Deep spending cuts in Indonesia trigger protests against Prabowo

STUDENTS rallied in Jakarta and other Indonesian cities on Friday (Feb 21) to protest President Prabowo Subianto’s state budget revamp that has threatened contractual workers’ jobs, rolled back scholarships and dimmed lighting at government offices.

In the capital, students called on the president to review his US$30-billion free meal programme and cancel the US$19-billion planned spending cuts, among other demands, according to a widely circulated statement. They banded together under the “Dark Indonesia” movement, spread on social media.

Opposition is growing against Prabowo’s call for “budget efficiency” that’s reminiscent of the deep spending cuts that are happening both in Vietnam and in the US, spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency or DOGE.

Authorities blocked a major road in the city centre for the planned protest, while protesters knocked down police barriers late in the afternoon, according to local news reports. State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi made an appearance in the rally in a bid to quell the protests. Another demonstration, involving civil society groups, is scheduled for Friday.

Students also rallied in Medan, one of the nation’s most populous cities, and in Yogyakarta. Televised footage showed hundreds of protesters in each location.

Prabowo, whose popularity was at record highs in January, doubled down on the austerity drive earlier this month, calling his critics “little kings” who think they are immune to the law.

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The budget uncertainty is adding to global trade tensions and soft economic growth that have made the Indonesian rupiah and benchmark stock index among Asia’s worst performers this year. The rupiah has weakened 1.4 per cent against the US dollar to-date, while the Jakarta Composite Index has shed 4.1 per cent. BLOOMBERG