JAKARTA: While President Prabowo Subianto on Sunday (Aug 31) announced big concessions to roll back some legislative perks that incensed public opinion, he also instructed authorities to crack down on “treasonous” and “terrorist” elements in an attempt to diffuse the nation’s worst bout of rioting in years.
Public frustration over tone-deaf lawmakers and their high remuneration, as well as the tragic killing of a young man by an armoured police vehicle, has boiled over into the streets over the weekend as rioting spread to some of the country’s biggest cities.
To address the crisis, Prabowo convened with leadership of the legislative bodies and leaders of all eight political parties in the House of Representatives, including the only de facto opposition the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P), on Sunday at the State Palace.
Speaking in a press conference after the meeting, the President said that lawmakers would revoke their allowance policy and “suspend overseas work trips” in response to demands from protesters.
“Genuine aspirations and the right to peaceful assembly must be respected and protected. However, we cannot deny that there have been signs of unlawful actions, with some veering toward treason and terrorism,” he said.
The President said he had instructed the National Police and the Indonesian Military (TNI) to take “the firmest actions possible in accordance with the law” against the destruction of public facilities and looting of property.
At the same time, he urged citizens to channel their grievances peacefully, assuring that their voices would be “heard, noted and acted upon” by both the government and the legislature.
“Trust the government and remain calm. The government I lead, [which] together with all political parties, including those outside my administration, is determined to always uphold the interests of the people and the nation,” he added.
Later on Sunday, Prabowo gathered his cabinet members, including National Police chief Gen. Listyo Sigit Prabowo and TNI commander Gen. Agus Subiyanto, as well as Defence Minister Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin who reiterated Prabowo’s directive for the police and the military to maintain public order and "act firmly” against rioting and looting.
“The President stressed that all criminal offences, including the destruction of property, public facilities and private assets, must be met with firm and lawful action,” Sjafrie told a press conference after the meeting.
The Jakarta Police on Sunday at noon conducted a patrol and will carry out a similar operation at night involving over 300 personnel, while the military also began patrolling Jakarta on the same day.
While the unrest began earlier in the week with demonstrations by students and labour groups over low wages and lawmakers’ perceived lavish perks in Jakarta, anger escalated sharply on Thursday night after online ride-hailing driver Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed by a tactical police vehicle during a protest in Central Jakarta
This triggered protests in other cities on Friday. In a video statement released on Friday at noon, Prabowo promised a thorough investigation into Affan’s death while also urging the public to remain calm.
The call was later echoed by leaders of 16 Islamic organisations following a meeting with the President on Saturday. Prabowo also cancelled a high-profile trip to China due to the unrest.
But waves of protests continued until early hours on Sunday morning in Jakarta and some other cities, including Bandung, West Java and Makassar, North Sulawesi, where regional legislature (DPRD) buildings were set ablaze on Friday night. It remains unclear who is behind the rioting and looting that followed the protests.
The fire in Makassar resulted in three deaths, Antara reported. Two of the casualties were council staffers while the other was a civil servant. Another death was also reported in Makassar: an online ride-hailing driver who died on Saturday after being beaten by a mob that mistook him for an undercover police officer.
In Jakarta, the private residences of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, now-suspended lawmakers Ahmad Sahroni and Nafa Urbach of the NasDem party as well as Surya “Uya Kuya” Utama and Eko “Patrio” Hendro Purnomo of the National Mandate Party (PAN) were also reportedly looted by groups of people on Saturday. They were targeted because of recent remarks that have drawn public ire.
While Sunday was comparatively more quiet compared to the two days prior, some regions have reportedly begun anticipating more demonstrations on Monday.
The Jakarta education agency, for instance, has ordered schools in demonstration hotspot areas to shift to online learning, while city-owned bus operator TransJakarta has cut its route short in Bekasi.
Amnesty International Indonesia executive director Usman Hamid criticised Prabowo for linking demonstrations to subversion and terrorism.
“Shaping public opinion to equate demonstrations with riots only narrows the space for freedom of expression and justifies repressive actions,” Usman said.
While acknowledging the state’s authority to act against incidents of looting, Usman said that such measures must be proportionate, accountable and in line with human rights principles.
Political analyst Yoes Kenawas said the public unrest is the biggest test for Prabowo thus far, describing it as an accumulation of public frustrations fuelled by a widening gap between government narratives of stability and growth and the daily struggle against widening inequality faced by ordinary Indonesians. - The Jakarta Post/ANN
