Indonesian president Prabowo Subianto has bowed to public anger over the lavish perks of Indonesia’s lawmakers, announcing that housing allowances and overseas trips for parliamentarians will be cut.
The pledge, made alongside leaders of eight political parties in a televised address, was in response to mounting demonstrations that have spread across the country recently.
By Monday, “lawmakers will see certain allowances scrapped and overseas work trips suspended under a new moratorium”, Mr Prabowo said.
The protests were triggered by revelations that each of the nation’s 580 lawmakers receives a monthly housing stipend of around $3,000 – nearly ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta.
Outrage intensified after 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan was killed when a police armoured vehicle ran into demonstrators in the capital, sparking broader unrest that has now left six people dead nationwide.
While Mr Prabowo stressed his government respects free expression, he warned that violent acts during protests would not be tolerated and could amount to “treason” or “terrorism”. At the same time, he urged citizens to channel their grievances peacefully, promising that their voices would be heard as his administration works to restore calm in the world’s third-largest democracy.
“I sincerely ask all citizens to trust the government and remain calm,” Mr Prabowo said, adding that he “is determined to always fight for the interests of the people and the nation”
“To the police and the military, I have ordered them to take action as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting at homes of individuals and economic centres, according to the laws,” he added.
His close ally, defence minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, warned on Sunday that security forces would take “firm action” against “rioters and looters” after the home of the finance minister was ransacked.
Meanwhile, the Indonesian student groups and civil society organisations halted their protests on Monday, following a week of mounting unrest, citing fears of intensified security after the deadly weekend riots, Channel News Asia reported.
One umbrella group of student organisations explained the move was “due to very impossible conditions”. The Alliance of Indonesian Women, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, announced it was postponing demonstrations at parliament to prevent a potential security crackdown.
“The delay is done to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities … the delay takes place until the situations calm down,” the group said in an Instagram post on Sunday.
However, police have reportedly erected checkpoints across Jakarta on Monday as the authorities expect fresh protests in several parts of Indonesia’s vast archipelago.
A police spokesperson told Kompas TV that patrols were being carried out to “protect” residents and provide a sense of security.
On Sunday night, security forces also rolled out a convoy of armoured vehicles and motorbikes to the national parliament, a show of force aimed at deterring demonstrators.
The wave of protests has emerged as the most serious challenge yet to Mr Subianto’s year-old administration, which until now has largely governed without significant opposition.
In Makassar, the capital of South Sulawesi, demonstrators torched the provincial parliament late on Friday, leaving several people dead and many others injured, some with burns and others hurt after leaping from the building.
Television footage showed the structure engulfed in flames.
Similar scenes played out elsewhere: protesters set fire to the regional parliament in Bandung, West Java, and in Surabaya, they overran police headquarters after smashing fences and torching vehicles.
“The public is indeed very angry and upset with the behaviour of the elite – hedonistic, frequently showing off on social media, and insensitive to the suffering of ordinary people, most of whom are struggling,” Aditya Perdana, an associate professor at the University of Indonesia, told Bloomberg.
“This is what triggered such a strong, unexpected response, expressed in the form of looting,” he added. “If the president fails to address this serious situation soon, of course there could be other forms of protest emerging in the future.”
