Arya News - Demonstrations took place in Jakarta, Yogyakarta, and Bandung in West Java – with protesters criticising government policies which they claim have failed to address increasingly pressing public concerns.
JAKARTA/BANDUNG – Students and civil society groups took to the streets in major Indonesian cities on Tuesday to protest President Prabowo Subianto Prabowo Subianto Djojohadikusumo, 72, is a retired Army lieutenant general, a businessman and the incumbent Defense Minister (2019-present). Due to his proximity to power throughout his military career, he entered politics in 2004 to pursue his dream of becoming the nation’s president. ’s policies, turning the second anniversary of his administration into a show of public discontent over economic pressures, environmental crises and civil liberties.
Demonstrations took place in Jakarta, Yogyakarta and Bandung in West Java, with protesters criticizing government policies they said had failed to address pressing public concerns during Prabowo’s two years in office.
In Jakarta, hundreds of students from several universities rallied around the Tugu Tani monument, voicing anger over the rising cost of living and the government’s handling of forest and peatland fires and toxic haze that have disrupted flights, forced school closures and raised public health concerns.
Indonesia has struggled to contain the fires in Sumatra, Kalimantan and Papua amid an unusually severe El Niño-driven dry season. Toxic haze from the fires has also spread into neighboring Singapore and Malaysia.
Protesters in Jakarta called on the government to declare the prolonged forest fires a national disaster, prosecute companies responsible for environmental damage, improve economic policies, protect freedom of expression, tackle corruption and make education and health care more affordable.
Earlier on Tuesday, activists from environmental group Greenpeace Indonesia climbed the Welcome Monument at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to unfurl giant banners protesting what they described as the government’s failure to address persistent wildfires.
In Yogyakarta, students from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) and the Indonesian Islamic University (UII) rallied outside the provincial legislature to demand action to curb rising prices, a review of government programs and an end to military involvement in civilian affairs.
In Bandung, hundreds of students from several universities, including Padjadjaran University and Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB), called for a review of Prabowo’s policies, including his costly free nutritious meal program that has placed additional strain on state finances, citing irregularities in its implementation.
The protesters also called on the government to end land monopolies and what they described as the appropriation of communal land in the name of food security and energy transition. They argued that such policies had contributed to environmental damage, forest fires and the loss of livelihoods.
“Disband the territorial development battalions, halt the expansion of large-scale plantations and implement genuine agrarian reform,” Annisa, one of the protesters said, referring to the government’s plan to clear over 900 hectares of forest land for military battalions tasked with food security and infrastructure projects.
The protests took place as Prabowo, who assumed office two years ago after clinching a landslide victory in the 2024 presidential election, marked his second anniversary in office on Tuesday amid a decline in public confidence in his administration.
His approval rating in a recent survey by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) has fallen steadily since late last year, reaching its lowest level of 44.5 percent this month from 81.2 percent in November last year, while public dissatisfaction grew to 53.4 percent from 16 percent.
Addressing growing protests at the government’s handling of the wildfires, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi said the government was doing everything it could to tackle the blazes and would impose severe sanctions against companies found responsible, including revoking their permits.
“It is not as if we are doing nothing,” Prasetyo said.
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