September 3, 2025 • 12 mins
Anti-government protests in Indonesia have turned violent after police killed a 21-year-old delivery driver.
The protests began in the capital city of Jakarta, sparked by outrage over politicians’ pay.
They have now spread across the country, resulting in at least seven deaths and more than 1,200 arrests.
In today’s podcast, we’ll explain what sparked these protests, and what the Indonesian government plans to do next.
Hosts: Lucy Tassell and Emma Gillespie
Producer: Orla Maher
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Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. Oh,
now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Thursday,
the fourth of September. I'm Lucy Tassel, I'm Emma Gillespie.
Anti government protests in Indonesia have turned violent after police
killed a twenty one year old delivery driver. The protests
began in the capital city of Jakarta, sparked by outrage
over politicians pay. They have now spread across the country,
(00:35):
resulting in at least seven deaths and more than twelve
hundred arrests. In today's podcast, will explain what sparked these
protests and what the Indonesian government plans to do next.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
We'll get into that right after a quick message from
today's sponsor Lucy. We're talking about these protests in Indonesia today.
I feel like I started to see this story on
social media about a week ago, and then within a
few days it had really escalated. Yeah, what started all
(01:07):
of this?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
So this all began about two weeks ago when Indonesian
media reported that federal politicians in Indonesia had been getting
a monthly housing allowance from the federal government. Okay, and
the government's rationale for this allowance is that in this
term of parliament which began last year. People long term
listeners to this podcast will remember how much we talked
(01:29):
about how many different countries were having huge elections in
twenty twenty four. Indonesia was one of them. And so
from the beginning of this term that began last year,
the government isn't providing housing for MPs as it has
done in the past. So they're not saying, like, right,
here's a place where you can leave if you've been
elected to parliament.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
So previously elected officials got.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
A house, yeah, or an apartment or something like that.
Their argument was we're not giving people a place to
live this time, we're paying for them to find their
own home in the capital city of Jakata.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Okay, So is this common practice? Is it usual for
governments in Indonesia or around the world anywhere to kind
of provide accommodation for MPs or provide financial means to
pay for their accommodation.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I'd say it's fairly common. I can tell you about
what happens in Australia. In Australia, MPs can claim an
allowance for the nights that they stay in Canberra. Each year,
they get that allowance and then they can choose how
they spend it. I think they sort of claim it
at the end of the year.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Some MPs choose to rent. Some might own properties in Canberra,
although I would say that tends to be more people
who've been in parliament a really long time and don't
anticipate that that will change anytime soon. So that's people
like Labor MP Tinya Plebasek who from her declaration of
interests in the parliamentary system, which all MPs have to do,
(02:53):
we know that she owns a residential property in Canberra.
It's understandable. She's been in parliament since nineteen ninety eight
and she has an incredibly safe Labor seat in Sydney. Yeah,
there's a similar system in New Zealand, and just for
something closer to Indonesia, in Malaysia, MPs can use either
government provided housing or the allowance system.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
So Indonesia moving to this system brings it in line
with other governments in the Australasian Oceania region. But that
is not really what sparked the protests, okay.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So then the protests become about the issue of how
much the Indonesian MPs are getting for this allowance. How
significant is it.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I'm going to say a lot of numbers in the
next a few minutes. I just want everyone to stay
with me. I promise I'll get you through.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Thank you for fagging if I can.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Understand this maths, I promise anyone can. So there are
five hundred and eighty members of Indonesia's Lower House, the
House of Representatives. They are being paid each as much
as fifty million Indonesian rupir for housing expenses every month.
