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lite.cnn.com - on gopher - inofficial
ARTICLE VIEW:
Indonesia’s fury and deep resentment rages on despite crackdown.
Here’s what to know
By Kathleen Magramo, CNN
Updated:
11:43 PM EDT, Tue September 2, 2025
Source: CNN
Protest unrest continues to simmer in Indonesia after violent scenes at
two universities in Bandung, West Java, when police fired tear gas and
rubber bullets at protesters, Reuters reported, citing student group
and authorities.
Hundreds of people gathered at the universities on Monday and Tuesday
despite orders from Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto for the
police and military to take stern action against rioters and looters
after days of protests.
Ten people have been killed in demonstrations which began peacefully
last Monday over controversial housing perks for lawmakers but erupted
on Thursday when an armored police vehicle hit and killed a rideshare
driver, according to Reuters.
The unrest escalated over the weekend as thousands of protesters across
the sprawling archipelago set fire to legislative buildings and looted
parliamentarians’ homes.
Prabowo initially canceled a trip to China to deal with the turmoil but
made a at a military parade on Wednesday in Beijing marking 80 years
since the end of World War II.
Here’s what to know.
Why are Indonesians angry?
Economic and political frustration has been brewing for months under
the leadership of Prabowo, who took office last October.
Rallies began last Monday outside the House of Representatives in
Jakarta as protesters, mainly made up of students and labor union
members, objected to a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah
($3,000) for lawmakers – more than 10 times the national average
monthly minimum wage.
Daniel Winarta, a representative for the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute
(LBH Jakarta), said much of the discontent centered around the
worsening economic hardships for ordinary Indonesians, as wages
stagnate and living costs rise.
“People’s purchasing power is low, and we are struggling here,”
Winarta told CNN. “Our parliamentary representatives are showing off
their richness… These representatives are not representing us.”
How did the protests turn deadly?
On Thursday (August 28) evening, an armored police vehicle hit and
killed rideshare motorbike driver Affan Kurniawan during a clash
between police and protesters in Jakarta.
His death triggered more protests into the weekend, spreading to other
major cities across the country.
Short-video app TikTok said on Saturday it had suspended its live
feature in Indonesia for a few days to “keep TikTok a safe and civil
space.”
Tense scenes broke out on Sunday when the military was deployed to
guard the presidential palace, while looters broke into a house owned
by Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati outside the capital Jakarta.
Human rights groups have objected to the forceful crackdown from the
police and military. Since the protests began, the Indonesia National
Police have arrested 3,195 people across the country, including 1,240
people in the capital Jakarta, government-run news agency Antara
Monday.
As of September 1, at least 20 people remain missing as after attending
rallies, the Commission for the Disappeared and Victims of Violence
(KontraS) said in a statement.
Government backtracks
Speaking at a press conference at the presidential palace and flanked
by the leaders of various political parties on Sunday, Prabowo
announced that Indonesia’s political parties had reached a consensus
to reduce lawmakers’ benefits.
However, he also said he had ordered the military and police to take
stern action against rioters and looters and suggested that elements of
the violence resembled acts of terrorism and treason.
Amnesty International said that attaching those labels to protesters
ignored the underlying reasons 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,” said Usman Hamid, executive
director of Amnesty International Indonesia.
“The president’s statement is insensitive to all the grievances and
aspirations the public has voiced during the demonstrations.”
After Prabowo’s announcement, some students and civil society groups
called off their protest on Monday, citing fears of heightened security
measures imposed after deadly riots across the country on the weekend,
Reuters reported.
Cho Yong Gi, a 22-year-old university student, said Monday people would
likely continue to express criticism of the 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.”
A year of protests against Prabowo
Prabowo, a former army general with a controversial past, took over as
president of the world’s third-largest democracy last October with
promises to tackle corruption and boost national self-reliance.
But many of his flagship policies have been controversial, and the
latest protests represent the most significant challenge yet to his
leadership.
Demonstrations against Prabowo’s policies began with the “Gelap
Indonesia” (Dark Indonesia) movement in February 2025, which took aim
at reforms to allocate more civilian posts for military officers, but
soon snowballed into social issues including police violence and
corruption.
Prabowo’s has also been marred by mass food poisoning cases across
the archipelago, with hundreds of people falling ill since its
launch in January. People were already angry about cuts to road
maintenance and other budget reallocations to fund the program.
Proposals to raise land and property taxes have also fueled anger,
including protests in the town of Pati against a proposal for a in
Central Java, which was later withdrawn.
Human Rights Watch researcher Andreas Harsono told CNN that Prabowo
remains popular amongst his most fervent supporters and backers from
the military and business elites.
However, Indonesians with “very scattered and very diverse”
grievances don’t support him and want their voices heard, Harsono
said.
“It is less than a year, but we have seen at least three major
protests since October last year when Prabowo took office,” he said,
referring to the recent protests, and other major demonstrations during
Labor Day on May 1 and Independence Day on August 17.
Whether these protests reignite with renewed vigor to throw Prabowo out
of office will depend on how the government responds to economic
grievances, Harsono said.
People are still upset at what’s seen as a lack of change and the
government’s violent crackdown on the recent protests, Jorgiana
Augustine, 28, told CNN.
“The public anger has stemmed from a very long-term economic
questions and this week’s events are just a catalyst,” she said.
“We’re not going to be surprised if another protest happens
again.”
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