Indonesia accepts protesters’ demand to cut perks of lawmakers amid unrest

Indonesian political parties have agreed to revoke a number of perks and privileges for parliamentarians, President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday (August 31, 2025), in a major concession to anti-government protests that left five people dead.

Protests over what demonstrators termed excessive pay and housing allowances for parliamentarians started on Monday (August 25, 2025). They expanded into riots on Thursday (August 28, 2025) after one person — a motorcycle rideshare driver — was killed in police action at a protest site. The homes of some political party members and state installations were ransacked or set ablaze.

Also read: Indonesia protest blaze kills three as anger erupts over driver’s death

Mr. Prabowo, speaking at a news conference at the Presidential Palace and flanked by the leaders of various political parties, said he had ordered the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters, warning that some of the actions were indicative of “terrorism” and “treason”.

“Leaders in parliament have conveyed that they will revoke a number of parliament policies, including the size of allowances for members of parliament and a moratorium on overseas work trips,” Mr. Prabowo said.

Officers of the Indonesian National Police’s paramilitary unit Mobile Brigade patrol a street at the main business district in Jakarta, Indonesia, on August 31, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
AP

“To the police and the military, I have ordered them to take action as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting at homes of individuals and economic centres, according to the laws,” he added.

The protests are the biggest test yet for Mr. Prabowo’s nearly one-year-old government, which has faced little or no political Opposition since taking power last October.