For context, that's around forty seven hundred Australian dollars.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Okay, so hang on, just recap. MPs in Indonesia are
getting about four and a half grand Ausie dollars per
month for their living expenses, housing expenses, for.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Their housing expenses. Yes, now, I mentioned a second ago
that Australian MPs can claim an allowance for how long
they're staying in Canberra for official business. Australian MPs can
claim about three hundred and twenty dollars a night for
each night that they stay in Canberra. This year, the
Australian Lower House, the House of Representatives, is meant to
sit for around forty days. That works out to be
(04:34):
about twelve seven hundred Australian dollars that MPs can claim
in housing expenses, assuming they stay forty nights for the
forty days, so each of those nights being around three
hundred and twenty dollars. Maybe they claim a couple on
either side of sitting weeks. That is a far cry
from a monthly allowance of four and a half grand,
(04:55):
which over the course of a whole year works out
to be about fifty six thousand dollars Australian dollars.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
But that's an allowance kind of assuming or permitting MPs
in Indonesia to stay in Jakarta full time, whereas the
Aussie allowance system is set up to pay for politicians
to be in Canbra during sitting periods. So three hundred
and eighteen dollars a night being that allowance. If Polly's
were in Canbra full time, I'm sure that would amount
(05:23):
to thousands and thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yes. I'll also mention that this housing allowance makes up
about half of the total remuneration for Indonesian MPs okay
Ossie MPs. This is on top of what they already
get paid, which can range from two hundred grand to
closer to six hundred grand depending on their level of seniority. Yeah,
so a lot of numbers there. The crucial thing, though,
(05:47):
the crucial number that you really need to know, is
that the thing that incited the initial protests is that
the monthly housing allowance is ten times the monthly minimum
wage in the city of k Yeah. That's Indonesia's capital,
where the parliament sits. So that is what has kind
of sparked these protests, is this idea that just to
(06:08):
be in the city, the five hundred and eighty MPs
are getting paid ten times the monthly minimum wage for
everyone else in the city.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah. I think that's a really important figure because when
you hear that total Indonesian MP's salary sits at around
one hundred thousand Aussie dollars, that may sound like a lot,
but considering Ossie MPs are paid more like two hundred
grand at a minimum. I also think it's important to
flag the cost of living is different in Indonesia.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
It is a in many respects developing country. So what
might sound like maybe to some Australians like a not
extremely impressive salary. Obviously, we know that it is ten
times the monthly minimum wage in Jakarta.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yeah, exactly, Lucy.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
I understand now where these protests have come from, but
what do we know about the initial action? Where did
it start and how did things escalate.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
We know that it's centered in Jakarta around the Parliament building.
We know that student groups were involved, and we know
that police were firing tear gas at crowds and crowds
were throwing rocks and bottles at police. There's differing reports
as to who incited that kind of exchange. Yep. We
also know that several politicians' homes were looted and attacked
(07:28):
in Jakarta. Again, like, I mean, that would be this
kind of site that you would go to if you
were protesting against the housing allowance, right, you'd go to
the home that's being paid for out of the taxpayer dollars.
You can't understand that logic. I should also note that
the housing allowance announcement came soon after the Indonesian government
handed down its budget, which included some funding cuts, right,
(07:51):
so the Finance minister's home could also be like it
explains why that was a target.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Okay, so we can assume that there is this public
outrage over the housing allowance, also at a sensitive time
around budget cuts and you know, shifting priorities in the
government's spending.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yes. So again, these first few days of protests that
contained to the capital city, but that changed when police
killed a delivery driver near the protests.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
That Lucy strikes me as quite an escalation. Yeah, what happened?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
So last Thursday, a twenty one year old motorbike delivery
driver named Afan konia I was near the site of
a protest when he was run over by an armored
police vehicle.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Was he involved in the protest at this point, It's
not believed that he was involved at the protests, Okay,
so he just happened to be passing by on a motorbike.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Yes. The incident then, kind of it made the protest
explode basically across the whole country, and it also led
to protests being against the presence of the military and
police behavior in day to day life in Indonesia.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
This also was kind of a flashpoint because Indonesia has
very high rates of informal employment, that's according to the
World Bank and forms of informal employment we know include
things like being a delivery driver, so that made this
particularly relevant to protesters. Yeah, and following this, these protests
turned violent. There have been several deaths, including three people
(09:24):
who were killed when a city council building was set alight.
