Thousands protest in Indonesia as military deployed in capital

Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto speaks during a press conference in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Monday, Jan. 27, 2025. (Hasnoor Hussain/Pool Photo via AP)

Thousands rallied across Indonesia Monday as the military was deployed in the capital after six people were killed in nationwide protests sparked by anger over lavish perks for lawmakers.

At least 500 protesters gathered outside the nation’s parliament in Jakarta, watched by soldiers and police throughout the day, before dissipating after President Prabowo Subianto warned protests should end by sundown.

But elsewhere protests were more volatile. In Gorontalo city on Sulawesi island protesters clashed with police, who responded with tear gas and water cannon, according to an AFP journalist. In Bandung on the main island Java, protesters hurled Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at the provincial council building.

Thousands more rallied in Palembang on Sumatra island and hundreds gathered separately in Banjarmasin on Borneo island, Yogyakarta on the main island of Java and Makassar on Sulawesi, according to AFP journalists around the country.

“Our main goal is to reform the parliament,” protester and university student Nafta Keisya Kemalia, 20, told AFP outside parliament before the protest ended.

“Do they want to wait until we have a martial law?”

The deadly protests, which began last week over MP housing allowances nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta, have forced President Prabowo Subianto and parliament leaders to make a U-turn over the perks.

Demonstrations began peacefully, but turned violent against the nation’s elite paramilitary police unit after footage showed one of its teams running over 21-year-old delivery driver Affan Kurniawan late Thursday.

Protests have since spread from Jakarta to other major cities, in the worst unrest since Prabowo took power less than a year ago.

Police set up checkpoints across the capital on Monday, while officers and the military conducted city-wide patrols and deployed snipers in key locations, while the usually traffic-clogged streets were quieter than usual.

At least one group, the Alliance of Indonesian Women, said late Sunday it had cancelled its planned protest because of heightened security.

Schools and universities in Jakarta were holding classes online until at least Tuesday, and civil servants based in the city were asked to work from home.

On Monday Prabowo paid a visit to injured police at a hospital where he criticized protesters.

“The law states that if you want to demonstrate, you must ask for permission, and permission must be granted, and it must end at 6:00 pm,” he said.

Looting

Experts said Prabowo’s U-turn in a speech on Sunday and parliament’s gesture to revoke some lawmaker perks may not be enough to dispel the unrest.

“The Indonesian government is a mess. The cabinet and parliament will not listen to the people’s pleas,” 60-year-old snack seller Suwardi, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, told AFP near parliament.

“We have always been lied to.”

The Indonesian stock index fell more than three percent at the open on Monday after the weekend unrest rattled markets.

Deep-rooted anger against police drove protests on Friday after footage of the van hitting Affan went viral. Seven officers were detained for investigation.

On Monday Agus Wijayanto, head of the accountability bureau at the National Police, told reporters an investigation had found criminal acts committed by two officers -- the driver of the van and the officer next to him.

They “could be dishonourably discharged”, said Agus.

The crisis has prompted Prabowo to cancel a trip to China this week for a military parade commemorating the end of World War II.

In recent days the finance minister’s house was pillaged and several lawmakers have reportedly had their houses ransacked.

At least three people were killed after a fire Friday started by protesters at a council building in the eastern city of Makassar, while a fourth was killed by a mob in the city in a case of mistaken identity. Another confirmed victim was a student in Yogyakarta, who died in clashes.

In anticipation of further unrest, TikTok on Saturday suspended its live feature for “a few days” in Indonesia, where it has more than 100 million users.