A new wave of unrest has swept across Indonesia in recent days after the violent killing of law enforcement and a motorbike cab driver. The violence that ensued became a flashpoint around an alleged incident in which police ran over and killed the driver, provoking protests of all varieties across the country. As a result, many analysts and advocacy organizations, What Is Up Indonesia? What Is Up Indonesia? What Is Up Indonesia? is an independent digital media platform aimed at unpacking the complexities of Indonesian sociopolitics.
Adrian Finighan is your host through this developing story – bringing you the latest on rising tensions and growing public outrage. Abigail Limuria, co-founder of What Is Up Indonesia?, has already been working to unpack the sociopolitical context of the past few days. Though her campaign is a work-in-progress, she hopes to use it to raise awareness about the dangers faced by Indonesians everywhere, especially during times of crisis.
Vedi Hadiz, a professor of Asian studies at the University of Melbourne, has commented on the nature of the unrest. He explains how events — such as the fatal encounter between police and motorcycle taxi driver Samuel Paty — usually spark rage in society. Citizens become particularly indignant when they see these events as forms of police violence. As Hadiz concludes, these incidents have the potential to be important starting points for much wider campaigns pushing for improvements in governance and accountability across the archipelago.
The protests have seen participants express their anger not only over the driver’s death but against systemic issues within law enforcement. Wirya Adiwena, the deputy director of Amnesty International Indonesia, said that police behaviour should be the first priority. He thinks this is especially crucial for restoring public trust. He said the tragedy points to larger societal injustices that need to be urgently addressed by leaders at all levels.
As everything continues to play out, public mood is still tense — and rightfully so with the federal government’s slow response. Now, activists and organizations continue to call for investigations into the police’s use of force. They are fighting to reform policies to ensure that such violence does not happen again. The protests are a reaction to much more than one tragic death. More broadly, it reflects a culmination of the public’s mounting frustration with what they consider injustices in Indonesian society.
