From The Diplomat
The Indonesian leader claims to support democracy, but only in terms of a stifling notion of national “unity.”
Waves of mass protests have swept across Indonesia over the past two months. In February, protesters from Papua to Sumatra rallied to protest President Prabowo Subianto’s free meal program and “efficiency” measures, demanded affordable education and protection of academic freedom, and called on the government to listen to “the people” (rakyat). Online and offline, thousands used the slogan #IndonesiaGelap (#DarkIndonesia) to express their discontent. These protests signify a continuation of last year’s August demonstrations, which rallied around the slogan #PeringatanDarurat (#EmergencyAlert) and rejected a controversial legal amendment that would have allowed the (now former) President Joko Widodo’s son to run in the gubernatorial elections.
More recently, since March 19, protesters have been taking to the streets of Jakarta, Bandung, Yogyakarta, Surabaya, Malang, Karawang, Banda Aceh, Padang, Samarinda, and many other cities to reject the amendment to Law No. 34/2004 on the National Military (UU TNI). On March 20, the amendment was passed in parliament, expanding the military’s role in government and risking further erosion of the principle of civil supremacy. As of March 29, protests have taken place in at least 72 cities…
More content from this blog
- Russia’s Billionaires Face a Dilemma – Putin Threatens and Protects Their Wealth, by Ilya Matveev – 14 July 2026
- The Poetic Justice of Queer China. Interview with Hongwei Bao and Darius Longarino – 28 April 2026
- Against “Conservative Leftism”: Why Reactionary Responses to Neoliberalism Fail, by Daphne Lawless – February 2016
- The Concept of Confusionism: A Tool for Thinking About the Links Between the Crisis of the Left and the Success of the Far Right in France And… Elsewhere?, by Philippe Corcuff – 11 May 2025
- Latest US Restrictions on Aid ‘Bully’ Recipients to Accept ‘Extremist Ideology’, by Kerry Cullinan – 29 January 2026