Description: More than 1,200 members of Indonesia’s riot police were deployed on the streets of Jakarta after violent anti – government protests erupted over the excess of parliamentary reimbursement packages. According to the information, which was made public on 25 Aug, Indonesian lawmakers had a monthly housing allowance provided by the government that exceeded $3,000, which was approximately 20 times the amount of the minimal wage in the country in some of its rural regions. Protests turned violent after several groups started throwing fireworks, rocks, and set on fire dumpsters and vehicles, with the police arresting more than 300 people. Indonesia’s Deputy House Speaker, Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, defended the government’s reimbursement decision and stated that it had been adjusted to the current housing prices in the country’s capital.
Impact: The anti – government protests in Indonesia arrive as a direct public response of disapproval to some of the government’s reimbursement measures for parliamentary lawmakers. Currently there are no indications that would suggest the protests would escalate as the government has downplayed tensions and remained open to addressing the public’s frustrations over the reimbursement packages. In case the government fails to demonstrate flexibility in addressing the issue, public dissatisfaction would rise, and the protests could escalate causing further public services disruptions and large– scale instability initially isolated in the country’s capital, which could further spread countrywide.