Hundreds of students took to Jakarta’s streets on Friday, loudly demanding that President Prabowo Subianto stop what they said could “bankrupt” the country.
They called for a stop to wasteful state spending and the scrapping of the free‑meals programme that has faced accusations of mass poisonings and corruption.
Fuel prices were also a key grievance; the government recently raised Pertamax and Pertalite prices by more than 30 %, hurting the middle class.
"Fuel prices are going up and our lives are getting harder," shouted university student Zaki at police officers, later asking why student voices were ignored even though demonstrators are guaranteed by the Constitution.
Images from the protest show police with shields trying to block the march toward the Hotel Indonesia roundabout, a popular landmark. Video footage shows protesters pushing and kicking through the barricade, with some objects thrown into the air.
No injuries were reported, but the demonstrators continued chanting the hashtag #MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut, meaning “Towards Bankrupt Indonesia.”
The protest follows last year’s violent anti‑government demonstrations triggered by a delivery driver’s death and the elite state’s mismanagement.
Prabowo’s flagship free‑meals programme is billed as an investment to fight child malnutrition and improve education outcomes, costing an annual $28 billion (~£20.8 billion). Officials describe it as “investment in Indonesia’s future.”
However, the program has been marred by mass food poisonings, allegations of corruption, and a recent firing of its agency head.
Students say the programme’s unclear operation has left the public frustrated and demands for reform still unheeded.
