Latest news with #Herianto
Voice of America
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Voice of America
Students lead 'Dark Indonesia' protests against budget cuts
Thousands of students staged 'Dark Indonesia' protests in cities across the country on Thursday against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto, fearing they will undermine social support systems and their futures. Clad in black, about a thousand placard-carrying students in the major city of Yogyakarta marched through a busy thoroughfare, yelling out demands for change, four months after Prabowo took office following a landslide election win. There were protests in other cities, including the capital Jakarta, and Medan on Sumatra island. 'Dark Indonesia' has gained traction on social media to represent concerns about the cuts. Another popular trend, 'Just Escape First', sees people sharing advice on how to escape to work and live overseas. Herianto, a student leader in Jakarta, said students are protesting cuts in the education sector after Prabowo ordered a cost-cutting drive to free up around $19 billion that can be used to fund his policies, including a school lunch plan. "Indonesia is dark because there are many policies that aren't clear to our society," said Herianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name. "The cuts are designed to plug a hole in the free meal program expenses. Education is one of the things that could be impacted. Students are so angry." Speaking at the protest in Jakarta on Thursday, state secretariat minister Prasetyo Hadi said the government had received the students' demands and would study them. Prabowo's office has said the funding changes would not affect the education sector and teacher welfare, but with ministries cutting back a wide range of spending there are concerns that it could disrupt government services. The students were also demonstrating against the military's move into civilian roles and a lack of subsidized cooking gas. Prabowo remains broadly popular across the sprawling country, with his approval rating near 80% in surveys conducted by independent pollsters, including one last month by research firm Indikator Politik Indonesia. Indikator executive director Burhanuddin Muhtadi told Reuters Prabowo's popularity could dip as the policies were rolled out, when the country's middle class had shrunk. "If the government does not respond well to this issue, there can be anxiety from the middle class and could lower its popularity," he said. The demonstrations were the biggest since last August, before Prabowo took office, when the parliament shelved plans to revise election laws after thousands of protesters took to the streets, setting fires and facing down tear gas and water cannon.
Yahoo
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Students lead 'Dark Indonesia' protests against budget cuts
By Budi Satriawan and Yuddy Cahya Budiman YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia (Reuters) - Thousands of students staged 'Dark Indonesia' protests in cities across the country on Thursday against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto, fearing they will undermine social support systems and their futures. Clad in black, about a thousand placard-carrying students in the major city of Yogyakarta marched through a busy thoroughfare yelling out demands for change, four months after Prabowo took office following a landslide election win. See for yourself — The Yodel is the go-to source for daily news, entertainment and feel-good stories. By signing up, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy. There were protests in other cities, including the capital Jakarta, and Medan on Sumatra island. 'Dark Indonesia' has gained traction on social media to represent concerns about the cuts. Another popular trend, 'Just Escape First', sees people sharing advice on how to escape to work and live overseas. Herianto, a student leader in Jakarta, said students are protesting cuts in the education sector after Prabowo ordered a cost-cutting drive to free up around $19 billion that can be used to fund his policies, including a school lunch plan. "Indonesia is dark because there are many policies that aren't clear to our society," Herianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said. "The cuts are designed to plug a hole in the free meal programme expenses. Education is one of the things that could be impacted. Students are so angry." Prabowo's office has said the funding changes would not affect the education sector and teacher welfare, but with ministries cutting back a wide range of spending there are concerns that it could disrupt government services. The students were also demonstrating against the military's move into civilian roles and a lack of subsidised cooking gas. Prabowo remains broadly popular across the sprawling country, with his approval rating near 80% in surveys conducted by independent pollsters, including one last month by research firm Indikator Politik Indonesia. The demonstrations were the biggest since last August, before Prabowo took office, when the parliament shelved plans to revise election laws after thousands of protesters took to the streets, setting fires and facing down tear gas and water cannon.
Reuters
20-02-2025
- Politics
- Reuters
Students lead 'Dark Indonesia' protests against budget cuts
YOGYAKARTA, Indonesia, Feb 20 (Reuters) - Thousands of students staged 'Dark Indonesia' protests in cities across the country on Thursday against budget cuts and other policies of President Prabowo Subianto, fearing they will undermine social support systems and their futures. Clad in black, about a thousand placard-carrying students in the major city of Yogyakarta marched through a busy thoroughfare yelling out demands for change, four months after Prabowo took office following a landslide election win. There were protests in other cities, including the capital Jakarta, and Medan on Sumatra island. 'Dark Indonesia' has gained traction on social media to represent concerns about the cuts. Another popular trend, 'Just Escape First', sees people sharing advice on how to escape to work and live overseas. Herianto, a student leader in Jakarta, said students are protesting cuts in the education sector after Prabowo ordered a cost-cutting drive to free up around $19 billion that can be used to fund his policies, including a school lunch plan. "Indonesia is dark because there are many policies that aren't clear to our society," Herianto, who like many Indonesians goes by one name, said. "The cuts are designed to plug a hole in the free meal programme expenses. Education is one of the things that could be impacted. Students are so angry." Prabowo's office has said the funding changes would not affect the education sector and teacher welfare, but with ministries cutting back a wide range of spending there are concerns that it could disrupt government services. The students were also demonstrating against the military's move into civilian roles and a lack of subsidised cooking gas. Prabowo remains broadly popular across the sprawling country, with his approval rating near 80% in surveys conducted by independent pollsters, including one last month by research firm Indikator Politik Indonesia. The demonstrations were the biggest since last August, before Prabowo took office, when the parliament shelved plans to revise election laws after thousands of protesters took to the streets, setting fires and facing down tear gas and water cannon.
South China Morning Post
19-02-2025
- Politics
- 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.
