Indonesian students and civil society groups called off protests in the capital city, Jakarta, on Monday, citing fears of heightened security measures after deadly riots across the country over the weekend.
The protests in Indonesia began a week ago, starting with anger over an increase in lawmakers’ pay and escalating in size and intensity after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night.
Eight people have died in the protests, Chief Economic Minister Airlangga Hartarto said on Monday. Seven officers have been detained for investigation into the accident that killed the 21-year-old driver, Affan Kurniawan.
President Prabowo Subianto moved to ease tensions by pledging to revoke lawmakers’ perks in a televised address on Sunday. Prabowo said political parties had struck a deal to cut housing allowances and suspend overseas work trips for members of parliament – a rare concession in response to mounting public anger.
Protests had escalated on Sunday with reports of looting at the homes of the finance minister and several lawmakers, as a fire started by protesters at a council building killed at least three people.
Lawmakers’ ‘excessive’ pay
Anger towards lawmakers, accused of being oblivious to the struggles of common folk, snowballed into widespread violence after a delivery driver was fatally hit by a police tactical vehicle.
Analysts said the protests have tested Prabowo’s crisis management abilities and exposed long-standing cracks in public trust towards Indonesia’s political and security institutions.
On Sunday, Prabowo acknowledged the scale of public anger, pledged to act on lawmakers’ perks and promised that the government would listen to citizens’ demands while maintaining law and order.
“The leadership of the House has conveyed that a number of policies will be revoked, including the size of allowances for members and a moratorium on overseas work visits,” he said.
Party chiefs had also agreed to strip errant lawmakers of their seats, with Prabowo stressing that “members of the House must always be sensitive and side with the interests of the people”.
The president underlined that freedom of expression would be respected.
“The right to peaceful assembly must be protected,” Prabowo said, citing Indonesia’s law on protests and international conventions. But he warned that violence – including looting and the destruction of facilities – would not be tolerated.
Death of Affan Kurniawan
Affan Kurniawan, a motorcycle ride-sharing driver, was hit at the site of violent clashes near parliament on Thursday as police sought to disperse demonstrators protesting about a number of issues, including lawmakers’ pay and education funding. Kurniawan was 21 years old.
Drivers, students and Indonesians from other walks of life gathered outside the country’s parliament and police headquarters in Jakarta to protest on Friday, throwing rocks at the gates and chanting: “Killer. Killer”.
Drivers wearing their signature green jackets also staged protests in other cities, including Surabaya and Bandung on Java Island and Gorontalo on the island of Sulawesi.
The capital’s police chief, Asep Edi Suheri, said that during the clashes on Thursday, an armoured police vehicle had hit and killed Kurniawan, who worked for the ride-sharing services Gojek and Grab. He apologised to Kurniawan’s family.
A motorcycle drivers’ association said Kurniawan was not involved in the protests.
Kurniawan’s funeral was attended by hundreds of fellow ride-sharing motorcycle drivers, who escorted his body to the burial site in a convoy of two-wheelers through the centre of Jakarta.
Looting and arson
The home of Nafa Urbach, a lawmaker from the NasDem Party, was vandalised on Sunday. Protesters took items from the house of NasDem MP Ahmad Sahroni on Saturday. Sahroni had called them “stupid” a few days earlier, according to Detik.com.
Looters also broke into Eko Patrio’s house, a comedian-turned-lawmaker from the National Mandate Party. The politician sparked outrage earlier this month after videos of him dancing in Parliament went viral.
According to the Jakarta Globe, Sahroni was not present when protesters raided his North Jakarta residence, where they smashed an electric car and walked away with goods including luxury bags, fitness equipment and a life-size Iron Man statue.
Embassies in Jakarta, including those of the United States, Japan, Australia, and Singapore, issued warnings for their citizens in Indonesia to avoid crowds and areas of protest.
Protests in Makassar, the biggest city on the eastern island of Sulawesi, descended into chaos outside the provincial and city council buildings, which were both set on fire as demonstrators hurled rocks and Molotov cocktails.
Three people were killed as a result of Friday’s Makassar city council fire, its secretary Rahmat Mappatoba said. Two workers died at the scene, and a third person, a civil servant, died in hospital.
Protesters inside lit several fires as parts of the building collapsed, while others smashed glass and chanted “revolution”. Windiyatno, South Sulawesi’s military chief, said in a statement on Saturday that the situation in Makassar had “now returned to normal”.
Protests were also held on Saturday in different parts of the country. Hundreds of students and “ojek” motorcycle taxi drivers protested in front of the police headquarters on Indonesia’s holiday island of Bali.
Protesters on neighbouring Lombok island stormed a council building in the provincial capital Mataram and set it on fire, despite police attempts to stop them with tear gas.
Hundreds of students in Surabaya also rallied outside the East Java police headquarters.