Hundreds of people had been injured, and more than twelve
hundred people have been arrested.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
So what started as a protest about this housing allowance
scheme has kind of evolved into a much bigger picture
protest movement about military powers, law enforcement, police presence, and
broader kind of government policy in Indonesia.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Is that right, Yes, and all these kind of interconnected issues, Like,
obviously we know that the police are kind of a
manifestation of the government that exists in the community. They
enforced laws, and so if you're angry at police, you're
also kind of angry at the government. And people were
already angry at the government, So it's kind of this
perfect storm of issues. An interesting point that I'll raise
(10:12):
that came up in my research of this topic was
from researchers at the University of Melbourne who have suggested
that while the protests are very much real and organic,
some of the violence that's resulted was manufactured. That's their
suggestion by wealthy Indonesians loyal to the former president, Joko Widodo,
(10:32):
who are trying to undermine the new president who was
elected last year, Proboo Subianto. So that's their allegation.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Right, So on top of all of this, there is
this alleged conspiracy, a political conspiracy essentially. How has the
new president responded to these protests.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
He canceled a planned trip to China. He was going
to go to this military parade in China marking the
end of World War Two. He's also met with the
family of the delivery driver who police killed, and he's
called for a full investigation into the incident. And the
latest update is that on Monday he said he would
scrap the housing allowance that sparked all of this.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Oh wow, yes, so that's gone.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
That's gone now. The protests have also cooled off. But
as we know, this is such a complex issue, something
else could trigger more action. We're just going to have
to keep tabs on it.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Yeah, I suppose it's one thing for the housing allowance
to be resolved in a sense, but clearly there is
unrest and disappointment amongst Indonesians about how a lot of
aspects to day to day governing are being handled. Yeah, totally, Lucy,
Thank you so much for explaining that to us. A
very complicated one, but we appreciate you taking us through it.
(11:46):
Thanks Emma, and thank you for listening to today's episode.
We'll be back a little later on with your evening
news headlines, but until then, have a great day.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Arunda
Banjelung Kalkudin woman from Gadighl country. The Daily oz acknowledges
that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and torrest
Rate island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present.
Already and this is the Daily This is the Daily OS. Oh,
now it makes sense.
Speaker 2 (00:14):
Good morning, and welcome to the Daily OS. It's Thursday,
the fourth of September. I'm Lucy Tassel, I'm Emma Gillespie.
Anti government protests in Indonesia have turned violent after police
killed a twenty one year old delivery driver. The protests
began in the capital city of Jakarta, sparked by outrage
over politicians pay. They have now spread across the country,
(00:35):
resulting in at least seven deaths and more than twelve
hundred arrests. In today's podcast, will explain what sparked these
protests and what the Indonesian government plans to do next.
Speaker 1 (00:46):
We'll get into that right after a quick message from
today's sponsor Lucy. We're talking about these protests in Indonesia today.
I feel like I started to see this story on
social media about a week ago, and then within a
few days it had really escalated. Yeah, what started all
(01:07):
of this?
Speaker 2 (01:08):
So this all began about two weeks ago when Indonesian
media reported that federal politicians in Indonesia had been getting
a monthly housing allowance from the federal government. Okay, and
the government's rationale for this allowance is that in this
term of parliament which began last year. People long term
listeners to this podcast will remember how much we talked
(01:29):
about how many different countries were having huge elections in
twenty twenty four. Indonesia was one of them. And so
from the beginning of this term that began last year,
the government isn't providing housing for MPs as it has
done in the past. So they're not saying, like, right,
here's a place where you can leave if you've been
elected to parliament.
Speaker 1 (01:47):
So previously elected officials got.
Speaker 2 (01:49):
A house, yeah, or an apartment or something like that.
Their argument was we're not giving people a place to
live this time, we're paying for them to find their
own home in the capital city of Jakata.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
Okay, So is this common practice? Is it usual for
governments in Indonesia or around the world anywhere to kind
of provide accommodation for MPs or provide financial means to
pay for their accommodation.
Speaker 2 (02:16):
I'd say it's fairly common. I can tell you about
what happens in Australia. In Australia, MPs can claim an
allowance for the nights that they stay in Canberra. Each year,
they get that allowance and then they can choose how
they spend it. I think they sort of claim it
at the end of the year.
Speaker 1 (02:31):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (02:32):
Some MPs choose to rent. Some might own properties in Canberra,
although I would say that tends to be more people
who've been in parliament a really long time and don't
anticipate that that will change anytime soon. So that's people
like Labor MP Tinya Plebasek who from her declaration of
interests in the parliamentary system, which all MPs have to do,
(02:53):
we know that she owns a residential property in Canberra.
It's understandable. She's been in parliament since nineteen ninety eight
and she has an incredibly safe Labor seat in Sydney. Yeah,
there's a similar system in New Zealand, and just for
something closer to Indonesia, in Malaysia, MPs can use either
government provided housing or the allowance system.
