Anti-Corruption Protests Break Out In Indonesia

By Stefan J. Bos, Worthy News Chief International Correspondent

JAKARTA (Worthy News) – Christians in Indonesia expressed concern Thursday as crowds gathered outside Parliament in Jakarta amid growing protests against corruption and government policies in the world’s largest Muslim-majority nation.

The demonstrations came amid mounting pressure on President Prabowo Subianto and legislators over corruption, economic difficulties and demands for political reforms.

Besides demanding tougher anti-corruption measures, organizers of Thursday’s protests, involving students and other groups, called for lower prices and greater access to education, healthcare and employment, as well as more democratic governance in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.

“However, we are concerned that the protests could end in bloodshed similar to that seen under then-President Suharto in the 1980s,” a Christian told Worthy News. A Christian lawyer in Jakarta told Worthy News that many professionals were working from home amid concerns about violence.

PROTESTERS DEMAND ASSET SEIZURES

Among those demonstrating were residents from Pati, a regency in Indonesia’s Central Java province, who traveled to Jakarta. They arrived under the banner of the United Pati People’s Alliance (AMPB), a local civic protest coalition that has been mobilizing supporters for Thursday’s rallies.

The group demanded that Parliament accelerate passage of a long-delayed asset-forfeiture bill and impose the harshest possible punishment on people convicted of corruption.

First proposed in 2008, the legislation would allow authorities to confiscate assets suspected of, or found to be, proceeds of crime, including, in some circumstances, before a criminal conviction. Critics have warned, however, that such powers could potentially be misused against political opponents.

Parliament began drafting the legislation earlier this year and has reportedly assured representatives from Pati that the bill would be passed by December.

TENSIONS AROUND PARLIAMENT

Video footage obtained by Worthy News showed large crowds gathering near the parliament building as tensions rose, with Indonesian flags visible among demonstrators.

Jakarta Police had estimated that at least 500 people would participate around Parliament, although the crowds seen in footage obtained by Worthy News appeared considerably larger. Officials had acknowledged that numbers could increase as several groups were expected to join the demonstrations.

Several online livestreams of the demonstrations had gone offline Thursday as the protests continued. It was not immediately clear why the streams were no longer available, but authorities had pressured people to halt their broadcasts during earlier rallies, sources told Worthy News.

Authorities imposed traffic diversions around the legislative complex, blocking several roads, while security personnel were deployed in the area.

PROTESTS BEYOND JAKARTA

Besides Jakarta, protests were expected in several other cities, including Medan, where witnesses told Worthy News that security forces had closed main roads around the North Sumatra provincial parliament.

The protests underscored broader dissatisfaction with corruption and economic and social conditions despite Prabowo’s government publicly backing efforts to strengthen measures against graft.

For Christians and other minorities in Indonesia, Thursday’s demonstrations were also being watched closely amid concerns that political unrest could deteriorate into violence in a nation that has experienced deadly upheaval in the past.

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