In August, the Indonesian movement against the cost-of-living crisis and a hike in housing allowances for politicians escalated further following the killing of Affan Kurniawan, a motorbike taxi driver. Affan was run over by a police vehicle on 28 August during a wider violent crackdown on the protest movement.
President Prabowo Subianto has only been in power for ten months and has implemented austerity. Cuts are hitting education, with 35% slashed from higher and basic education budgets, hurting students and pushing contract teachers into precarity. Public health services and disaster relief have also seen cuts of up to 50%. Infrastructure projects like roads and drainage – vital for everyday people – are abandoned, while billions are poured into prestige projects for the ruling elite.
Across regions and layers of society – from workers demanding higher minimum wages, to youth and students fighting for free education, to communities demanding fair housing rights, democratic reforms, and the repeal of the Omnibus Law – the demands are surfacing as clear expressions of class struggle. They expose the growing divide between the capitalist ruling elite and the exploited majority.
