What caused the riots in Indonesia? The death of a delivery worker and parliamentary privileges ignited nationwide anger.

I've been watching the situation in Indonesia closely, and the large-scale riots that occurred on August 25 were really serious. The trigger was the issue of housing allowances for members of parliament. According to foreign media, each member of parliament can receive as much as 50 million rupiah (about 3,000 Dollar) every month. That's ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta! Now, suffering from rising prices and unemployment, such a privileged allowance has sparked public anger, as it feels like “the privileged class is completely unaware of the suffering of the people.”

On August 29, the riots escalated rapidly. Information spread that a 21-year-old delivery person, Afan Kurniawan, was run over and killed by a police armored vehicle at the protest site. At that moment, anger exploded nationwide. The situation changed from a regular protest to violent clashes. President Prabowo Subianto immediately announced the withdrawal of allowances and the freezing of travel expenses for lawmakers, but at the same time, he also issued strict orders for the military and police to crack down, making the local situation the worst it had ever been.

Government subsidies were exposed, and citizens took to the streets criticizing it as a “privileged class”.

According to the Jakarta Post, all 580 members of the Indonesian parliament will receive a housing allowance of 50 million Rupiah (about 3,000 Dollar) starting from October 2024. As soon as this news broke, public opinion went into an uproar.

On August 25, student and labor organizations took to the streets of Jakarta to begin a large-scale protest in front of the parliament. They criticized the government for issuing such “allowances” while ignoring the people's livelihoods amid soaring inflation, tax increases, and unemployment pressures. A major disturbance occurred at the protest site, and the Indonesian police attempted to forcibly suppress it with water cannons and tear gas.

Poor policy design has increasingly led to confusion in the government's explanations.

Under pressure from public opinion, the Indonesian Parliament explained on August 28 that housing allowances would be suspended from November 2024. However, Speaker Puan publicly stated on the same day that the allowances would only be provided until October 2024, leading to contradictions. According to media reports, the amount received by legislators is equivalent to a year's rent for an average citizen, further escalating discontent.

Foreign media compared the total compensation of lawmakers with the expenditures of ordinary households, pointing out the opacity in system design and communication. What should have been a simple administrative issue has developed into a crisis of political trust.

The death of the delivery worker has ignited nationwide anger

On August 29, news broke that a 21-year-old delivery worker named Afan was run over and killed by a police armored vehicle at the protest site, causing the protests to rapidly escalate into nationwide riots. Local citizens attacked the police mobile unit headquarters, and many areas of Jakarta fell into a state of chaos.

On the weekend of August 30 and 31, riots spread to Bali and Makassar. In Makassar, a local council building was set on fire, resulting in three deaths. In Jakarta, many politicians' residences were attacked, including the home of Finance Minister Sri Mulyani. TikTok also temporarily suspended its live streaming feature in Indonesia to prevent the promotion of violence.

The president withdrew the policy but sent troops to suppress it harshly.

Amid the deaths of at least 5 to 6 people, President Prabowo declared the withdrawal of housing allowances and the freezing of overseas travel expenses for lawmakers between August 31 and September 1. However, at the same time, he ordered the military and police to crack down severely on the riots, emphasizing that there would be “absolutely no mercy” for arson and violence. He even stated that some actions were “rebellious and had a terrorist coloring.”

Right now, society's attention is focused on the details of the “allowance withdrawal” implementation. Will it take effect immediately, will the allowances already received need to be returned, and how can a transparent system be constructed to restore trust…? Student organizations and delivery worker groups are planning to continue protests, and it is uncertain whether the situation in Indonesia will stabilize.