Cover journalist Lin Mengqing

Recently, the situation in Indonesia was turbulent due to the exposure of huge allowances for members of parliament, and large-scale anti-government protests broke out in many places.

According to Xinhua Agency, Indonesian President Prabowo issued a statement on August 31, emphasizing that social order and public security will be maintained in accordance with the law.

Prabhupada said that political parties have taken measures, such as withdrawal of seats, cancellation of subsidies and suspension of visits, against the inappropriate behavior of some members of parliament, in response to social concerns.

In response to the riots in some areas, Prabowo stressed that the government will not stand idly by for sabotage and violence. He asked the military and police to decisively maintain social order and protect people's safety and public facilities according to law.

Riots break out in the streets of Indonesia/China News Agency

High MPs' salaries spark public outrage

Chinese: Houses of dignitaries ransacked

Indonesian media disclosed that all 580 members of parliament have received a monthly housing allowance of up to 50 million Indonesian rupees (approximately RMB 21,700) since last year, which is about 10 times the minimum monthly wage in Jakarta. The news aroused strong public dissatisfaction. Demonstrations organizers believed that it was extremely unfair and indifferent to pay such a huge subsidy to political figures at a time of high inflation, increased tax burden, and rising unemployment. They demanded that the government increase the minimum wage at the inflation rate and reduce the privileged income of "corrupt elites."

Demonstrators dressed in black have been gathering in Jakarta since Aug. 25, throwing rocks at the parliament building, setting off fireworks and clashing with riot police, The Guardian reported. On the evening of Aug. 28, Afan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old delivery rider, was killed when he was hit and run over by a police armored vehicle at high speed while delivering food near the parliament building in Jakarta. The video of the incident was posted on social media, sparking larger protests across Indonesia.

Mr. Li, a Chinese who lived in Jakarta for two years, told the cover reporter that the peaceful demonstrations intensified after the death of the takeaway rider. More online taxi drivers and motorcycle drivers took to the streets in overalls to join the protest camp. On the morning of August 29, in the city center, he saw glass smashed at subway stations, security equipment damaged, buildings such as bus stops burned to their shells, and walls painted with protest graffiti.

Burned Bus Stop/Image Source Respondents

At the same time, protests gradually spread to major cities in many places such as Java, Sumatra, and Sulawesi, and even turned into serious riots and arson incidents in some areas. Mr. Li said that no large-scale arson has been seen in Jakarta so far, only some demonstrators piled combustible materials in the middle of the road and lit up a small amount of smoke. However, the homes of many dignitaries were ransacked.

The Financial Times reported that Sri Mulyani Indrawati, Indonesia's finance minister, had his house broken into and ransacked on the outskirts of Jakarta, as well as the homes of three members of parliament.

Mr. Li noticed that protests were mostly held at night. The flow of people on the streets during the day is significantly reduced, and many people reduce their outing activities to ensure safety. He also works from home, hoarding common supplies such as bread and milk.

As of August 31, official statistics show that at least five people have died in the unrest.

Use both hard and soft to stabilize the situation

Faced with surging public grievances and an out-of-control situation, the Indonesian government has adopted a two-pronged strategy.

Indonesian President Prabowo issued a statement on August 31

On August 31, President Prabowo held an emergency press conference at the presidential palace in Jakarta, where he gathered the leaders of eight major political parties. At the meeting, he announced that the ruling coalition had reached an agreement with the parliamentary leadership to abolish the recently controversial perks and privileges of parliamentarians, including the immediate withdrawal of the housing allowance of 50 million rupees per month and the suspension of overseas travel of parliamentarians.

On the other hand, the Indonesian authorities have also shown a tough side, cracking down on violence on the grounds of restoring law and order. Prabowo said he had ordered the army and police to deal with smashing, looting and burning "as strongly as possible in accordance with the law", and to firmly punish rioters who stormed public facilities, invaded private houses and economic sites.

To this end, Indonesian military police have entered a state of high alert in many places: in addition to regular guards, a large number of additional troops have been stationed around the Presidential Palace in Jakarta, and many cabinet ministers 'residences and important government agencies are also guarded by armed soldiers.

Extended reading

Cancel the visit to China urgently! Indonesian president faces first major crisis in office as protests continue for a week and escalate

The picture shows Indonesian President Prabowo

The regional parliament building was burned, the police station headquarters was attacked, tear bullets and stones fled.

According to World Wide Web, protests in Indonesia that have lasted for a week have intensified due to dissatisfaction with high subsidies from members of parliament and government austerity measures have spread from the capital Jakarta to many regions.

Public opinion believes that Indonesian President Prabowo has been in power for nearly a year, and this protest demonstration has the largest scale, the widest scope and the highest level of violence, which is the first major test he faced during his term of office. Prabowo canceled his scheduled visit to China to cope with the domestic situation.

Why did the protests start?

The protests began earlier this week when thousands gathered in the capital and tried to storm the parliament building.

