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South China Morning Post

‘Dark Indonesia' for Prabowo amid major protests against costly policies

Four months into his presidency, Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto is facing his first nationwide student protests, whose demands include a thorough evaluation of his costly programmes, cabinet choices and austerity-driven budget cuts. The protests, dubbed Indonesia Gelap , or Dark Indonesia, took place on Monday and Tuesday in several cities across the country, such as Jakarta, Bandung, Surabaya, Semarang and Bali. But the pinnacle of the protests will occur in front of the presidential palace in Jakarta on Thursday, according to Herianto, coordinator at All-Indonesia Association of University Student Executive Bodies, or BEM SI. 'The protests on Monday and Tuesday were [simultaneous] in every region, but the peak is tomorrow in front of the palace, and only in Jakarta. Thursday is the inauguration day of [elected] regional heads [by the president] in Jakarta,' Herianto told This Week in Asia. Protesters are also calling for a mass demonstration of civil disobedience by forgoing work on Friday to join the protests in front of the palace. Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto is facing criticism for his flagship policies. Photo: Pool via AP Nicky Fahrizal, political researcher at the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) Indonesia, said the students' protests underlined Prabowo's 'blunder and mediocre cabinet', though he doubted that they would 'rock' national politics.