Indonesian students protest gov’t policies amid economic strain

Some 1,500 Indonesian students have taken to the streets of the capital to protest against a series of economic policies by the government of President Prabowo Subianto, as Southeast Asia’s biggest economy faces mounting fiscal pressures amid a global supply chain crisis.

Demonstrators in Jakarta outlined five key demands for the government on Friday, particularly the lowering of fuel and food prices.

They also urged the government to roll back state welfare programmes they say are expensive and “wasteful”, including Prabowo’s flagship free meals and village cooperative initiatives.

Called the “Heading to Bankrupt Indonesia” protests, demonstrators donned yellow university jackets after Friday prayers and marched towards Jakarta’s central monument, the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, where they gathered and voiced their frustration.

Organisers told reporters that some protesters were blocked from joining by the police and military officials. Scuffles broke out as some students attempted to break through the police lines and metal barricades.

Some 6,000 police and soldiers were deployed to the march.

‘The government is in denial’

Indonesia’s government has kept fuel prices unchanged even in the face of global energy spikes and supply chain disruptions as a result of the US and Israel’s war on Iran.

However, growing economic pressures on the import-dependent country have weakened the currency, with the rupiah hitting a historic low of 18,000 rupiah to the US dollar earlier in June, down from 16,000 in March.

This week, the government introduced a 32 percent price hike, angering many.

In addition, demonstrators on Friday called for more targeted spending. The $15bn-a-year free meals programme, which aims to reduce poverty and malnutrition, for example, has been the subject of a corruption probe, with Prabowo firing the programme’s head in early June.

“Wasteful spending on free meals has led to a fiscal situation where subsidies initially provided had been withdrawn,” student protester Rafael Arreva told the Reuters news agency while standing in front of a police blockade.

Protesters also demanded an end to the expanding role of the military in government, saying it was a threat to the country’s young democracy.

“The government is in denial about the current situation,” Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan, who chairs the student group that organised the rally, told The Associated Press. “We urge Prabowo to have the courage to acknowledge his mistake and stop denying it.”

Indonesia last saw mass protests in August when demonstrators called for housing reforms. Clashes between protesters and security forces left at least 13 people dead.