Thousands of Indonesians rallied nationwide Friday to protest budget cuts by President Prabowo Subianto’s government aimed at funding a free-meal programme and other big-ticket campaign pledges.
Austerity measures announced by Prabowo in late January sparked thousands of student protesters to rally across Indonesian cities earlier this week, underpinned by a social media movement known as “Dark Indonesia”.
The president had ordered the budget cuts in an effort to save 306.7 trillion rupiah ($18.8 billion) on office spending, ceremonies and business trips, leaving some civil servants to work under little light and other strict energy-saving conditions in the office.
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.
Protesters rallied under the “Dark Indonesia” banner Friday in several cities, including capital Jakarta and Indonesia’s second-largest city Surabaya.
And in Yogyakarta, hundreds gathered in the city centre to protest the government cuts.
“I believe all Indonesians who have a heart, mind and morals will feel restless seeing the current conditions,” protest coordinator Rendra Setiawan told AFP ahead of the demonstration.
“This restlessness came from the new government’s incompetence to resolve the nation’s issues.”
In Surabaya, East Java, hundreds of students and NGO workers wearing black T-shirts sat on the ground in front of the local council office while holding banners that read “Bad Grades for the Fat Cabinet” and “One President, Multiple Incidents” while police stood guard.
Protesters on Thursday burned a tyre near the presidential palace in Jakarta and demanded the government re-evaluate the free-meal programme.
The demonstrators were met by State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi who vowed he would discuss their demands with the government.
