Facing cuts: National Agency for Disaster Countermeasure personnel putting out a fire at a forest in Meulaboh, Aceh. Last month, ministries and state institutions were instructed to cut a combined 306.7 trillion rupiah from their budgets to fund Prabowo’s costly initiatives. — AFP
In the past month, Aldo Simanjuntak’s coffee shop in South Jakarta has only had about one third of its typical number of customers.
His one-time regulars, mostly university students and employees of a nearby state-run bank, have been coming by less and less frequently.
“They used to come every day. Now they’ll come maybe twice, three times a week at most,” the 29-year-old entrepreneur said on Friday.
“Since rumours of a massive ‘efficiency’ drive from the government have circulated, my sales have dropped. I have never in my business seen such a dramatic drop in purchases.”
In Bandung, West Java, meanwhile, 30-year-old marketing specialist Sara Akmalia is getting increasingly frustrated with the process of picking an elementary school for her son, who will turn seven in a few months.
She cannot comfortably afford private school fees, and the recent cuts to the national education budget have further decreased her confidence in the country’s public school system.
“The regulations here are generally absurd, but the ones on education are at the top of my concerns,” Sara said.
“It’s just getting incredibly hard to live in Indonesia. Prices have gone up, but wages have stayed the same.”
Last month, the administration of President Prabowo Subianto instructed ministries and state institutions to cut a combined 306.7 trillion rupiah (RM83.9bil) from their budgets this year to fund the his costly initiatives, including his free meals programme.
The programme, targeting 83 million children and pregnant women to address the country’s high levels of stunting, has been overshadowed by problems such as food poisoning and delivery delays since its introduction on Jan 6.
Feeling a mixture of anger and hopelessness, Aldo and Sara have found themselves looking for a life out of the country. “I’ve always thought of leaving, but the recent regulations have truly lit a fire in me,” Sara said.
“Recently, I’ve been applying to five to six job postings abroad.
“This is not a matter of whether I have hope or not for the country. That all depends on politics. I just think the problem with the country is systemic,” Aldo added.
Recently, a number of Indonesian internet users have begun discussing the prospect of leaving the country following a string of newly announced controversial regulations, with many expressing frustration over massive state budget cuts to key sectors, decreased purchasing power and a lack of access to crucial commodities such as subsidised motor fuel.
The discourse has been tagged #KaburAjaDulu online, which translates to “just flee already”.
The most popular tweets on X with the tag have amassed over six million engagements in just a few days. — The Jakarta Post/ANN
