Thousands of Indonesian students across the country are taking to the streets protesting the Prabowo Subianto administration. This comes as the controversial former military general reaches five months in office, with great dissatisfaction with the current political situation across the country.
Various issues from police reform, a 3-kg LPG controversy [which resulted in shortages of the cooking fuel across the country], mining licenses, land clearing in West Papua, and a re-evaluation of Prabowo’s “fat ministry” are riveting the nation — but at the heart of public anger is the “budget efficiency policy” of Prabowo.
Prabowo’s “budget efficiency policy” reportedly involves massive budget cuts to national and regional government agencies, which primarily affects the education, health and natural disaster mitigation sectors.
Deputy finance minister Suahasil Nazara said that the total budget being “freed up” by the government is up to US$18.8 billion, adding that the funds are being redirected to activities that are “more productive” and can “grow the local economy”. Moreover, the money is also said to be redirected to a “free nutritious meal program” (MBG) by Prabowo, which was one of his several ambitious campaign promises.
Yet, critics point out that the planned free meals program is “wasteful and ineffective”, especially as funding for primary and secondary education is being cut by around US$480 million. In West Papua, high school students protested in droves against the program, demanding that free education be prioritised instead. They also condemn the program’s use of soldiers in distributing the free meals, with human rights groups pointing out that it increases militarisation within their schools.
Furthermore, an article from the University of Melbourne points out that there are at least US$12 billion in budget savings unaccounted for when the total amount for the free meals program and free medical check-up initiative is calculated. There is also criticism that the budget does not touch the police or military. Analysts warn that there could be massive layoffs in the future as government contractual workers face retrenchment due to budget cuts, while reduced funding for higher education means that students could lose scholarships.
“This policy has significantly impacted the livelihoods of civil society and also key human rights and law enforcement institutions such as the National Commission On Violence Against Women, the National Human Rights Commission and also the Witness Protection Agency,” Nadine Sherani of civic group KontraS said.
Prior to the protests, the hashtag #IndonesiaGelap or “Dark Indonesia” began to trend online discussing various grievances against the government. The hashtag is a play on [former President] Joko Widodo’s and Prabowo’s slogan “Indonesia Emas” (Golden Indonesia) during their respective presidential campaigns.
Images of the Garuda, Indonesia’s national Coat of Arms displayed against a black background spread across X along with the “Emergency Alert” (#Peringatan Darurat) poster from the previous August 2024 electoral law protests. Shortly after, multiple rallies spearheaded by university student councils took place across Jakarta, Bandung, Lampung, Surabaya, Malang, Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Aceh and Bali, where students convened outside of each city’s government offices.
Protesters in Surabaya clashed with police as authorities fired water cannons at the students. The youth demonstrators had been calling for representatives from the East Java regional parliament to meet with them, but after the request fell on deaf ears, students began pushing through the police barricade resulting in a tense altercation and arrest of five student protesters.
The students have released 13 demands that include a reassessment of budget slashes, timely and fair compensation for educators, a reevaluation of the free nutritious meal program, a review of large-scale projects (such as the new capital city project of Nusantara) and for the government to implement “pro-people policies”, which include calls for the government to be more receptive to criticism and inputs.
In response to the protests, Secretary of State Prasetyo Hadi has denied that the budget cuts would impact the education sector, and reassured that key financial assistance programs for students would continue to run. However, students have vowed to continue protesting on the streets until their demands are met. Demonstrations are expected to last for the rest of the week, with protests coordinated by the All-Indonesia Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM SI).
“So, first, [what the government must do] is to meet with the protesters to hear directly what they demand within this mass protest in several regions of Indonesia. And next is also to collaborate with civil society elements to fulfill the demands — the 13 demands that have been voiced out by the students of Indonesia,” Sherani added.
[Reprinted from New Bloom magazine. Edited slightly for style and clarity.]