(Adnkronos) – Hundreds of women dressed in pink and armed with brooms marched in front of the parliament in Jakarta to protest against police abuse and government waste. The demonstration, organized by the Indonesian Women’s Alliance (IWA), used brooms as a symbol of the will to “sweep away the dirt of the state, militarism and repression”. The protests, which have been going on for two weeks in various cities across the country, were triggered by the rising cost of living and the privileges granted to parliamentarians. Tensions exploded after the death of Affan Kurniawan, a young taxi driver killed by a police vehicle.
The mobilization has also taken on a symbolic dimension: the pink of the demonstrators indicates courage, while many others wear green, the color of Affan’s uniform, renamed “hero green” on social media. “Protests are not crimes, but intrinsic democratic rights of every citizen,” Mutiara Ika of the IWA told BBC Indonesia. Meanwhile, the UN has called for “prompt, thorough and transparent investigations” into alleged human rights violations by law enforcement, while Amnesty International Indonesia has urged the government to meet “all citizens’ demands before there are more victims”.
President Prabowo Subianto, initially expected in Beijing to attend the Chinese military parade alongside Xi Jinping and Vladimir Putin, had announced the cancellation of the trip, but then appeared in the official photos of the event. Last Sunday he promised to reduce state benefits for parliamentarians, one of the main reasons for the protest, but activists are calling for deeper reforms. “It’s not just about privileges for politicians, but about inequality, governance and accountability,” explained Herianto, former coordinator of the Indonesian Student Union, stressing that the ultimate goal is “a more transparent, accountable and citizen-friendly government”.
