Large Scale Protests Erupt in Jakarta Over Corruption and Government Spending

Thousands of demonstrators gathered in Jakarta on Thursday to protest government corruption and wasteful spending. Protesters are demanding the passage of a law that would allow the state to seize assets from corrupt politicians; some groups are specifically calling for the death penalty for those convicted of corruption. Security forces, including 18,500 soldiers and police officers, worked to restrict access to the city center by stopping buses at stations and toll roads outside the capital.

Demonstrators expressed particular dissatisfaction with two national projects. One is a free lunch program for children and pregnant women, which critics say has been plagued by corruption and poor food quality, leading to 40,000 children becoming ill since February of last year. A second project involves the creation of trade cooperatives in 80,000 villages, which some critics argue mirrors projects from the era of former president Soeharto. Protesters argue that these massive expenditures pressure the national budget and should instead be redirected toward disaster relief and measures to combat the rising cost of living.

Reports on the nature of the protests vary. A center leaning source emphasizes the peaceful intentions of certain leaders and the fear of repercussions from authorities. In contrast, a center left leaning source notes that some violent actions occurred near the parliament, including the burning of trash and the throwing of plastic bottles. This center left source also highlights a recent incident where a bank account belonging to a civil society group was frozen by police during a donation drive for the protests, an action the group viewed as interference.

The current unrest follows a wave of protests a year prior. Those earlier demonstrations were sparked by revelations regarding high housing allowances for members of parliament and resulted in significant casualties, including 11 deaths and approximately 1,000 injuries.