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View all search resultsAnalysis: Mass protests fuel Prabowo’s conspiratorial narrative
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President Prabowo Subianto (center) addresses a cabinet meeting on Aug. 6 in the State Palace, Jakarta. (Courtesy of/BPMI Sekretariat Presiden) (Courtesy of/BPMI Sekretariat Presiden)
A
s nationwide protests have subsided, a new power struggle has emerged among Indonesia's political elite, centering on who was behind the widespread unrest last week.
During his Aug. 31 state address, President Prabowo Subianto, flanked by leaders of all political parties seated in the House of Representatives, sought to de-escalate tensions by revoking the controversial housing allowance and overseas trips for lawmakers, the initial trigger for the week-long demonstrations. He also urged House members to adopt a humbler attitude after their perceived arrogance had failed to calm the public.
However, Prabowo’s speech was criticized for lacking clear accountability for the brutal state violence committed by the National Police. Instead of addressing the crackdowns, he doubled down, warning citizens not to fall prey to "figures" who seek to "divide and conquer" the nation, using incendiary terms like "treason" and "terrorism."
Immediately following his address, several of Prabowo's ministers insinuated that oil tycoon Muhammad Riza Chalid was the mastermind behind the protests. Coordinating Food Minister Zulfiki Hasan, also chairman of the National Mandate Party (PAN), reposted a text on Instagram accusing a "predecessor" of colluding with Riza Chalid to "steal the nation's wealth." The post was deleted hours later. Migrant Workers Protection Minister Abdul Kadir Karding of the National Awakening Party posted the same text, adding his own messages of support, and has kept it on his account.
Other figures known to have consistently supported Prabowo since the 2014 election such as Said Didu also linked Riza with former president Joko “Jokowi” Widodo. Said recalled Riza attended the wedding reception of Jokowi’s son Gibran Rakabuming Raka in Surakarta, Central Java, in June 2015 as an honored guest, despite his alleged connection with corruption in the country’s oil industry that then-president Jokowi had pledged to fight.
Since the Attorney General’s Office (AGO) named Riza a suspect in a Rp 285 trillion (US$17.4 billion) graft case in July, the "oil godfather" has fled the country to evade justice. He was initially reported to be in Singapore before settling in Malaysia. As of Aug. 19, the AGO has declared him a fugitive.
While the conspiracy theory of Riza's revenge-fueled motive is appealing to the presidential circle, others have pointed to foreign influences. A common scapegoat for the Prabowo administration is a "foreign agent" seeking to fracture Indonesia. George Soros, the billionaire founder of the Open Society Foundation (OSF), is often cited. The OSF, a global network that champions human rights and democracy, has provided funding to several Indonesian entities, including critical media outlets like Tempo and Project Multatuli and civil society groups such as the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation.
