Indonesian police fire tear gas as thousands of protesters try to reach parliament compound

[Starmix]

According to the report, riot police shot multiple rounds of tear gas at thousands of stone-throwing students who attempted to reach Parliament in Indonesia's capital to protest the lavish allowances of parliament members. According to Associated Press the demonstrators are enraged by recent reports that 580 members of the House of Representatives had been receiving a housing allowance of 50 million rupiah per month since September 2024. They view the allowances as unjust due to the economic hardship faced by most citizens. Police fired tear gas as the protesters tried to approach Parliament. Protesters fought back, hurling rocks and bottles at riot police and setting fires under a flyover near the heavily guarded Parliament compound. Authorities blocked streets leading to the Parliament building, including several toll roads, causing severe traffic jams in the city.

The report also stated that More than 1,200 security personnel were deployed to secure the compound. There were no immediate reports of injuries from Monday's clash. The demonstrators are demanding the abolition of what they view as lavish allowances, which come on top of lawmakers' salaries. The housing benefit alone amounts to about 20 times the monthly minimum wage in poor areas. House Speaker Puan Maharani told reporters on Saturday that the amount had been thoroughly considered and adjusted to current prices in Jakarta. Corruption is endemic in Indonesia and activists say police and members of Parliament are perceived as being widely corrupt in the country of more than 280 million people.

 

[magnus2022]

That's the power of democracy! The people have the freedom to speak, act and respond accordingly. It is very unfortunate that while common man is suffering economic crisis, the parliaments are adding more money to their pockets!.

 

[Starmix]

The protesters shouldn't have fought back. That's one cause of damages including lives destruction because of their ruthless actions towards the authorities. They should have written their complaints against their president.

 

[King Belieal]

Was the protest violent? Why did they have to fire teargas at them. They should have been allowed that the parliament hears them and resolves their grievances.