Thousands of Indonesian students across the country are taking to the streets protesting the current Prabowo 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, 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. Indonesia’s deputy finance minister Suahasil Nazara said that the total budget being ‘freed up’ by the government totals up to 18.8 billion USD, 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 cut by around 480 million USD. In West Papua, high school students protested in droves against the program, demanding that free education be prioritized instead. They also condemn the program’s use of soldiers in distributing the free meals, with human rights groups pointing out that it increases militarization within their schools.
Photo credit: @barengwarga via X
Furthermore, an article from the University of Melbourne points out that there are at least 12 billion USD 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 Joko Widodo’s and Prabowo’s slogan of ‘Indonesia Emas’ or ‘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.
Protestors 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 5 student protestors.
The students have released thirteen demands which include a reassessment of budget slashes, timely and fair compensation for educators, a re-evaluation 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.
Protests in West Papua. Photo credit: @VernoicaKoman via X
In response to the protests, Indonesia’s 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 thirteen demands that have been voiced out by the students of Indonesia,” Nadine Sherani added.
Girard Mariano Lopez is a first year Filipino undergraduate at National Chengchi University, and a volunteer at various human rights and civic organizations in the Philippines and Taiwan.
This article originally appeared in New Bloom, an online magazine featuring radical perspectives on Taiwan and the Asia-Pacific.