Indonesian political parties have agreed to cut some lawmakers’ perks, including a controversial $3,000 housing allowance, the president said, as security measures were stepped up in an attempt to halt protests that have gripped the country for a week.
President Prabowo Subianto, accompanied by leaders of eight Indonesian political parties, told a televised news conference in the capital, Jakarta, on Sunday that they had agreed to cut the housing allowance and suspend overseas trips for members of parliament.
By Monday, “lawmakers will see certain allowances scrapped and overseas work trips suspended under a new moratorium,” said Prabowo, in a concession aimed at calming public anger.
He added he had ordered the military and police to take firm action in response to the burning and looting of some politicians’ homes and state buildings.
On Monday, police set up checkpoints across Jakarta. Officers were also patrolling the city to “protect” citizens and give a sense of security, a police spokesman told broadcaster Kompas TV.
Indonesian students and civil society groups called off protests on Monday, citing fears of a crackdown by authorities.
Protests first erupted a week ago, sparked by anger over the pay and privileges given to lawmakers, including a housing allowance of 50m rupiah ($3,075), which is nearly 10 times higher than the minimum wage in Jakarta. Anger escalated further after a motorcycle taxi driver, 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, was run over by a police vehicle at a protest site on Thursday.
A video apparently showing his death prompted an outcry against the security forces.
Witnesses told local television that an armoured car from the National Police’s mobile brigade unit suddenly sped through the crowd of demonstrators, hitting Kurniawan and running him over. Kurniawan had reportedly been trying to complete a food delivery order at the time.
Prabowo has promised an investigation into his killing, and pledged to help his family. Seven officers have been detained for further investigation.
The death toll from riots rose to six after the Amikom Yogyakarta University confirmed the death of 21-year-old student Rheza Sendy Pratama in protests on Friday. The circumstances around his death remain unclear.
At least three people were killed in the eastern city of Makassar on Friday after a fire was started by protesters at a council building.
Another victim died in Makassar on Friday after he was beaten by a mob on suspicion that he was an intelligence officer, local disaster agency official Muhammad Fadli Tahar told Agence France-Presse on Sunday.
Protests have taken place in multiple, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Semarang and Surabaya in Java, and Medan in North Sumatra province.
Prabowo reiterated that his government respects freedom of expression as guaranteed in Indonesia’s constitution and international conventions.
“But when demonstrations turn anarchic, destroying public facilities, endangering lives, and attacking private homes or public institutions, this becomes a serious violation of law,” he said.
Prabowo cautioned that violent acts risked veering into treason and terrorism, and warned “the state would not tolerate attempts to destabilise the country”.
The homes of political party members and state buildings have been targeted by looters, including a house owned by finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, according to state news agency Antara reported on Sunday. She was not in the house at the time and it was not clear if she uses the property often, Reuters reported.
The crisis forced Prabowo to cancel a planned trip to China for a military parade commemorating the end of the second world war.
TikTok, which has more than 100 million users in Indonesia, temporarily suspended its live feature in response to the protests.
The Alliance of Indonesian Women, a coalition of women-led civil society groups, said it had delayed planned protests at the parliament on Monday, fearing a crackdown by authorities. “The delay is done to avoid increased violent escalation by authorities ... the delay takes place until the situations calm down,” the group said in an Instagram post on Sunday.
Student groups also delayed a protest on Monday, with one umbrella group saying the decision was “due to very impossible conditions”.
With Associated Press