Speaker 1 (03:14):
Okay.
Speaker 2 (03:14):
So Indonesia moving to this system brings it in line
with other governments in the Australasian Oceania region. But that
is not really what sparked the protests, okay.
Speaker 1 (03:26):
So then the protests become about the issue of how
much the Indonesian MPs are getting for this allowance. How
significant is it.
Speaker 2 (03:35):
I'm going to say a lot of numbers in the
next a few minutes. I just want everyone to stay
with me. I promise I'll get you through.
Speaker 1 (03:41):
Thank you for fagging if I can.
Speaker 2 (03:42):
Understand this maths, I promise anyone can. So there are
five hundred and eighty members of Indonesia's Lower House, the
House of Representatives. They are being paid each as much
as fifty million Indonesian rupir for housing expenses every month.
For context, that's around forty seven hundred Australian dollars.
Speaker 1 (04:01):
Okay, so hang on, just recap. MPs in Indonesia are
getting about four and a half grand Ausie dollars per
month for their living expenses, housing expenses, for.
Speaker 2 (04:11):
Their housing expenses. Yes, now, I mentioned a second ago
that Australian MPs can claim an allowance for how long
they're staying in Canberra for official business. Australian MPs can
claim about three hundred and twenty dollars a night for
each night that they stay in Canberra. This year, the
Australian Lower House, the House of Representatives, is meant to
sit for around forty days. That works out to be
(04:34):
about twelve seven hundred Australian dollars that MPs can claim
in housing expenses, assuming they stay forty nights for the
forty days, so each of those nights being around three
hundred and twenty dollars. Maybe they claim a couple on
either side of sitting weeks. That is a far cry
from a monthly allowance of four and a half grand,
(04:55):
which over the course of a whole year works out
to be about fifty six thousand dollars Australian dollars.
Speaker 1 (05:02):
But that's an allowance kind of assuming or permitting MPs
in Indonesia to stay in Jakarta full time, whereas the
Aussie allowance system is set up to pay for politicians
to be in Canbra during sitting periods. So three hundred
and eighteen dollars a night being that allowance. If Polly's
were in Canbra full time, I'm sure that would amount
(05:23):
to thousands and thousands of dollars.
Speaker 2 (05:24):
Yes. I'll also mention that this housing allowance makes up
about half of the total remuneration for Indonesian MPs okay
Ossie MPs. This is on top of what they already
get paid, which can range from two hundred grand to
closer to six hundred grand depending on their level of seniority. Yeah,
so a lot of numbers there. The crucial thing, though,
(05:47):
the crucial number that you really need to know, is
that the thing that incited the initial protests is that
the monthly housing allowance is ten times the monthly minimum
wage in the city of k Yeah. That's Indonesia's capital,
where the parliament sits. So that is what has kind
of sparked these protests, is this idea that just to
(06:08):
be in the city, the five hundred and eighty MPs
are getting paid ten times the monthly minimum wage for
everyone else in the city.
Speaker 1 (06:17):
Yeah. I think that's a really important figure because when
you hear that total Indonesian MP's salary sits at around
one hundred thousand Aussie dollars, that may sound like a lot,
but considering Ossie MPs are paid more like two hundred
grand at a minimum. I also think it's important to
flag the cost of living is different in Indonesia.
Speaker 2 (06:39):
Yea.
Speaker 1 (06:39):
It is a in many respects developing country. So what
might sound like maybe to some Australians like a not
extremely impressive salary. Obviously, we know that it is ten
times the monthly minimum wage in Jakarta.
Speaker 2 (06:54):
Yeah, exactly, Lucy.
Speaker 1 (06:55):
I understand now where these protests have come from, but
what do we know about the initial action? Where did
it start and how did things escalate.
Speaker 2 (07:05):
We know that it's centered in Jakarta around the Parliament building.
We know that student groups were involved, and we know
that police were firing tear gas at crowds and crowds
were throwing rocks and bottles at police. There's differing reports
as to who incited that kind of exchange. Yep. We
also know that several politicians' homes were looted and attacked
(07:28):
in Jakarta. Again, like, I mean, that would be this
kind of site that you would go to if you
were protesting against the housing allowance, right, you'd go to
the home that's being paid for out of the taxpayer dollars.
