Indonesian political parties have agreed to reverse some state-funded perks their politicians receive in a bid to quell nationwide protests, the country’s president has said.
Several cities in the Southeast Asian nation including the capital, Jakarta, have been gripped by anti-government demonstrations in the past week that have at times led to clashes between protesters and police.
While the protests have been fuelled by a wide range of issues - including the death of a ride-sharing driver - one core complaint concerns a new monthly allowance for lawmakers.
President Prabowo Subianto announced on Sunday that several perks would be reined in, including the size of some allowances.
The Indonesian leader - who has already had to cancel a trip to China over the unrest - said some demonstrations had gone beyond what was considered peaceful and may amount to “treason and terrorism”.
He added that he had ordered the police and armed forces to take strong action against looting and property damage.
The home of Indonesia’s finance minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was among several targeted by looters on Sunday, news agency AFP reports.
The protests have primarily centred on an increase of 50 million rupiah ($3,030; £2,250) in parliamentarians’ allowances - almost 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta.
But they escalated after Affan Kurniawan, a 21-year-old ride-sharing driver, was run over by a police vehicle during a demonstration in the capital on Thursday.
The incident inflamed tensions and prompted accusations that police were using excessive force to deal with protesters. Seven officers were found to have violated a professional ethics code and an investigation into the incident has been launched.
Ride-hailing and delivery drivers in Indonesia have long argued that their pay and conditions are unfair. The death of one of their own brought shows of solidarity amongst their ranks.
Prabowo and the chief of police both issued public apologies for the incident, with the president saying he was “shocked and disappointed” by the officers’ actions.
Three people were killed after protesters set fire to a regional parliament building on Friday evening.
Over the weekend protests continued, with police in central Jakarta firing tear gas to disperse crowds on the streets, while some demonstrators threw Molotov cocktails and firecrackers at a police compound.
Rehayu Saraswati, a member of the ruling party in Indonesia, told the BBC the large-scale protests had come as “quite a surprise”.
“I don’t think any of us saw this coming,” she told BBC Newshour. “It happened very, very quickly within a matter of days.”
Ms Rehayu Saraswati rejected protesters’ suggestion that the government was being “tone deaf”.
“We understand that the situation is difficult, and that the economy has been quite, I would say, challenging for some people,” she said.
The recently announced cuts to the parliamentary budget and allowances, she added, were “a way to show that we are listening”.
Prabowo did not specify which lawmakers would have their allowances curtailed, but said a moratorium on overseas trips would also be imposed.
However, the concessions to the protesters may not quell the widespread dissent.
Muzammil Ihsan, head of the All Indonesian Students’ Executives Body, the country’s largest student group, told Reuters that the move was “not enough” and that further demonstrations were being considered.
“The government must resolve deep-rooted problems,” he said. “The anger on the streets is not without cause.”
Protesters have demanded higher wages, lower taxes and stronger anti-corruption measures.
The demonstrations have been seen as the first significant test for Prabowo’s leadership since he assumed the presidency in October.
The former general has been dogged for decades by allegations of human rights abuses, and his critics have expressed concerns of Indonesia returning to its authoritarian past - though Prabowo pledged greater stability and economic development during his election campaign.
Source: BBC
- Agencies
