Days -long violent protests in Indonesia, ‘death of corruption’

This article was last updated on August 29, 2025

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Days -long violent protests in Indonesia, ‘death of corruption’

“Murderers! Murderers!” For the third day in a row, thousands of Indonesians shouts against the government for the parliament building in the capital Jakarta. What started as a protest out of dissatisfaction with a very high housing allowance for MPs, has resulted in a broader protest. “They don’t kill us so much with weapons, but with money,” says Didi, one of the demonstrators.

Since President Pabowo took office, much has changed in Indonesia. His government is investing billions of Indonesian ruepia in taking care of free meals for more than 80 million school children. But to pay for that, substantial cuts have been made on education, care and infrastructure. The ordinary Indonesian are lost hard and jobs are lost.

“Unemployment seems low in Indonesia with 4.7 percent in the previous quarter, but that figure is not complete,” says Risky, another demonstrator. “Workers get fewer hours with low salaries.” And that means that many Indonesians earn too little money to put a good meal on the table. Many therefore do odd jobs, for example as a driver, to make ends meet. But even that doesn’t always work.

The catalyst of today’s protests was the death of such a driver (Ojek). He was waiting for one of the demonstrations. The police tried to vary protesters and a police car was driving him. The demonstrations now also focus on police violence.

‘Do not compare me with plebs’

The protesters try to provoke the order forces behind the fences of the parliament building. They scream “dead to the police” and laugh out agents. Water bottles are thrown over the fence, some try to break open the fence and others set fire to boxes.

“There is a lot of frustration among Indonesians,” says political expert Abigail Limuria Al Jazeera. “Because thousands of jobs have been lost.” But that parliamentarians give themselves a monthly housing allowance of converted 2600 euros, many civilians fall down the wrong way.

Especially if you know that the allowance is fifteen times more than the monthly minimum wage in the country. When a politician was confronted with the comparison, he said, according to Limuria, that that allowance should not be compared to what ‘the plebs’ deserves. “The citizens don’t like the arrogance of the political elite,” says Limuria.

Low quality of life

It is not only a matter of jobs, but also of quality of life. Education in the country is not highly regarded. According to the OECD, an economic partnership of in particular Western countries, Indonesia is the country with one of the highest percentages of adults who have not got any further than primary school.

The care is also not fantastic. Indonesians who can pay for travel prefer to go to Thailand or Singapore for medical treatment. The cuts will not quickly improve the quality of care and education.

President Pabowo responded to the death of the Ojek in a video message. “I am shocked by the official violence of the agent.” He said that an in -depth investigation is being started and that the police are being called to account.

The protests have led the controversial housing allowance to be stopped as of November, but that does not prevent the protesters in Jakarta from continuing with their protest. “Death from the corruption in Indonesia. The people in that building deserve so many, ordinary people cannot contain that.”

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