Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto has cancelled a planned trip to China as nationwide anger over parliamentarian perks erupted into mob attacks on Aug 31, with protesters storming and looting the homes of senior officials.
Starting out as demonstrations outside the national Parliament in Jakarta on Aug 25, the rallies have evolved into what protesters call “people’s justice”. Enraged crowds hunted down officials and lawmakers, some of whom have had their home addresses shared online in a wave of doxxing.
Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati was one of the most high-profile targets. In the early hours of Aug 31, mobs forced their way into her residence in the upscale Bintaro district, outside Jakarta. Videos showed protesters smashing property and carrying away valuables – from electronics and paintings to clothing and furniture.clothing and furniture.
“I was shocked because they forced their way into the housing complex, shouting and causing chaos,” resident Agung was quoted as saying by the Jakarta Globe. “They took things from the minister’s house. I was afraid they might come into our homes too.”
Already, public anger had been building against Mulyani following a viral deepfake video portraying her as calling teachers a “burden”, alongside her own controversial remarks equating taxes with Islamic alms, or zakat.
Other lawmakers also came under fire. The first house stormed was that of parliamentarian Ahmad Sahroni, notorious for flaunting his fleet of luxury cars. He had earlier labelled Indonesians who demanded that parliament be dissolved as “the dumbest people in the world” and called protesters “jerks”. Online footage showed mobs smashing his sports cars and distributing seized luxury items, including Louis Vuitton handbags and a Richard Mille watch.
Hundreds of protesters also broke into the homes of Surya Utama, a television personality better known as Uya Kuya, and comedian-turned-lawmaker Eko Patrio. Eko’s prized Angora cat was snatched by intruders as crowds livestreamed the looting.