High congressional subsidies have been seen as a spark of anger.

According to Indonesian reports, the government introduced a new subsidy last year, and all 580 lawmakers will receive a monthly housing subsidy of 50 million Indonesian rupiah (about 3,075 US dollars) in addition to their salary.

The new subsidy is almost 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta and about 20 times the minimum wage per month in poor areas of the country.

Critics argue that people are struggling with rising prices, taxes and unemployment rates, and the new allowances are not only too high, but also untimely.

Protest organizers called for cuts in MPs 'wages and ridiculed MPs as "corrupt elites."

Demonstrators also demanded an increase in the minimum wage according to the inflation rate.

Things beyond expectation.

On the 28th, a video of the driver's death spread crazy on social media and shocked the country, the situation rapidly worsened.

The 21-year-old motorcyclist, who worked for a ride-hailing company, was said to have died after being struck by an armoured police vehicle as riot police dispersed a crowd of protesters while handling a takeout order.

The sudden and fatal incident further angered protesters.

On the 29th, demonstrators arrived at the headquarters of the Jakarta Police Mobile Unit, causing traffic to be paralyzed by some people who vandalized traffic signs and other infrastructure.

It was also that a lawmaker¡¯s home in Jakarta was robbed.

In the second-largest city, protests broke up fences and burned vehicles, and even stormed into the governor¡¯s office.

On the same day, a fire broke out in the parliamentary building of the city of Garcie, the capital of South Sulawesi, killing three people.

Mapatoba, secretary of the Makassar City Council, admitted that the situation had exceeded expectations.

¡°Usually during demonstrations, protesters just threw stones or burned tires outside the office building, never stormed into the parliamentary building, let alone set fire.¡±

On the 30th, demonstrators burned parliamentary buildings in three districts of the city of Sheraton, in the province of Sinusadengara, in the city of Matalan, in the city of Northern Guaja, in the province of Central Java, and in the city of Sheraton, in the province of West Java.

Indonesian National Police Commissioner Listio Sigit Prabowo said on the 30th that protests in many places have escalated into riots and the police and military will take immediate action to restore social order.

Currently, the demonstrations have spread across Indonesia, including the cities of Sunrise, Wanzhou, Mumbai, Wanzhou, Bao Monopoly and others.

Even the resort's Bali was not "survived", with protesters being shot with tear bullets as they clashed with the police.

In view of the escalation of protests, Short Video app TikTok said on the 30th that it had suspended its live broadcast function in Indonesia to prevent the spread of false information.

Recently, the Chinese Embassy in Indonesia reminded Chinese citizens and institutions in Indonesia to strengthen security precautions.

The first major test.

Public opinion believes that the outbreak of mass protests in Indonesia is the first major test for President Prabowo, who has been in office for less than a year.

Last October, the military strongman became president, beginning a five-year term.

Prabowo promised to expand external investment, create more jobs, crack down on corruption, seeking to increase economic growth to 8% within five years.

But Prabowo's goal is considered too ambitious, and the government measures fail to match the goal.

Since taking office, the government has slashed its budget to implement a $1 billion free meal program, while layoffs, job shortages and high living costs in industries such as manufacturing have left people struggling.

The public opinion pointed out that the people are "deep fire hot", but the government is self-sufficient, and the people's anger has been accumulating for a long time, this move is more oil poured on the fire.

The riots have hit the Indonesian market.

On the last trading day of this week, the Indonesian stock market once fell by 2.1%, the biggest drop in two months. The Indonesian rupiah fell 0.8% against the dollar, the worst performer among Asian currencies.

Market analysts say Indonesian stocks, bonds and Indonesian shields are under pressure as policy uncertainty increases and social unrest risks rise.

Take countermeasures

Observers say the US abuse of tariffs increases the uncertainty of Indonesia¡¯s economy, and a potential future economic recession could make the situation worse if the government fails to respond to the demands of the people, properly solve the problem, or will trigger a domino effect, ultimately threatening Prabhupada¡¯s rule.

At present, Prabowo has taken a series of crisis response measures, including calming people's emotions, rebuilding government trust, and taking measures to stop atrocities.

In a video speech on the 29th, Prabowo called on the people to remain calm and believe in the government and his leadership.

On the same day, he went to the home of the dead driver to express condolences to his parents, and vowed to thoroughly investigate the cause of death and demand that the police be held accountable.

Prabowo also ordered the military and police to take decisive action to stop the violent acts of wanton vandalism by thugs.

At the same time, Prabowo cancelled his trip to China due to domestic tensions.

Prabhupada was scheduled to attend the 80th anniversary of the victory of the Chinese People's War of Resistance against Japan and the World War of Anti-Fascism held in Beijing on September 3.

The presidential spokesman said in a video statement on the 30th that Prabowo wanted to stay at home and continue to pay attention to the situation and seek the best solution, so he was unable to be invited to participate in the commemorative activities. He would like to apologize to the China government.