Thousands of Indonesian students have taken to the streets to protest budget cuts by the Prabowo administration. While the government says the cuts are intended to mitigate wasteful spending and fund a free meals program, critics say they come at the cost of vital government and welfare services.
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00:00Thousands of university students take to the streets across Indonesia, decrying the budget
00:08efficiency policies of the country's president Prabowo Subianto, the 72-year-old former general
00:15who assumed the elected office just five months ago.
00:18This policy has significantly impacted the livelihoods of civil society and also key
00:24human rights and law enforcement institutions.
00:29Prabowo's budget efficiency policy aims to cut funding to various government institutions
00:34in the name of mitigating what it sees as wasteful government spending.
00:41Among the impacted sectors are education, health, and natural disaster prevention.
00:47Opponents argue that it will cut funding for scholarships, lay off government contractual
00:52workers, and discontinue key welfare programs for the poor.
00:57The budget cuts were justified as a way to fund a free meal program, the hallmark of
01:02Prabowo's presidential campaign.
01:04The program aims to combat malnutrition by providing daily nutritious meals to children
01:09and pregnant women, but critics call it wasteful and inefficient, pointing out its exorbitant
01:15budget and the simultaneous cuts to primary and secondary education.
01:20Analysts warn the cuts will have sweeping effects across society.
01:25Budget cuts are also applied to different ministries and agencies.
01:29There could be a massive layoff in the future, which means that some parents would actually
01:34lose their jobs, while at the same time their children lose their scholarship.
01:39During his presidential campaign, Prabowo distanced himself from his involvement in
01:43the country's dictatorial past and promised to usher in a golden era.
01:48Instead, public opposition to his policies has twisted that slogan in protest, with the
01:53hashtag Dark Indonesia trending on social media.
01:58The movement eventually took to the streets, with student councils across the nation putting
02:03forward a list of demands, including that the government reassess budget slashes, the
02:08free meal program, and other large-scale projects.
02:12They also want the government to properly compensate teachers and implement pro-people
02:17policies by listening to input and criticism from the public.
02:21In response to protests, Indonesia's Secretary of State insisted that the budget cuts will
02:26not affect the education sector.
02:29But the demonstrators are still awaiting an official response from government, vowing
02:34to continue protesting for the rest of the week.
02:37Hank Hsu and Gina Lopez for Taiwan Plus.