In recent weeks, Indonesia has been rocked by massive anti-government demonstrations. The protests are led by students, workers and women’s rights groups angered by the yawning gap between Indonesia’s elites and shrinking middle class, and turned violent after a delivery driver was killed amid a police crackdown. John Yang speaks with The Economist’s Aaron Connelly about the ongoing situation.
In recent weeks, Indonesia has been rocked by massive anti-government protests that have spread across the nation. Demonstrators torched vehicles and government buildings. The protests are led by students, workers and women’s rights groups angry over the yawning gap between Indonesia’s elites and the shrinking middle class. Things turned violent after a delivery driver was killed amid a police crackdown. In all, at least 10 people have died.
Earlier, I spoke with Aaron Connelly, Asia diplomatic editor at the Economist. I asked him about the current situation.
- Aaron Connelly, Asia Diplomatic Editor, The Economist:It remains to be seen what will happen this week. The protesters set a deadline of Friday for some of their demands to be met. The first 17 of the 25 demands. Most of those demands were not met.And I think the president is hoping that everything will just calm down, that it takes a lot of the wind out of the sails of the protesters, that to promise that there would be an investigation of the motorbike delivery rider’s death and that the allowances would be withdrawn and that they don’t go back down onto the streets, or at least not in the same numbers.
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After the truth-shower 