Violent antigovernment protests against a range of cost-of-living issues have roiled Indonesia, and anger boiled over after the killing of a motorcycle taxi driver who was hit by a police vehicle during a demonstration in the capital, Jakarta.
In a recorded video address on Friday, President Prabowo Subianto called for calm and asked the people to “trust the government and my leadership”.
Yet, protesters pelted the headquarters of the police mobile brigade and set fire to a five-storey building near the police compound in the Kwitang neighbourhood of central Jakarta.
Despite heavy rains, demonstrations continued through the evening on Friday in the greatest test for Prabowo’s presidency since taking office in October. On Saturday, authorities said three people had died in a building set ablaze, allegedly by the protesters.
Here is what you need to know about the ongoing unrest:
What are the protesters’ grievances?
The riots are the culmination of months of economic and political frustration.
They follow reports that 580 parliamentarians receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah ($3,000) in addition to their salaries. The allowance, introduced last year, is almost 10 times the Jakarta minimum wage and about 20 times the monthly minimum wage in poor areas of the country.
Police and members of parliament are often accused of corruption in the country of more than 280 million people.
Gejayan Memanggil, a member of one of the groups organising the protest, said that demonstrators were calling for a salary cut for parliamentarians, whom he described as “corrupt elites”.
At the same time, protesters claim taxes and inflation are making life impossible for many. Organisers have been demanding that the minimum wage be raised in accordance with inflation rates.
Prabowo, a former military general, campaigned on the promise of taking economic growth to 8 percent within five years and making Southeast Asia’s largest economy attractive for investments.
But observers have dismissed his pledge as too ambitious, and President Donald Trump’s tariffs on United States trading partners have added to the uncertainty. Indonesian goods face a 19 percent tariff rate from the US, but Washington has agreed, in principle, to exempt palm oil, cocoa and rubber from those levies. The US is Indonesia’s second-largest export market after China.
The World Bank estimates that Indonesia’s economy will grow at an average of 4.8 percent between 2025 and 2027, far below the levels promised by Prabowo.
What has happened?
Nationwide protests began on Monday, when black-clad demonstrators threw rocks and set off fireworks at riot police as they attempted to break into Indonesia’s parliament building.
Public unrest continued the following days, but on Thursday, a video on social media showing the death of the motorcycle taxi driver shocked the nation and spurred more violence against security forces.
Affan Kurniawan, 21, was reportedly completing a food delivery service order when an armoured police vehicle ran into him outside Indonesia’s House of Representatives as riot police dispersed crowds.
Protesters marched to the headquarters of the police mobile brigade in Jakarta on Friday, and some destroyed traffic signs and other infrastructure, causing traffic to come to a standstill in the area.
As night fell, the clashes continued and quickly rippled through Jakarta and beyond, with tear gas lingering in the air and protesters refusing to disperse.
In Surabaya, Indonesia’s second-largest city, protesters stormed the governor’s office compound after destroying fences and setting fire to vehicles. Security forces fired tear gas and used water cannon, but demonstrators fought back with fireworks and wooden clubs.
Demonstrations also took place in other cities across the country, including Surabaya, Solo, Yogyakarta, Medan, Makassar, Manado, Bandung, and Manokwari in the easternmost Papua region.
What’s the latest?
Indonesia’s disaster management agency on Saturday said that three people had died in a fire at a regional legislature building in Makassar, about 1,600km (994 miles) east of Jakarta.
Authorities said protesters had set the building on fire on Friday. Five people were also injured in the blaze, apart from those killed.
Indonesia’s official Antara news agency said the victims were believed to have been trapped in the burning building. The country’s disaster management agency said two of the injured were hurt while jumping out of the building to escape the fire.
The fire has since been extinguished.
Meanwhile, the Singapore embassy in Jakarta asked the island nation’s citizens in Indonesia to stay away from protests and large public gatherings, in a post on its Facebook page.
What could happen next?
Indonesia’s general-turned-president has called for a “thorough and transparent investigation” into Kurniawan’s death.
“I am shocked and disappointed by the excessive actions of the officers,” Prabowo said in his Friday address.
The protests represent a test for Prabowo’s administration, amid a steep selloff in Indonesia’s stocks, which closed 1.5 percent lower on Friday, while the rupiah slid 0.8 percent against the US dollar.
A further economic downturn could add fuel to the fire as Prabowo tries to assuage the population.
Upon being elected, Prabowo promised to “work democratically”, but warned that he would not shy away from taking “decisive action” if needed. Critics and opposition leaders have expressed concern that the former general might resort to autocratic means to remain in power.
The Indonesian president is expected to depart for Tianjin, China, over the weekend, to participate in meetings on the margins of the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation summit. He is also expected to join Chinese President Xi Jinping and other leaders at a military parade on September 3 to mark the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II in Asia.
