Afan Kuniawan, a 21-year-old delivery rider, was just one of the thousands of young workers on the streets of Jakarta. But on the evening of August 28, he was tragically run over and killed by an armored police vehicle while delivering food outside the parliament building.
This tragedy prompted his name to spread throughout Indonesia, and led to an outbreak of social anger over Indonesia’s long-established population: people burned tyres, surrounded parliamentary buildings, and even burned provincial parliaments.
At Afan’s funeral, thousands of salespeople spontaneously sent for him. These salespeople dressed in the green uniforms of their Gojek platform, riding a motorcycle, formed a fleet stretching several kilometers, escorting Afan’s body to the cemetery in Jakarta, becoming the most widespread picture of this tragedy.
Why would the death of an ordinary salesman trigger such a fierce reaction?
On Monday, Indonesia's parliament passed a resolution allowing lawmakers to receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah, a tenth of the minimum wage in Jakarta. The decision became the last straw that overwhelmed patience in the context of slowing economic growth and high prices, and the unexpected death of the deliveryman Afan became the trigger for national anger.
President Prabowo quickly delivered a speech expressing shock and regret over Afan's death, demanding that the police apologize and investigate thoroughly. But this statement did not quell the protests. The reason is that the housing subsidy program itself has been tacitly and supported by Prabowo. As the new president, he needs to stabilize the political landscape in the country, and Congress, especially the traditional political elites, is the force he must rely on to govern. Supporting this subsidy policy is a political exchange between him and Congress, in exchange for the cooperation of lawmakers on policy promotion and governing agenda. In other words, housing subsidies are not only a benefit for lawmakers, but also a bargaining chip for political transactions.
But it is this political calculation among elites that forms the strongest contrast with the real plight of ordinary people. What the public sees is that MPs can easily receive allowances that are several times the income of working people, while young people have to take risks to deliver takeout food. This made Prabowo's apology seem pale and feeble.
Prabowo has long relied on the rise of the military and powerful departments. His ruling style emphasizes "strong governance" and also claims to "govern the country through diligence and thrift" and "open up sources and reduce expenditure." However, he immediately issued additional subsidies to members of parliament. This also makes it difficult for the public to believe that he will truly touch the institutional issues behind it. As a result, the apology became a gesture, and the people did not buy it.
What happens next? In the short term, Prabowo will most likely rely on the military and police to strengthen stability in order to quickly contain street protests and restore a semblance of order. But this will deepen distrust of law enforcement agencies. In the medium term, he may introduce some symbolic measures, such as freezing MPs' allowances, announcing police accountability, and increasing publicity about youth employment policies, to show that "the government is responding". But in the long run, if the fundamental problems of the gap between the rich and the poor, the class gap, the credibility of law enforcement, and the rise of young people cannot be solved, then similar tragedies and protests will continue to erupt periodically.
The storm in Indonesia is still fermenting, and two important revelations can already be seen.
First, the demographic dividend is a double-edged sword.Indonesia is the fourth most populous country in the world, with an average age of less than 30 years old. Young people are both the potential for development and the greatest risk of social unrest. If they don't get opportunities and fairness, the demographic dividend will turn into a demographic burden.
Second, emerging labor groups must be taken seriously.External sales, express shipping, shipping and other industries are not only the basic forces of urban operation, but also have strong organizational mobilization capabilities. Enterprises and governments need to take more responsibility, be more proactive in protection, management and psychological guidance, otherwise individual tragedies can easily evolve into a national crisis.
This riot made Prabowo's government face its first real ruling test. In the future of Indonesia, how to respond to the system repair of public opinion also requires the choice and decision of the Indonesian political elite.