Karishma Vaswani, Columnist

Indonesia’s Protests May Fade. The Fury Won’t

Removing perks for the political elite is only part of the solution.

September 1, 2025 at 8:00 PM UTC

Karishma Vaswani is a Bloomberg Opinion columnist covering Asia politics with a special focus on China. Previously, she was the BBC's lead Asia presenter and worked for the BBC across Asia and South Asia for two decades.

Losing faith in democracy.
Source: AFP/Getty Images

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Indonesia’s street protests over lawmakers’ allowances reveal a deeper frustration: Almost three decades after the fall of the Suharto dictatorship, political and economic power remain in the hands of the elite. The demonstrations may have died down for the moment — but the fury is unlikely to fade.

Jakarta appeared calmer on Monday, a stark contrast from the mayhem over the last few days. The immediate catalyst for the violence was the death of 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver who was run over and killed by an armored police car during demonstrations in the capital.