Indonesian parties agree to revoke number of perks, privileges for parliamentarians, says President Prabowo
\n Jakarta
\nIndonesian political parties have agreed to revoke a number of perks and privileges for parliamentarians, President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday, in a bid to calm anti-government protests that have left five people dead and caused the worst violence in decades in Southeast Asia\u2019s largest economy.
\nProtests began on Monday over what demonstrators called excessive pay and housing allowances for parliamentarians. The unrest escalated into riots on Friday after a motorcycle rideshare driver was killed during police action at a protest site. Homes of political party members and state buildings were ransacked or set ablaze, sparking widespread concern. Investor sentiment took a hit as the protests led to a steep selloff in Indonesia\u2019s stocks and currency on Friday.
\nPrabowo, speaking at a news conference at the Presidential Palace and flanked by the leaders of various political parties, said he had ordered the military and police to take stern action against rioters and looters, warning that some of the actions were indicative of \u201cterrorism\u201d and \u201ctreason\u201d.
\n\u201cLeaders in parliament have conveyed that they will revoke a number of parliament policies, including the size of allowances for members of parliament and a moratorium on overseas work trips,\u201d Prabowo said.
\n\u201cTo the police and the military, I have ordered them to take action as firm as possible against the destruction of public facilities, looting at homes of individuals and economic centres, according to the laws,\u201d he added.
\nThe protests represent the most significant challenge to Prabowo\u2019s government, which has faced little political opposition since taking office nearly a year ago.
\nPrabowo, who cancelled a high profile trip to China due to the unrest, on Sunday met with political parties leaders and key members of his cabinet at the Presidential Palace to discuss the situation.
\nMany ministers and political leaders arriving at the Palace used civilian number plates instead of special ones given to officials, a witness said, in an apparent precaution against public anger.
\nThe military was deployed to guard the Palace on top of the usual secret service detail. Many key ministers\u2019 homes and government installations were also seen guarded by the military on Sunday.
\n\u2018Not enough\u2019
\nIt remains unclear who is behind the rioting and looting that followed the protests, initially organised by student associations. Muzammil Ihsan, head of the All Indonesian Students\u2019 Executives Body, the country\u2019s largest student umbrella group, told Reuters that cutting lawmakers\u2019 perks was \u201cnot enough\u201d and said further demonstrations were being \u201cconsidered\u201d.
\n\u201cThe government must resolve deep-rooted problems. The anger on the streets is not without cause,\u201d Ihsan said.
\nTegar Afriansyah, the chairman of a smaller student group, Indonesian Student League for Democracy, which has been protesting since Monday, told Reuters the announcement does not address the root of the problem, which is \u201cpolitical oligarchy and an unequal economic structure.\u201d
\nHe termed Prabowo\u2019s instructions to police and military as \u201cclearly repressive and intimidating.\u201d
\nGlobal rights watchdog Amnesty International\u2019s Indonesia chapter in a statement termed Prabowo\u2019s use of terms such as treason and terrorism as \u201cexcessive.\u201d
\nTikTok, owned by China\u2019s ByteDance, said it had suspended its live feature in Indonesia for a few days.
\nThe death toll rose to five on Sunday, according to the local disaster management agency in Makassar, South Sulawesi province. The agency confirmed that an online motorcycle taxi driver was beaten to death by a mob accusing him of being an intelligence agent. Three others were killed in an arson attack on the local parliament building on Friday.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Indonesian parties agree to revoke number of perks, privileges for parliamentarians, says President Prabowo Jakarta Indonesian political parties have agreed to revoke a number of perks and privileges for parliamentarians, President Prabowo Subianto said on Sunday, in a bid to calm anti-government protests that have left five people dead and caused the worst violence in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":500312,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-500288","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n