What is happening in Indonesia?
there is a massive wave of demonstration happening in the last few days in Indonesia, regional at first, then suddenly all across the country. The causes? Wealth inequality, tone deaf politicians, and police brutality.
To understand the full picture, lets look at the last few months; less than a year since the new president took office. I will try to include sources, news, and link to youtube/instagram post/tiktok videos, but most of them will be in Indonesian, so if any of you have other credible sources/more information feel free to add it in reblogs or replies.
Massive Corruption, on January 2025 Pertamina, an Indonesian state owned company that focused in mining and distribution of oil and gas was reported to have done corruption in the most massive scale recorded in the nation history, of around US$12.06 billion.
Subdued economy growth and the scarcity of job, on may 2025 there's a chaos in a jobfair, an event hosted by the regional Bekasi govt. to help jobseeker, the people said this marks the high number of unemployed people in Indonesia. IMF in 2024, stated that Indonesia has the highest unemployment rate in South east asia. While all of that is happening Indonesia’s president, Prabowo Subianto issued Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1 of 2025 targets savings of IDR 306.7 trillion in the 2025 State Budget (APBN), As a result, an efficiency is issued. Budgets at ministries and government agencies had to be significantly cut, instead of streamlining the ministries and state agencies, it has ballooned to 53, up from 34 during Joko Widodo’s administration.
One Piece, (yes, the anime), for some reason, In early august (Indonesia Independence month) some people took to hoist The strawhat Jolly Rogers along with the national flag as a form of protest on the ongoing issues with the government. The government stated this act was injuring the honor of national symbols and raising concerns about weakening respect for national values there are instances in which people who hoist the strawhat jolly rogers and made murals were intimidated and pressured to take it down. This sparked discussion of repression of free speech, which is a very sensitive topics especially after the whole debacle with pig's head and rat's carcass being sent to journalist on March 2025 after reporting on the UU TNI (Armed Forces Law).
Pati-the increase of taxes, on 13 August 2025 around one hundred thousand people protested in front of Pati Regency's governmental office, this happened because the regional government want to increase the rural and urban land and building tax up to 250% and in response to the pople's reluctance to that Pati's Regent/Mayor Sadewo's churned a blunt statement about demonstration "Please do it, don't just ask for 5,000 people, ask for 50,000 people to be mobilized, I will not be afraid, I will not change my decision, keep moving forward." That statement was viewed as 'arrogant' and 'taunting' this seems to be the first spark of outrage to 'arrogant' government officials.
The dancing representatives-members of the house of representatives dancing in the office (04:04:54) in the 2025 MPR-RI Annual Session, in which President Prabowo said they have saved IDR 300 trillion from state budget in his 'efficiency' program, he also claimed that Indonesia's unemployment rate is now at its lowest level since the 1998 economic crisis. (which is...not entirely true, as the Open Unemployment Rate has indeed decreased, but the number of unemployed people is still increasing.) after that it is announced that they will be receiving an increase in ‘allowance’, which increased their total income to more than 10x that of minimal wage in jakarta and more than 20x minimal wage of other city, some estimates that what they're paid in a day is what most of indonesians get in a month. While most indonesian, even with bachelor degree, has had to survive with less than even the minimal wage because they work in informal sector. This also prompted the phrase 'Bubarkan DPR' (dissolve the HoR) circulating in social media.
Even more tone deaf Government Officials. Outrage about the allowance of the members of the house of representative of course prompted the media to ask said members about it, in which Adies Kadir, Deputy of the Indonesian House of Representatives (Will be abbreviated as HoR from here on) said that IDR 50 million per month of allowance for every member of the HoR is justified because they are not granted official residence by the state anymore.
Nafa Urbach, another member of the HoR, said she support this allowance because she said not all of the members of HoR lived in Jakarta, and she, for example, had to commute from her house in Bintaro the the HoR office in senayan which could take more than half-an hour because of traffic this is viewed as a hurtful thing to say because she get by driven by her chauffeur inside a cool comfortable Alphard, but the people she supposed to be representing is using a much more uncomfortable public transport stuck in a much longer traffic.
Deputy Chairman of Commission III of the House of Representatives, Ahmad Syahroni, addressed the public's criticism of the House of Representatives. "That kind of mentality is the mentality of the most stupid people in the world. Take note, anyone who simply says to dissolve the DPR is the most stupid person in the world." (x) he said on 19/08/2025 in regards to the people's sentiment to dissolve DPR (HoR), this was thought as an insulting statement by the people, of whom 'dissolving DPR' is a statement that represent their disappointment, and not an actual call to do so.
Eko Patrio and his act of being a DJ. (I don't actually know anything about this one)
(Update on these members of the house of representative; they have been pun on non active duty-which is not a legal status for them; if the're not fired then essentially they are on paid leave (x) )
Massive Demonstration, (x, x,)
On Monday, 25/08/2025 a demonstration was held by college students, workers, and other civilian group voicing public disappointment with members of the House of Representatives (DPR). One of the main demands of the demonstrations was the increase in DPR members' allowances. This demonstration more or less went as the usual demonstration goes: chaos erupted as the police forced demonstrates to back away from HoR office building (x)
On Thursday, August 28, 2025, labor unions held a demonstration on a different topic. They brought six demands: the elimination of outsourcing, the rejection of low wages, an end to layoffs, expedited deliberations on the Employment Bill and the Asset Confiscation Bill, and a request for the House of Representatives (DPR) to revise the General Election Law. Chaos unfolded late into the night, as one ride share drivers (something like uber), Affan Kurniawan is run over by Indonesian Police's Barracuda Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) the video (other POV: x) (Viewer discretion advised, TW violence) is shared online and quickly sparked outrage, crowd reportedly immediately marched to the Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters in Kwitang, Central Jakarta, and remained there until the next day.
