JAKARTA: Indonesian student groups are planning a protest on the first anniversary of Prabowo Subianto’s government in Jakarta on Monday (Oct 20), two months after violent demonstrations rocked the country, as the president holds a cabinet meeting to mark his first year in office.
Protesters will gather near the presidential palace to protest against government policies, a coalition of student bodies known locally as BEM SI said on Instagram, accompanied by hashtags #1YearIsEnough and #1YearOfContinuousProblems.
“Seeing the one-year momentum… makes us concerned for the fate of Indonesia’s future,” BEM SI said.
In late August, student-led protests against government policies and lawmaker perks spread nationwide. After a delivery driver was hit and killed by a police vehicle, the protests escalated and the death toll rose, presenting the biggest challenge to Prabowo since he was elected in a landslide last year.
Wasisto Raharjo Jati, a politics researcher at Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency, said Prabowo’s first year was marred by a lack of public participation in his policies.
“Generally, Prabowo’s government experienced some turbulence in the first year, especially with regards to a lack of openness and participation,” he said, citing the President’s signature free school meals programme.
The scheme, which aims to give meals to millions of students and pregnant women, has been hit by controversy after thousands of students fell sick from food poisoning.
To fund his programmes, which also include free health check-ups and schools for poorer Indonesians, Prabowo has cut government spending or diverted money from other areas, including education.
A former special forces commander, Prabowo has expanded the role of the military, including soldiers working on the meals programme and agriculture projects.
Prabowo has promised to lift economic growth to eight per cent during his five-year term, which runs until 2029, and has launched multiple stimulus packages to spark activity. – Reuters
