Indonesia’s deadly protests, sparked by economic frustration and anger over elite privileges, show no sign of abating.
Demonstrators demand lower taxes and stronger support for the poor, pressuring President Prabowo Subianto to shift course.
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The situation in Jakarta is not yet as serious as it was in 1998, but the presence of thousands of violent rioters targeting the rich and powerful is still a nightmare for Indonesia’s oligarchic elite. Mass protests are one of the few things that give them pause – and sometimes even force them to back down.
This is why those protests can also be vulnerable to manipulation by members of that same elite: they hope to weaponise public fury against each other.