'Dark Indonesia' protests grow against Prabowo
Friday's protest follows several similar demonstrations in some major cities this week
Published: 04:02 PM,Feb 21,2025 | EDITED : 08:02 PM,Feb 21,2025
Protesters attend a demonstration against President Prabowo Subianto's government in Jakarta. - AFP
Hundreds of students and activists rallied in some major cities for more 'Dark Indonesia' protests on Friday, opposing President Prabowo Subianto's policies including $19 billion of spending cuts that they say undermine their support systems.
Dressed in black as the sky darkened and rain started falling, the crowd gathered in streets near the presidential palace in the capital Jakarta, carrying posters that read 'the government consists of dumb people' and invoking Prabowo's beloved 'first cat', saying if it could speak it would join the protests.
Friday's protest follows several similar demonstrations in some major cities this week. The name comes from the unclear and bleak nature of the policies, Herianto, a student leader joining one rally, said.
Among the policies the people rally against include Prabowo's flagship programme of giving free meals to students.
To help fund that, he instructed his government to cut spending by $19 billion, which reduced travel, consultants, training and stationery.
Students have said the cuts have negatively impacted teacher welfare and could raise tuition fees, which Prabowo's office has denied.
In Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, hundreds of people staged a demonstration, local media CNN Indonesia reported, with a street theatrical performance where a protester rolled around on the floor to signify poverty.
Students were also protesting against expanded military roles in civilian work and a lack of subsidised cooking gas.
'These policies delegitimise us as Indonesians,' said university student Ridho Anwari Arifin at the Friday protest. The protests occurred four months after Prabowo became the country's eighth president, which he won in a landslide election.
Former general Prabowo, who took office in October, has said he wants to raise around $46 billion from spending cuts and by taking from the dividends of state-owned enterprises.
Analysts have said the cuts were likely to shift funds to programmes like the $4.3 billion free-meal plan for schoolkids to combat stunted growth, and a new sovereign wealth fund.
Calls to join anti-austerity protests spread widely on social media this week, accompanied by suggestions to skip work on Friday, with netizens adding #IndonesiaGelap or #DarkIndonesia hashtags to their posts. - Reuters/AFP
Dressed in black as the sky darkened and rain started falling, the crowd gathered in streets near the presidential palace in the capital Jakarta, carrying posters that read 'the government consists of dumb people' and invoking Prabowo's beloved 'first cat', saying if it could speak it would join the protests.
Friday's protest follows several similar demonstrations in some major cities this week. The name comes from the unclear and bleak nature of the policies, Herianto, a student leader joining one rally, said.
Among the policies the people rally against include Prabowo's flagship programme of giving free meals to students.
To help fund that, he instructed his government to cut spending by $19 billion, which reduced travel, consultants, training and stationery.
Students have said the cuts have negatively impacted teacher welfare and could raise tuition fees, which Prabowo's office has denied.
In Surabaya, Indonesia's second-largest city, hundreds of people staged a demonstration, local media CNN Indonesia reported, with a street theatrical performance where a protester rolled around on the floor to signify poverty.
Students were also protesting against expanded military roles in civilian work and a lack of subsidised cooking gas.
'These policies delegitimise us as Indonesians,' said university student Ridho Anwari Arifin at the Friday protest. The protests occurred four months after Prabowo became the country's eighth president, which he won in a landslide election.
Former general Prabowo, who took office in October, has said he wants to raise around $46 billion from spending cuts and by taking from the dividends of state-owned enterprises.
Analysts have said the cuts were likely to shift funds to programmes like the $4.3 billion free-meal plan for schoolkids to combat stunted growth, and a new sovereign wealth fund.
Calls to join anti-austerity protests spread widely on social media this week, accompanied by suggestions to skip work on Friday, with netizens adding #IndonesiaGelap or #DarkIndonesia hashtags to their posts. - Reuters/AFP