“The system constantly undermines us”: protests in Jakarta expose anger over parliament pay, labour rights & police violence
Artists, collectives & venues from the city react through music & closures. Hear what they have to say.
Jakarta saw three consecutive waves of demonstrations in late August 2025, each sparked by different issues but united by public anger toward government actions and perceived neglect of public welfare.
The first protest took place on August 25 outside the Parliamentary building, following calls circulated on social media. Demonstrators voiced anger over members of parliament receiving more than IDR100 million (around USD6,000) per month in salaries and allowances, including a IDR50 million (around USD3,000) housing stipend.
Police dispersed the crowd with tear gas and water cannons, detaining an estimated 370 people.
On August 28, organised labour groups, including the Labour Party, returned to the same location. Their demands centred on ending outsourcing, raising wages, and enacting long-delayed labour protections.
Vocational school students later joined, and clashes broke out with police. That evening, tensions escalated when an armoured police vehicle struck and killed a Gojek (online motorcycle ride-hailing platform) driver named Affan.
The incident, recorded on video and widely shared online, sparked nationwide outrage.
Both the Presidential Palace and the National Police chief issued apologies, and seven Brimob officers were placed under investigation, as reported by BBC Indonesia.
The following day, on August 29, the National Student Executive Body organised another protest, repeating earlier demands for transparency in public spending, opposed the military’s involvement in civilian affairs, and urged lawmakers to pass the long-delayed Asset Confiscation Bill, as stated in Tempo.
Affan’s death gave the protest added weight, linking political grievances with broader anger over state violence.
Alongside the protests, voices from the scene also reacted.
Hogi Wirjono, co-founder of Future10, released a track titled 'Revolusi' which he described as “a reflection of what young people are going through today.”
Speaking to Mixmag Asia, he says: “As a citizen, this is my way of shouting out the words in my head while my country is in jeopardy. We, the people, need to reclaim power from Parliament. My form of protest is through music—I wrote 'Revolusi' in just 2 hours, mixed and mastered it in 1.5 hours, and released it right away on Bandcamp, Soundcloud, and Instagram.
It’s free for everyone. I’ll also provide the stems for those who want to remix it, or you can just use the acapella in your own sets. This is my contribution to the movement—through sound.”
Techno producer Ecilo also voiced support for the demonstrations, saying: “These protests are necessary to remind the government and parliament that they serve the people, not the oligarchy. All that flexing? It’s public money they’re spending.”
Members of the duo Random Brothers also shared their thoughts with Mixmag Asia.
Nara Anindyaguna remarked: “The people work hard to bring pride to Indonesia, while the government seems to work even harder at betrayal.” Randy Danistha added: “From the left wing we’ve tried to honour the nation through our work, but the system constantly undermines us. That’s what inspired our track ‘Budakkick’: the urge to push back against a system that enslaves you in your own country.”
Asa Kusumah also declared her support: “It has to be done by the people for the people. To remind the parliament that they exist to serve us; not to gain massive personal wealth, not to dance during plenary sessions, not to flex their ill-gotten possessions and definitely not to look down on the people. They’re called 'Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat' (The House of Representatives) for a reason.”
Several venues across the city—including ZoO, Slits, and Club 45—have announced on social media that they have shut down operations in solidarity with the protestors.
Local collective Radio Rumah Oma have announced that it will be selling t-shirts, with all profits going to the family of the deceased Gojek driver, Affan.
Image via Bayu Pratama S (Antara)
Amira Waworuntu is Mixmag Asia’s Managing Editor, follow her on Instagram.
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