Indonesian students protest economic strain

JAKARTA: Hundreds of Indonesian students demonstrated in Jakarta on Friday to demand the government correct its course as the Southeast Asian country grapples with worsening economic conditions.
AFP journalists estimated a crowd of around 2,000 people gathered at the capital’s cental Bundaran HI roundabout.
The students from universities across Greater Jakarta wearing their respective campus jackets protested budget waste and a steep rise in non-subsidised fuel prices.
They brandished banners proclaiming “Indonesia bankrupt” and “honk your horn if you’re tired of being an Indonesian.”
Thousands of police officers including anti-riot forces were deployed around the city.
The protesters demand the government halt its multi-billion dollar free school meals scheme, widely criticized for being wasteful and causing mass food poisoning.
“I think the government just doesn’t dare to admit that we’re in a difficult situation,” protester Muhammad Nur Asla Junior told AFP.
“Just admit there is a crisis, admit that our country is currently in difficulty, and put forward policies that can genuinely help or remedy what is happening right now,” the 20-year-old student said.
The protest was briefly marred by shoving between students and riot police, who had prevented some from entering a security ring around the government palace.
Indonesia’s currency has plummeted to successive record lows, dropping below 18,100 to the dollar this week.
The stock market has lost about a third of its value this year, one of the worst performances globally.
Year-to-year inflation stood at 3.08 percent in May, and 1.35 percent year-to-date.
The country’s central bank has set an inflation target of 2.5 percent for this year and 2027, with a deviation of one percentage point either way.

Indonesian students protest economic strain