February 19, 2025
JAKARTA – President Prabowo Subianto is facing the first major protests of his tenure just over three months after taking office, prompted by austerity measures intended to fund his ambitious campaign promises.
Marching with flags and banners reading “Indonesia Gelap” (dark Indonesia), thousands of students across the country recently took to the streets to protest new government policies they say are “increasingly repressive and harmful to the people”.
The demonstrations, coordinated by the All-Indonesia Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM SI), opposed Prabowo’s new budget cuts, including to the education sector, to fund his free nutritious meals program.
In January, the President issued a presidential instruction calling for a total of Rp 306.7 trillion ($18.7 billion) in cuts to state spending in 2025 to fund his initiatives, including the free meals program. But on Saturday, the President said he was eyeing even more savings: over Rp 750 trillion through multiple phases of fiscal consolidation this year.
The Elementary and Secondary Education Ministry will see up to Rp 8 trillion in cuts, including to a state-funded certification program for teachers nationwide that gives them access to monthly benefits.
Schools minister Abdul Mu’ti said only half of this year’s initial target of 800,000 educators would be able to participate in the certification program, meaning less overall income for the country’s teachers.
The nationwide student protests on Monday demanded, among other things, the cancellation of the budget cuts along with “a full evaluation” of the free meals program, demanding that the program “not be used as a mere political tool” and reach the targeted lower-income families.
The rallies continued on Tuesday in Bali and Malang, East Java, with students dressed in black expressing their opposition to the public sector budget cuts, including to health care.
“We hope the government will heed our aspirations,” BEM SI coordinator Herianto told The Jakarta Post, suggesting that the group would mobilize more protesters on Thursday if the government failed to address their demands.
The street demonstrations have been accompanied by a social media storm, where images of the national coat of arms, the Garuda, depicted against a black background emblazoned with the hashtag #IndonesiaGelap, have trended and been shared millions of times.
Another display of public dissatisfaction has also emerged recently in the digital sphere as young Indonesians express their frustration over government policies and discuss the prospect of leaving the country, using the hashtag #KaburAjaDulu, which translates to “just flee already”.
The public discontent follows Prabowo’s impressive 80 percent approval rating in January, within his first 100 days in office, as determined by the research unit of Kompas daily.
A well-prepared, integrated program
Siti Zuhro, a senior researcher at the National Innovation and Research Agency (BRIN), described the week’s protests as a reflection of public grievances, particularly from younger people, over the accumulation of the poorly calibrated policies of President Prabowo’s administration early in his tenure.
Siti called on the President to refrain from relying on “digging a hole to fill another hole” just to ensure his campaign promises were fulfilled, adding that it would only lead to public uproars that would threaten the political stability that his government required.
“When students air their frustration on the streets, President Prabowo and all cabinet members must seriously consider what they have done wrong,” Siti told the Post on Tuesday, adding that the President had to welcome criticism with open arms rather than defensiveness.
Medelina K. Hendytio, deputy executive director of the Centre for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), highlighted the importance of “good planning” in the execution of the free nutritious meals program and placing it in the priority program framework, which calls for execution in well-outlined stages.
“The government must show that this program has been planned and prepared carefully […] so that when input and criticism arise, they can be addressed in an anticipated manner,” Medelina said in a live discussion on Tuesday.
‘Give us a chance’
Responding to the protests, State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi asked the public to give the still new administration of President Prabowo a chance, noting that it would continuously look for solutions to address the challenges facing the nation.
“There is no such thing as dark Indonesia. We are heading toward a rising Indonesia. We, as a nation, must remain optimistic. We are in the same boat, on the same ship,” Prasetyo, who is also a member of Prabowo’s Gerindra Party, told reporters.
Prasetyo urged the public not to misunderstand President Prabowo’s budget cut instruction, saying the policy aimed to cut unproductive spending, such as ceremonial events and unnecessary official trips.
“Expressing opinions is normal, but we urge the students to be more observant. Last Friday, the Finance Minister and legislature assured us that the budget efficiency measures would not affect education,” he continued.
Prasetyo went on to say that education programs such as the Smart Indonesia Card, which provides between Rp 450,000 and Rp 1.8 million in assistance to 18.6 million eligible students, as well as scholarships and the Education Fund Management Agency, would continue to run.