Jakarta and cities across Indonesia have been shaken by a wave of protests following the death of a young motorcycle taxi driver, Affan Kurniawan, who was struck and killed by an armored police vehicle during a demonstration outside the nation’s House of Representatives on August 28, 2025. The unrest, which began earlier in the week over rising living costs and lawmakers’ generous allowances, has now become a flashpoint for broader grievances about economic hardship, police conduct, and political accountability.
On Friday, August 29, thousands of demonstrators filled the streets of Jakarta, marching toward the headquarters of the police mobile brigade. The mood was tense and at times explosive. Some protesters hurled bottles, rocks, and flares at riot police, who responded with water cannons and rounds of tear gas, according to reporting by Al Jazeera and Reuters. In the central Jakarta neighborhood of Kwitang, a five-story building was set ablaze by rioters, trapping several people inside. In a striking display of solidarity, students paused their protests to help soldiers and residents rescue those trapped by the flames.
The unrest quickly spread beyond the capital. Violent clashes and demonstrations were reported in Surabaya, Solo, Yogyakarta, Medan, Makassar, Manado, Bandung, Gorontalo, and Manokwari in Papua, with protesters destroying traffic signs and setting fire to government buildings and police posts. In Bandung, a house belonging to the legislative wing of Indonesia’s People’s Consultative Assembly was torched, while in Makassar, a police post was set on fire, as Reuters detailed.
At the heart of the anger is the death of 21-year-old Affan Kurniawan, who was reportedly completing a food delivery order for ride-sharing services Gojek and Grab when he was caught up in the chaos. Witnesses told local television that an armored car from the National Police’s Mobile Brigade suddenly accelerated through the crowd, hitting Kurniawan and running him over. Jakarta’s police chief, Asep Edi Suheri, confirmed the tragic sequence of events and publicly apologized to Kurniawan’s family. "We are deeply disappointed, especially with the security officials and national police chief," said Ari Potret, a fellow driver who attended Kurniawan’s funeral, describing the incident as "barbaric." Hundreds of motorcycle drivers escorted Kurniawan’s body to the burial site in a poignant convoy through central Jakarta.
The immediate trigger for the protests was the revelation that all 580 lawmakers in Indonesia’s House of Representatives receive a monthly housing allowance of 50 million rupiah (about $3,075)—a sum nearly ten times the Jakarta minimum wage. This news, arriving amid soaring living costs, high unemployment, and government budget cuts to health and education, fueled public outrage. Many Indonesians saw the allowance as an insult at a time when, as Abigail Limura, cofounder of What Is Up, Indonesia?, put it to Al Jazeera, "thousands have been laid off" and people are "met with indifference and even sometimes tone-deaf and insulting responses."
President Prabowo Subianto, whose presidency will soon mark its first anniversary, responded to the crisis with a televised address. "I am shocked and disappointed by the excessive actions of the officers," he said, adding, "I have ordered a thorough and transparent investigation ... and officers involved must be held accountable." He called for calm and urged all parties to exercise self-control and seek peaceful resolution. The Jakarta Provincial Government promised "full assistance" for Kurniawan’s funeral, and the Speaker of the House, Puan Maharani, offered condolences and expressed "deep concern for the violence experienced by demonstrators while expressing their aspirations." She added, "We apologize if we have not been able to fully carry out our duties as representatives of the people."
Meanwhile, police accountability has become a central demand. National police official Abdul Karim announced that the seven officers involved in the vehicle that struck Kurniawan were being detained for 20 days for breaching police ethics. The national police chief, Listyo Sigit Prabowo (no relation to the president), apologized to Kurniawan’s family and to motorcycle taxi drivers, some of whom joined the protests. Jakarta Legal Aid called for the release of 600 people arrested during the demonstrations.
For many, the events have revived long-standing concerns about police brutality and the state of Indonesian democracy. Usman Hamid, executive director of Amnesty International Indonesia, told Al Jazeera that the incident was "just one of so many cases of excessive use of force by police" across the country, including in West Papua. "We are constantly receiving credible reports such as use of firearms, arbitrary arrest and detention, torture and also extrajudicial killing," he said.
The protests have also disrupted daily life in Jakarta and beyond. Schools allowed students to leave early, and banks and businesses asked employees to work from home. The military was deployed in several areas, and visuals broadcast by local media showed a heavy security presence. Even as heavy rain fell on Friday night, some protesters remained near police headquarters, keeping a fire alight with tyres and bamboo while singing patriotic songs.
The turmoil has rattled investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy. The rupiah closed 0.9% weaker against the dollar at 16,495, and the Jakarta Stock Exchange’s composite index fell up to 2.3% before closing down 1.5%—making it the worst-performing index in Asia that day, as reported by Reuters and The New York Times.
Underlying the economic anxiety is Indonesia’s struggle with the highest unemployment rate in Southeast Asia, as warned by the International Monetary Fund. Critics have accused President Prabowo of mismanaging the economy, particularly after cuts to health and education budgets. His flagship free school lunch program has been criticized as too costly, and earlier this year, students launched a campaign called "Indonesia Gelap" (Dark Indonesia), demanding an independent review of government spending.
Despite President Prabowo’s calls for calm, many protesters remain skeptical. Stand-up comedian Aci Resti, present at the demonstrations, summed up the mood: "I'm here to voice the opinions of my friends, who are fed up with everything, with the members of the House of Representatives, with everything, with the government."
As Indonesia faces this test of its democracy, the demands for justice, accountability, and economic fairness show no sign of abating. The coming days will reveal whether the government’s response can restore public trust—or whether the unrest will mark a turning point in the country’s political landscape.
