Asian Insider: With more protests brewing, is Indonesia near a tipping point?

Dear reader, 

All eyes are on Indonesia President Prabowo Subianto, who is now under pressure to quell public anger in the country  following protests in August that turned deadly. More rallies are reportedly planned. 

The recent unrest had turned more virulent after delivery rider Affan Kurniawan was killed by a police vehicle. Mr Prabowo risks eroding his credibility if he fails to act on meaningful reforms to end police brutality and corruption, and also hold the police accountable for their actions.

The protests last month were ostensibly triggered by fury over lawmakers’ allowances, underscoring underlying issues relating to perceived corruption, enormous wealth gaps and the economic pain of ordinary folks. 

Indonesia’s new finance minister, Dr Purbaya Yudhi Sadewa, found out just how potent this public outrage remains. 

Just hours after his Sept 8 swearing-in, Dr Purbaya dismissed these protesters as a “small segment” of society who are “unhappy with their lives”. My colleagues Arlina Arshad and Wahyudi Soeriaatmadja reported on the rocky start faced by the self-professed “menteri kagetan” – loosely translated as “surprise minister” – since his new appointment. 

Other than in Indonesia, there are also ongoing protests in the Philippines and Timor Leste. Uprisings in Bangladesh in 2024 and Sri Lanka in 2022 also pushed out their respective governments. 

Young people have been an important driving force. Arlina, along with our correspondents in South Asia, Rohini Mohan and Debarshi Dasgupta, profiled some Gen Z protesters. This time though, a toothy skull-wearing a straw hat – previously confined to Japanese anime fandom – has become an enduring symbol.

In a world that’s rapidly changing, the riskiest things are usually what former US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld once called “unknown unknowns” – things that are yet to be known that are also at the same time, not possible to anticipate.

But many of these current protests are manifestations of issues that are well known and typically pervasive and recurrent. How will things pan out?

Prabowo must implement police reforms or risk his credibility crumbling: Analysts

The death of ride-hailing rider Affan Kurniawan is just one of many cases of police brutality.

Former Thaksin loyalists count cost of nation’s ‘lost decades’

The ex-Thai PM risks being abandoned by even his most ardent of voter bases.

Will the US catch up to China on rare earths?

China’s global dominance has undermined Trump’s ability to impose economic sanctions.

Beijing’s nature reserve move in disputed South China Sea seen as bid for moral high ground

The shoal has been the site of increasing China-Philippines clashes in recent years.

Syndicates hiring young people in Johor to smuggle vapes into S’pore

More than 15,000 vapes and their related components were seized at the land crossings in June and July.

‘Halal township’ near Mumbai spurs outrage even as Muslim tenants, home owners battle discrimination

Critics say the project risks further entrenching India’s Hindu-Muslim religious divide.

Say a prayer, then buy a love potion: The mystery of Manila’s Quiapo district

Quiapo is a place for people to lose themselves in the beautiful chaos where faith and folklore coexist, the writer says.

Malaysia rediscovers allure of train travel

Once neglected in favour of planes and cars, Malaysia’s trains are enjoying a quiet resurgence.