You can't understand that logic. I should also note that
the housing allowance announcement came soon after the Indonesian government
handed down its budget, which included some funding cuts, right,
(07:51):
so the Finance minister's home could also be like it
explains why that was a target.
Speaker 1 (07:56):
Okay, so we can assume that there is this public
outrage over the housing allowance, also at a sensitive time
around budget cuts and you know, shifting priorities in the
government's spending.
Speaker 2 (08:11):
Yes. So again, these first few days of protests that
contained to the capital city, but that changed when police
killed a delivery driver near the protests.
Speaker 1 (08:22):
That Lucy strikes me as quite an escalation. Yeah, what happened?
Speaker 2 (08:27):
So last Thursday, a twenty one year old motorbike delivery
driver named Afan konia I was near the site of
a protest when he was run over by an armored
police vehicle.
Speaker 1 (08:39):
Was he involved in the protest at this point, It's
not believed that he was involved at the protests, Okay,
so he just happened to be passing by on a motorbike.
Speaker 2 (08:47):
Yes. The incident then, kind of it made the protest
explode basically across the whole country, and it also led
to protests being against the presence of the military and
police behavior in day to day life in Indonesia.
Speaker 1 (09:03):
Right.
Speaker 2 (09:03):
This also was kind of a flashpoint because Indonesia has
very high rates of informal employment, that's according to the
World Bank and forms of informal employment we know include
things like being a delivery driver, so that made this
particularly relevant to protesters. Yeah, and following this, these protests
turned violent. There have been several deaths, including three people
(09:24):
who were killed when a city council building was set alight.
Hundreds of people had been injured, and more than twelve
hundred people have been arrested.
Speaker 1 (09:32):
So what started as a protest about this housing allowance
scheme has kind of evolved into a much bigger picture
protest movement about military powers, law enforcement, police presence, and
broader kind of government policy in Indonesia.
Speaker 2 (09:50):
Is that right, Yes, and all these kind of interconnected issues, Like,
obviously we know that the police are kind of a
manifestation of the government that exists in the community. They
enforced laws, and so if you're angry at police, you're
also kind of angry at the government. And people were
already angry at the government, So it's kind of this
perfect storm of issues. An interesting point that I'll raise
(10:12):
that came up in my research of this topic was
from researchers at the University of Melbourne who have suggested
that while the protests are very much real and organic,
some of the violence that's resulted was manufactured. That's their
suggestion by wealthy Indonesians loyal to the former president, Joko Widodo,
(10:32):
who are trying to undermine the new president who was
elected last year, Proboo Subianto. So that's their allegation.
Speaker 1 (10:40):
Right, So on top of all of this, there is
this alleged conspiracy, a political conspiracy essentially. How has the
new president responded to these protests.
Speaker 2 (10:51):
He canceled a planned trip to China. He was going
to go to this military parade in China marking the
end of World War Two. He's also met with the
family of the delivery driver who police killed, and he's
called for a full investigation into the incident. And the
latest update is that on Monday he said he would
scrap the housing allowance that sparked all of this.
Speaker 1 (11:13):
Oh wow, yes, so that's gone.
Speaker 2 (11:16):
That's gone now. The protests have also cooled off. But
as we know, this is such a complex issue, something
else could trigger more action. We're just going to have
to keep tabs on it.
Speaker 1 (11:26):
Yeah, I suppose it's one thing for the housing allowance
to be resolved in a sense, but clearly there is
unrest and disappointment amongst Indonesians about how a lot of
aspects to day to day governing are being handled. Yeah, totally, Lucy,
Thank you so much for explaining that to us. A
very complicated one, but we appreciate you taking us through it.
(11:46):
Thanks Emma, and thank you for listening to today's episode.
We'll be back a little later on with your evening
news headlines, but until then, have a great day.
Speaker 2 (11:58):
My name is Lily Madden and I'm a proud Arunda
Banjelung Kalkudin woman from Gadighl country. The Daily oz acknowledges
that this podcast is recorded on the lands of the
Gadighl people and pays respect to all Aboriginal and torrest
Rate island and nations. We pay our respects to the
first peoples of these countries, both past and present.
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