and young intellectuals, leverages technology to connect and develop decentralized leadership. They are a new generation, succeeding the 1998 activists, many of whom have been coopted into power.
The 17+8 Demands, however, face at least three major challenges. First, there has been no clear mechanism to determine if the targeted parties are aware of its existence. While major media outlets have covered the 17+8 Demands and they have gone viral, it remains unclear whether they have reached President Prabowo Subianto. It is critical that the targeted parties acknowledge the demands so that civil society will have moral justification for pressuring them to meet the demands.
