Hundreds of Indonesian students rallied in central Jakarta on Friday to protest President Prabowo Subianto’s spending priorities and a recent increase in gasoline prices, in one of the largest student demonstrations since the new administration began implementing its fiscal agenda.
Calling their protest “Heading to Bankrupt Indonesia,” demonstrators from multiple universities marched toward the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia landmark in the heart of the capital. Organizers said some participants were blocked by police and military personnel from reaching the designated protest site.
Indonesia has long used fuel subsidies to stabilize prices in Southeast Asia’s largest economy, even as global oil markets have fluctuated amid geopolitical tensions, including the ongoing Iran conflict. However, rising fiscal pressure linked to Prabowo’s expansive spending commitments has contributed to a recent increase in domestic fuel prices.
Dressed in their university jackets, colored yellow and blue, protesters carried banners reading “Cancel the fuel price hike” and labeled the government cabinet a “Wall of Shame.” Some demonstrators urged passing motorists to sound their horns in solidarity.
By Friday evening, portions of the crowd had dispersed, although a sizeable group remained in the area under heavy police presence.
Student leader Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan from the University of Indonesia said the protest reflected five key demands, including cancellation of the president’s flagship free meals program and village cooperative initiative, reductions in fuel and staple food prices, and an end to what protesters described as wasteful government spending.
“Wasteful spending on free meals has led to a fiscal situation where subsidies initially provided had been withdrawn,” said student protester Rafael Arreva, speaking near a police barricade.
Muhammad Qodari, head of the presidential communications office, said the government respected the right to protest and would consider public input. He added that authorities had already reduced nonessential spending and defended the free meals program as a public health initiative.
Students and activists also criticized the government’s expanded use of military involvement in civilian affairs, warning it could signal a return to authoritarian practices under former President Suharto, who ruled Indonesia for decades.
“We want to show that things are not okay. We don’t want Indonesia to truly go bankrupt, but these behaviors show Indonesia could go bankrupt economically, democratically, and morally,” Yatalathof said.
A Reuters witness reported that hundreds of students were blocked by police and military officers as they approached the protest site, with brief clashes breaking out when some attempted to push through metal barricades.
The free meals program, designed to reach 83 million children and pregnant women, has faced criticism from opponents who argue it is inefficient, vulnerable to mismanagement, and politically motivated to build support in rural regions.
Separately, reports of food poisoning cases among schoolchildren receiving meals under the program have intensified public scrutiny of its implementation and oversight.
