Thousands of students and youth groups converged on Indonesia’s Parliament in Jakarta on Monday, August 25, to protest lawmakers’ compensation. Police used tear gas and water cannons after crowds pushed toward the main gates, throwing rocks and bottles and lighting small fires under a nearby flyover. A motorcycle was torched, roads into the complex were sealed, and traffic locked up for miles across the capital. Officers said more than 1,200 personnel were deployed to hold the perimeter. By early evening, the lines held, with sporadic confrontations continuing on side streets. No official injury count was released.

Allowances at issue

The immediate target is a housing allowance that protesters say has been paid to all 580 members of the House of Representatives since September 2024: 50 million rupiah per month, on top of salary and other benefits. Demonstrators argue the figure is out of step with national earnings and local budgets, particularly in poorer provinces, and have called for the allowance to be abolished. Some accounts put total monthly compensation for lawmakers at “upwards of” 100 million rupiah when all components are included. Protest leaders framed Monday’s march as a basic fairness issue, saying the housing line alone dwarfs average monthly incomes.

Policing and crowd dynamics

Riot police set layered cordons on approach roads to the complex and, when those lines were pressured, fired multiple rounds of tear gas and brought up water cannons. Protesters regrouped along feeder streets, some in helmets and masks with improvised shields, and at times set off fireworks near the police line. Counterflow traffic was diverted onto toll roads, adding to gridlock across central Jakarta. Student organizers used social media to move rally points and keep numbers concentrated near Parliament. Pop-culture imagery—most notably a “One Piece” flag—surfaced again, repeating a visual seen in earlier youth-led protests.

Politics, messaging, and wider demands

Monday’s action was not only about pay. Chants and placards pressed anti-corruption demands, including passage of a long-debated asset-recovery bill and calls—symbolic but pointed—for Parliament’s dissolution. House Speaker Puan Maharani said the housing number was “thoroughly considered” and reflected Jakarta’s living costs but added that Parliament would “accommodate” public aspirations. The presidential office repeated its anti-corruption message; earlier this month a vice minister was dismissed over an extortion probe. Protesters named both President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, arguing that elite perks and opaque budgeting erode public trust. Parties allied with the president hold significant influence in the legislature, and any formal review of compensation would run through those blocs.

Numbers and comparisons

Protesters have used a straightforward contrast: 50 million rupiah per month for housing versus national average monthly earnings near 3.1 million rupiah, with minimum wages in several provinces well below the Jakarta level. The line-item has become a rallying shorthand on posters and in speeches. Organizers argue that if lawmakers want fiscal restraint across ministries and regions, they should start with their own ledgers. Supporters of the current structure point to high housing costs for members commuting from distant districts and to the need to curb outside influence by paying competitive compensation. Opponents counter that any such rationale must be matched with tighter disclosure and caps.

Incidents, arrests, and scope

Jakarta Police reported a deployment of roughly 1,250 officers at peak. Throughout the afternoon police and demonstrators tussled near barricades and on access ramps, with officers repeatedly pushing crowds back from the main gate. Organizers claimed turnout from multiple campuses and youth coalitions, including groups that have been active in earlier anti-corruption and cost-of-living protests. Authorities did not immediately release arrest figures; by nightfall, officers maintained control of the compound’s approaches and kept barricades in place.

How it fits the broader picture

The Parliament protest taps into long-running concerns about corruption and public money. Surveys routinely list corruption among voters’ top grievances, and high-profile cases—spanning law enforcement and state enterprises—keep the issue in view. Monday’s crowd leaned heavily on cost-of-living language, pairing it with institutional demands for stronger recovery of assets tied to graft. That blend—pocketbook and governance—has driven several waves of youth-led marches over the past few years and explains why a single allowance line can mobilize a broad coalition quickly.

What to watch next

Three markers bear watching. First, whether the House opens any formal review of compensation and allowances, including a public airing of how figures are set and audited. Second, whether the government advances the asset-recovery bill that organizers elevated in their demands. Third, the policing posture around the complex in the coming days, including any updated arrest or injury counts and whether rallies spread beyond Jakarta to provincial capitals. For now, the government’s message remains twofold—order on the streets and commitment to anti-corruption—while protest leaders are betting that a focused target and clear numbers keep pressure on Parliament when it reconvenes.