Did Indonesia’s Prabowo inherit a poisoned chalice? ‘The rot is very deep’

Indonesia’s wave of unrest has put President Prabowo Subianto under intense pressure less than a year into his term, as he grapples with deep-seated public anger and economic anxiety amid attempts to stop the “deep rot” in his sprawling political coalition. While frustration over inequality, elite privilege and economic hardship has long been simmering, observers say Prabowo’s ambitious spending, coupled with a corrupt coalition “inherited” from his predecessor, may also have limited his room to manoeuvre as tensions reach a boiling point. In a televised address on Sunday, Prabowo moved to defuse tensions by announcing cuts to lawmakers’ housing allowances and a freeze on overseas trips. The concessions came after protests erupted last week over revelations that legislators were receiving 50 million rupiah (US$3,075) a month in housing support – nearly 10 times the minimum wage in Jakarta. But analysts warn such steps may do little to ease a broader sense of malaise, with many Indonesians increasingly disillusioned by elite excess and a government they see as out of touch. “The rot is very deep,” said Yohanes Sulaiman, an associate professor of international relations at Jenderal Achmad Yani University, noting that corrupt politicians had been living lavishly, “paid handsomely” while “doing very little in return”. Yohanes said public concern had been brewing since February and described Prabowo’s measures as “too little, too late”. The unrest intensified this week after a 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver, Affan Kurniawan, was run over by a police vehicle at a protest site on Thursday. On Monday, police set up checkpoints across Jakarta, while Indonesian students and civil society groups called off protests, citing fears of a crackdown by authorities. Meanwhile, protests were said to have carried on around the country on Monday, with clashes reported in several cities outside Jakarta. ‘Inherited a bad situation’ Analysts note that Prabowo may have had his hands tied despite his measures to pacify the public and reform his administration. “To be fair, [Prabowo] inherited a bad situation,” Yohanes said, noting that the highly corrupted political system required him to give perks and positions to his political partners. The cabinet was “bloated” with ministers, vice-ministers, special staff and envoys who “keep courting controversies”, Yohanes said, adding that these individuals doubled up as highly paid commissaries at state-owned companies. They are also known for their controversial remarks. A special envoy once called an iced-tea seller goblok (an offensive word for “stupid”), which Yohanes described as “far more insulting than calling someone stupid”. Yohanes also related an incident where a minister, when asked about the food poisoning cases related to Prabowo’s flagship free lunch programme for children, said they would help build tolerance. The president also had to pay off loans that his predecessor Joko Widodo incurred for his “pet projects” such as the new capital and the high-speed train, Yohanes added. The new capital project aims to shift government functions to Nusantara to alleviate pressure on Jakarta and boost development in a new region. The high-speed railway, a key part of China’s Belt and Road Initiative, connects Jakarta and Bandung, reducing travel time significantly but also faces cost overruns and delays. However, Prabowo also “dug his own holes”, Yohanes said, citing initiatives such as the free lunch programme and military expansion plans. The free meals initiative, which aims to improve the nutrition of 80 million schoolchildren in the country, has faced repeated issues with food poisoning. In the worst case to date, about 400 children from the country’s western Bengkulu province fell ill last Thursday after eating the free meals. Yohannes said the programme – estimated to cost 300 trillion rupiah (US$18.6 billion) in state funds annually by 2026 – forced the country to cut spending in other areas and raise taxes. Prabowo, a former defence minister, has also sharply increased defence spending to 247.5 trillion rupiah in 2025, a nearly 50 per cent increase from its initial allocation, according to the finance ministry. “The tone-deafness of both the government and the parliamentarians are the cherry on top of this mess,” Yohanes said. “It is no wonder that people are pretty much p***ed off.” Growing economic uncertainty Jefferson Ng, a PhD student focused on Indonesian politics at the Australian National University, said efforts to cut the housing allowance and reduce overseas trips did not deal with the fundamental causes of demonstrators’ concerns – the growing economic uncertainty stemming from lay-offs and a poor employment situation. The public, he said, was also concerned about projected budgetary cuts for regional governments that would either weaken demand at the local level or drive up regional taxes, as well as obtaining more support and salary increases for workers. “[There’s also] the perceived insensitivity or lack of concern by the political elites in Indonesia about the people’s economic hardships,” Ng said, noting the slow progress on legislation that would reduce corruption such as the law on asset seizure. While Indonesia has legal frameworks for asset seizure, primarily through criminal seizure based on court decisions, a comprehensive asset confiscation bill to enable easier non-conviction-based forfeiture and faster asset recovery is still under debate. “There are no easy solutions for all of these,” Ng said, noting that Prabowo had also inherited a government with limited finances because of growing interest payments on state debt. Given the economic frustration and the large number of jobseekers, Ng said government policy needed to focus on attracting labour-intensive investments that would boost the economy and help create many well-paid jobs. Simplifying labour regulations and compliance requirements to boost hiring and significant investments in education to strengthen the country’s human capital were also needed, Ng said. As the unrest intensified, analysts said it was key that the government properly address its handling of the economy. While Prabowo attempted to explain what happened during the riots, none of the explanations touched on the public’s discontent regarding how tax money was being spent or how party elites were “tone-deaf” to the needs of their constituents, said Dinna Prapto Raharja, senior policy adviser at the policy research institute Synergy Policies. “Look at the free meals programme that is very poorly executed […] due to poor management and financing,” Dinna said. Prabowo had on Sunday said while the rights to peaceful assembly should be respected and protected, it could not be denied that “there are signs of actions […] even leaning towards treason and terrorism”. Describing the statement as a “regret”, Dinna warned this might have “dire” consequences for the country’s civil freedom and liberty.

Did Indonesia’s Prabowo inherit a poisoned chalice? ‘The rot is very deep’

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Protests against living costs and an out-of-touch elite are just the latest challenge for a president faced with ‘deep rot’ in the system

Protests against living costs and an out-of-touch elite are just the latest challenge for a president faced with ‘deep rot’ in the system