September 2, 2025
JAKARTA – Calm is slowly returning to Jakarta under heightened security after a week of protests over lawmakers’ conduct and generous allowance, which escalated following the tragic killing of a young man by an armored police vehicle during a crowd dispersal last Thursday.
Monday saw relatively subdued tensions around the Senayan legislative complex in Central Jakarta, compared with previous days when demonstrators clashed with authorities, leaving at least 468 people injured, including 97 who required hospitalization. Additionally, over 1,200 people were arrested in Jakarta during protests between August 25 and 31, Antara reported.
Protests intensified and spread to other regions after the death of 21-year-old online bike-hailing service (ojol) driver Affan Kurniawan, who was run over by a Jakarta Metropolitan Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) armored tactical vehicle while reportedly completing a food delivery near the clash site in Bendungan Hilir, Central Jakarta, on Thursday evening.
Over the weekend, several private properties belonging to lawmakers and government officials were ransacked, and public facilities, including the regional legislative (DPRD) building in Makassar, South Sulawesi, were set ablaze, resulting in three deaths.
President Prabowo Subianto subsequently ordered the military and police to take stern action against “rioters and looters” on Sunday, prompting increased patrols in critical areas of the capital.
Read also: Students gather for protests despite fear of crackdown
Several groups that had initially planned protests in Jakarta on Monday postponed their actions, including the Populist National Association of University Student Executive Bodies (BEM SI Kerakyatan), part of the Indonesian University Students Alliance (AMI).
“We decided not to protest today given the worsening condition in Jakarta,” BEM SI Kerakyatan coordinator Muhammad Ikram said on Monday, kompas.com reported.
The Indonesian Women Alliance also postponed their Monday demonstration in front of the legislative complex, citing concerns over heightening security.
“This is to prevent an escalation of violence by authorities and to prevent the action from being exploited by irresponsible parties,” the group said in a Sunday statement, referring to rioters and looters.
Lawmakers from the House of Representatives Commission I overseeing defense and foreign affairs have also returned to work on Monday to discuss details of the 2026 state budget with the leadership of the Indonesian Military (TNI), although other commissions were still notably absent from the legislative complex.
Albeit fewer in numbers, several student groups were still present in front of the building, demanding the government to pass the asset forfeiture bill to help fight corruption and to reform the police following Affan’s death.
In other parts of the country, protests continued, with students marching in front of their respective DPRD buildings to demand better welfare. Clashes later broke out in Gorontalo on Monday evening, resulting in the arrest of a dozen students.
Heavy security
National Police spokesperson Brig. Gen. Trunoyudo Wisnu Andiko said Jakarta’s situation has become more “conducive” after officers from the Jakarta Police and Jakarta Military Command (Kodam Jaya) conducted a joint large-scale patrol of the area.
“[More] people are slowly returning to work. We are conducting preemptive, preventive and law enforcing measures to bring a sense of security,” Trunoyudo said in a press briefing on Monday.
Read also: Prabowo calls for severe response to protests
President Prabowo praised the police for their efforts against rioters during his visit on Monday to the National Police’s Bhayangkara Hospital in Kramat Jati, East Jakarta, to check up on injured patients, including 14 police officers.
“The intention [of these rioters] is not to express opinions, but to create unrest, disrupt people’s lives and undermine national development efforts to eradicate poverty,” Prabowo said, as reported by Kompas TV.
The President added that lawful demonstrations must comply with regulations. “[Protesters] must ask for permission, and permission must be granted, and the protest must end at 6:00 pm.”
Previously, after a meeting with political party leaders at the State Palace on Sunday, he had instructed security personnel to take “the firmest actions possible in accordance with the law” against the destruction of public facilities and looting of property.
At the same time, the President urged citizens to channel their grievances peacefully, assuring their voices would be heard and acted upon by both the government and the legislature.
Calls for a peaceful protest have also grown among universities and civil society groups. The University of Indonesia (UI) in Depok, West Java, urged the public to “stay calm” and refrain from rioting during demonstrations.
“We ask all levels of society to convey their aspirations properly and prevent looting and destruction of public facilities that could harm the community and the state,” UI rector Heri Hermanysah said on Sunday.
Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta shared the same sentiment, calling for a peaceful and “non-violent” act of protest.
Religious groups representatives also urged the public to “manage our disappointment and anger” toward the House and the government.
“Dialogue and deliberation through consensus remain the best path to resolving the various issues of national and state life,” said the groups in a statement on Sunday.
In other regions, such as Semarang, Central Java, religious groups held joint interfaith prayers to pray for peace and calmness amidst the riots.