Indonesian people are done staying silent.

Last week’s protests and riots, which erupted in cities across the country, were among the largest since the end of Suharto’s 32-year dictatorship.

Ten people died, more than 3,000 people were arrested, while buildings and public facilities were set ablaze.

According to the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence, at least 20 activists remain missing.

The unrest wasn’t just sparked by public outrage over the generous salaries and perks provided to Indonesian MPs, it stemmed from deeper underlying issues.

Many Indonesians who watched the protests live-streamed on TikTok said they felt like it was reopening old wounds.

It stirred their memories of the May 1998 riots that ended more than three decades of Suharto’s violent and oppressive rule. 

A group of people throwing stones to police

Demonstrators throw stones outside Mobile Brigade Corps (Brimob) headquarters, after a 21-year-old motorcycle rider died. (Reuters: Willy Kurniawan)

Indonesian diaspora in Australia, the US, the UK and many other countries echoed the demands of protesters in Indonesia.

“We want democracy, we want a stable economy, we want Indonesia to progress,” one orator told a crowd attending a rally in Melbourne.

“We all deserve to have our voices heard.”Melbourne Bergerak

Melbourne’s Indonesian diaspora held a peaceful rally to show solidarity with protesters in Indonesia demanding change. (ABC News: Natasya Salim)

The absence of an opposition

On Thursday, Indonesian police announced they arrested six people suspected of provoking and fuelling riots during the Jakarta protests.

But as authorities continue their investigation, experts warn the country’s government against repeating the same mistake that led to the 1998 riots: ignoring the root cause.

The recent riots are a culmination of public frustration over entrenched power sharing among elites, as seen in the last two elections.

A group of people walking while holding a banner that reads 'time to resist'

One of the protesters’ key demands is ratifying the bill to confiscate assets from officials convicted of corruption. (Reuters: Willy Kurniawan)

During the 2019 election that split the nation between nationalist and religious camps, former president Joko Widodo offered his rival, Prabowo Subianto, a powerful seat in his cabinet as defence minister.

When Prabowo won the election in 2024, his running mate Gibran Rakabuming Raka, Jokowi’s son, become the vice president.

Political scholars labelled Gibran as an “illegitimate child of the constitution”, born through amending age-related laws, overseen by Constitutional Court Chief Justice Anwar Usman — none other than his own uncle.

Indonesian President Jokowi and Prabowo Subianto take a selfie in front of a crowd of young people.

Prabowo Subianto was minister of defence during Jokowi’s presidency and now Jokowi’s son is Prabowo’s vice president. (Twitter: @jokowi)

Experts say in Indonesia, power sharing among elites has long blurred the lines between allies and rivalries, creating a system where accountability is absent.

“The people in power are loyal to one another for their political gain rather than being accountable to the people they were supposed to serve,” Ken Setiawan, from University of Melbourne’s Asia Institute, said.

With the ruling coalition bringing the opposition into their fold, there was no counterweight to balance the abuse of power, Dr Setiawan added.

There is a growing sense among Indonesians that the government fails to represent them and their needs.

“Therefore, there is no other option for them than to go the street, because there are no other avenues,” said Dr Setiawan.

A woman held a sign written the power of the people is greater than the people in power.

A group of women held a peaceful rally outside the parliament building in Jakarta. (Reuters: Willy Kurniawan)

Political elites ‘tone deaf’

Over the past five years, Indonesia has been rocked by waves of street rallies and cyber activism fuelled by unemployment and economic pressures.

The so-called Job Creation Law, passed in 2020, was meant as a reform to create better conditions for workers.

But instead, many workers say it stripped away their rights and bargaining power.

People once again took to the streets during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the government could not financially support those who had lost their jobs.

Jakarta police recorded more than 2,300 demonstrations in 2023, with many calling for the Job Creation Law to be scrapped.

In the following year, the Indonesian election was marred by accusations of political dynasty. 

A meme of an emergency alert system — which warned against a democracy under threat — also went viral on social media.

A woman holds a sign while surrounded by students during a protest.

A student in Banda Aceh holds a sign reading “Dark Indonesia” during a protest against budget cuts. (AFP: Chaideer Mahyuddin)

When Prabowo took office, he inherited numerous problems, while rolling out Indonesia’s free school lunch initiative — a key promise he made during his presidential campaign.

The controversial program took a big chunk of the national budget, forcing the government to cut spending in other areas.

While Prabowo promised “efficiency” measures, he formed a “fat” cabinet of 48 ministers and 55 vice ministers — nearly double the size of Jokowi’s cabinet.

Earlier this year, thousands of university students took to the streets as part of the “Dark Indonesia” movement to voice their anxieties over a shrinking middle class.

Feeling that the country offered them no future, young people turned to social media to look for opportunities abroad, popularising the hashtag #kaburajadulu, or just escape first.

Meanwhile, nearly 10 million Gen Z Indonesians remained unemployed, according to a 2024 national survey.

Young woman wearing hijab covering her face in the crowd.

The reality Indonesians face looking for stable work has fuelled the #KaburAjaDulu movement. (Antara: Muhammad Bagus Khoirunas)

Protesters say the growing wealth gap between ordinary citizens and the ruling elite, who claim to represent their interests, show they were out of touch and “tone deaf”.

This was evident when politicians and MPs in Indonesia continued to flaunt their wealth on social media, despite being warned by the former president Joko Widodo not to do so.

Last week, for the first time in Indonesia’s democratic history, mobs looted the homes of several MPs.

While Prabowo said he “welcomed” criticism without violence, he also vowed to hunt down “mafias” he believed were responsible for the recent riots.

“I will face any mafia, no matter how powerful. I will face it in the name of the people. I’m determined to eradicate corruption, no matter how powerful they are,” the former general said.

“By God, I will not back down even a step.”

Three people, including a female, stood with their fists raised in the air.

President Prabowo Subianto gathered all party leaders following the deadly riots in several cities. (Antara Foto: Galih Pradipta)

Prabowo agreed to revoke some privileges for parliamentarians, but many believe it doesn’t go far enough.

The deeper problem is the lack of public participation in shaping Indonesia’s laws and policies that impact them.

When the hashtag #bubarkanDPR, or dissolve the parliament, went viral last week, it was a rhetorical outcry urging politicians to consider the needs of everyday people in their decision-making.

One Indonesian student who attended a Melbourne rally this week told the ABC the Indonesian government has “crossed the line”.

“We don’t just want apologies, or for certain officials to be suspended,” she said.

“We are demanding real change in the government, the real reform.”