Prabowo Faces Protests Over Forest Fires and Economic Crisis
President Prabowo Subianto faces widespread protests in Jakarta over a devastating fire season, falling approval ratings, and clashes with global index provider MSCI.
Hundreds of protesters gathered in Jakarta on Wednesday to demand that Prabowo Subianto declare the current fire season a national disaster. Nearly 2 million hectares have burned, creating a toxic haze across Kalimantan and other regions and resulting in the deaths of four volunteer firefighters.
The environmental crisis has fueled broader public grievances regarding increased militarization, a weakened judiciary, and wasteful government spending. Public dissatisfaction is further driven by a controversial free meals program linked to corruption and food poisoning, alongside economic instability characterized by fuel shortages in Bali and Sulawesi and a record low rupiah.
These pressures have contributed to a decline in the president's approval rating to 44.5%, the lowest for any Indonesian president in 20 years. Simultaneously, the administration is clashing with global index provider MSCI over threats to downgrade Indonesia's market status due to trading and ownership concerns. Prabowo characterized the potential downgrade as an attempt to intimidate the nation, asserting that Indonesia fears no one and will not back down.
