ROX• TV | Thousands clash with police in Jakarta as protests intensify

Thousands of demonstrators hurled stones and set off firecrackers in Jakarta’s second major protest this week, fuelled by increasing public anger over a hefty allowance for lawmakers.
Police responded to the rally at the parliament complex with tear gas and water cannons in an attempt to disperse the crowds, which consisted mainly of students.
By late afternoon, clashes has spread to a nearby shopping district, where they hurled sharpened bamboo sticks and rocks at the police.
“Parliament must be dissolved. Do not retreat. Our fight is not over,” a protester shouted at the crowd.
The protests add to uncertainty surrounding Indonesia’s economic health. Despite modest inflation averaging around 3 per cent since the pandemic, elevated rice and education prices have sparked discontent over living costs.
Mass layoffs, primarily in the textile industry, have further fuelled frustration, leaving many Indonesians feeling overlooked by policymakers in South-east Asia’s largest economy.
Frustrations have also been exacerbated by property tax hikes imposed by local governments, a response to President Prabowo Subianto’s budget proposal that shifts more responsibilities to regional authorities while reducing funding.
Earlier in August, a 250 per cent surge in property taxes sparked demonstrations in Pati, Central Java, by tens of thousands of villagers, farmers and laid-off workers.
They tore down fences at the regent’s office, prompting police to respond with water cannons and tear gas, which forced Regent Sudewo to revoke the new policy within days.
A similar backlash erupted in Bone, South Sulawesi, as well as in Cirebon, West Java, where planned increases of up to 1,000 per cent were shelved. The Ministry of Home Affairs has since instructed local governments to review or cancel such hefty tax hikes.
The unrest outside parliament on Aug 25 has also spilled onto online platforms, drawing scrutiny from regulators.
The Ministry of Communications and Digital Affairs plans to summon ByteDance’s TikTok and Meta over the spread of defamatory and hate-filled content tied to the protests, which officials claim has undermined democratic institutions.
Vice-Minister of Communication and Digital Affairs Angga Raka Prabowo said that platforms utilising advanced artificial intelligence should be capable of filtering and removing false or provocative material.
He rejected suggestions that the effort was aimed at curbing free expression, saying, “We are asking platform owners operating in Indonesia to comply with the law.” BLOOMBERG