Protests Mark Prabowo's Two Years in Office as Jakarta Deploys About 9,500 Police; Approval Falls to 44.5%
JAKARTA — Students protested in Jakarta on October 20 as President Prabowo Subianto marked two years in office, with police deploying about 9,500 officers in the capital. City police spokesperson Budi Hermanto told reporters that students from at least two universities would stage protests at several spots in Jakarta, according to Reuters.
The University of Indonesia's student body said it would protest against recent forest fires and a rout on the stock market, which, along with the weakening rupiah, it called a signal of the national economy's fragility. Greenpeace draped a banner on a major Jakarta monument reading "deal with the climate crisis, lower cost of living."
Prabowo's approval rating in surveys by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) has fallen steadily since late last year and reached its lowest level of 44.5 percent this month, down from 81.2 percent in November last year. Prabowo was sworn in as president on October 20, 2024.
The retired general is battling to restore the confidence of the public, business and investors worried by the economic impact of his ambitious, populist programmes, Reuters reported. Indonesia's last major protest took place in August, when hundreds were detained.
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 雅加达印度尼西亚大酒店环岛（Bundaran HI）。图片：© Taman Renyah / CC BY 3.0，Wikimedia Commons