Friday August 30, 2025, Demonstrates persist in front of Mobile Brigade Command Headquarters in Kwitang and Jakarta Metropolitan Police, Their demands were similar: justice for the perpetrator who hit Affan and protesting the violence perpetrated by police during the demonstrations since the beginning of the week. Chaos erupted not only in Jakarta but also in other cities, many Regional People's Representative Assembly Office, and regional police office or associated building is burned down by the masses, including in cities like surakarta, bandung, cilacap, in kediri in which a museum was also looted, cirebon, in Makassar where 3 civil servant died because of the arson, in Surabaya where National building Grahadi is burned down, in other cities riot resulted in damage to police post and public facilities like in Semarang, Malang, and also the centre of it all; Jakarta (video)
Looting of the residence of The House of Representatives, (x) on 30/08/2025 the house of member of the HoR Ahmad Syahroni was looted, on the same day the house of other member of the HoR; Eko patrio and Uya Kuya was also looted, the next day the house of the finance minister Sri Mulyani was also looted. This sparked more questions as this was viewed as not in line with goals; The HoR, only targeting well known HoR members, and too coordinated, The first looting was broadcasted live by the looters, it is also broadcasted what they took, the latter looting, unlike the looting in syahroni's house (x, also some of his belonging have been returned), happened in gated community, the looters were unknown (not local people), some locals even said they saw drones while it happend (x)
Supression of media, Disabling Tiktok live broadcast, On 28 August 2025 The police prohibited Tiktok live broadcast in an ongoing demonstration, this of course was not heeded by anyone. Curiously just few hours after the looting happened, Tiktok Live Broadcast was banned in Indonesia, it is said that TikTok voluntarily banned the service momentarily because it aims to maintain safety on its platform as demonstrations have led to unrest and the spread of related content online. This is a blow to the indonesian people as we use tiktok broadcast to monitor from first hand account the situation on the demonstration, and it has also captured instances of Police Brutality.
(as of 02/09/2025 Live broadcast on tiktok has been restored)
Police Brutality, 1312; ACAB, Aside from the death of Affan Kurniawan, other instances of police brutality was recorded on camera and shared through social media platform like tiktok, youtube and instagram, like Journalist Leo Chandra, who allegedly was intimidated by the police and forced to shut down his Live broadcast and then arrested (video), on 31/08/2025 Rheza Sandy Pratama, a college student, was pronounced dead in Hospital, the official cause of death is cardiac arrest, but his father claimed he found blunt trauma and boot marks on his son's body, the family refuses autopsy, the last victim is Iko Juliant Junior; he is a law student, the police claimed he died because of motorcycle crash, but the family does not believe them, as they heard him deliriously said "Please sir, don't beat me again" before his death. There was also violence against health care provider; as Two ambulance medical personnel in Solo were also victims of violence by the Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) during the demonstration unrest on 28/08/2025.
Police also caught on camera using tear gases liberally and in college campus. on 01/09/2025 college student from Bandung Islamic University (UNISBA) demonstrated in front of the office building of DPRD (Local HoR) of West java, on 17.00 WIB the students was chased by Police's tear gas and went back to campus, where the police kept firing tear gasses. The same thing happened in University of pasundan (UNPAS) bandung. (x)
Things doesn't add up (disclaimer, some of these are speculation based on things that could be found on media)(x, x, x) there are suspicion on unknown force that used this moment as a way to broadening their own agenda, this suspicion came out because there are some oddities that happened such as; every arson on DPRD building and other public facilities happened after nightfall, whereas most demonstration happened since morning/noon and Indonesia has a rule where demonstration has to be over at 6 pm, the arsons of govermental building also happened like there were people organized specifically to do that, and especially the bus stop burning in jakarta where the methods was very similiar to the one happened in Sarinah 4 years ago as was reported by Narasi Newsroom on Youtube, said report heavily relied on CCTV and tiktok videos, (curious as to why CCTV was disabled damaged (x,x) and Tiktok prohibited during demonstration last week?). Then there has been digital war going on in social media, deepfakes such as video of finance minister Sri Mulyani stating "Teacher is a burden to the nation" inciting outrage and misinformation such as a letter of appeal from the government to TV stations not to broadcast or cover demonstrations was spread like wild fire, there has also been influencers that spoke up about an offer they have been getting asking them to make a video campaign asking for peace between demonstrates, police, and government (x, x, x) there was also many repetitive comment of race and appeal to loot business owned by Chinese-Indonesian (x,) which was promptly shut down by the people.
What are we so afraid of? we are afraid that this chaos and violence is something fabricated and used as an excuse to continuing the suppression and against the people who only want their voices to be heard, some kind of False flag operation to our own people, in hopes of bring forth, perhaps, Martrial Law (Don't worry! this ofc was denied by the deputy commander of Indonesian Armed Forces :D because ofc we will trust him!)
We are also afraid of an unrest not unlike 1998 riot (wherein The current president was had a little hand in) which was a massive black pages of Indonesian history in which many activist was murdered, raped and sexually assaulted, or lost until now, and there was a high level of discrimination against chinese-indonesian resulting in murders, looting of chinese-indonesian business, rape and sexual assault targeting especially chinese-indonesian.
Please help us spread the words.
