JAKARTA, Oct 21 — Greenpeace activists unfurled giant banners condemning Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto’s handling of the haze crisis at a Jakarta landmark yesterday, as protests over forest fires and soaring living costs overshadowed his second anniversary in power.
The dramatic stunt at the capital’s iconic Welcome Statue saw activists brand the haze and Prabowo’s administration a “national disaster”, while demanding action over an environmental crisis that has sent choking smoke across South-east Asia.
Two activists descending from the monument held signs declaring “Haze & Prabowo’s Regime = National Disaster” and “No Progress Without Protest”.
Larger banners demanded action on climate change and the cost of living, with one asking pointedly: “Disasters Are Getting Worse, the People Are Struggling, What Is the Government Doing?”
Police quickly removed the banners, but images and videos of the stunt spread across Indonesian social media, drawing praise for the activists and their message.
Rather than condemn the protest, however, Prabowo’s government struck a conciliatory tone, saying the president shared concerns about climate change and the financial pressures facing ordinary Indonesians.
“The government respects Greenpeace’s action this morning as a form of freedom of expression. The impact of the climate crisis and the cost of living for citizens are also matters that the President (Prabowo Subianto) is concerned about,” government communications chief Syahganda Nainggolan said in a statement last night, according to The Straits Times.
The Greenpeace demonstration was among several protests held across Indonesia to mark two years since Prabowo and Vice-President Gibran Rakabuming Raka took office, with anger over forest fires and the resulting haze dominating proceedings.
Hundreds of university students gathered at several locations in Jakarta, including near the Tugu Tani monument and the National Monument, close to the Presidential Palace.
Protesters carried placards mocking the administration, including one declaring “Orangutans have more heart than orangistana (palace people)” and another describing forest fires as “the best 2-year anniversary present”.
Similar demonstrations took place in Yogyakarta, where students rallied outside the regional council building, and Bandung, where protesters marched towards the city centre.
Many carried banners bearing the slogan “All Eyes On Karhutla”, referring to the Indonesian abbreviation for forest and land fires.
Despite being organised by different groups, the demonstrations centred on common grievances over environmental destruction, living costs and the government’s response to the fires.
A key demand was for the government to formally declare the forest fires a national disaster, reflecting growing frustration over a crisis that has affected air quality beyond Indonesia’s borders.
Although the demonstrations were smaller than some of Indonesia’s previous mass protest movements, student organisers called for broader public participation in another rally scheduled for October 28.
“We call on the Indonesian people to join us in demanding the sovereignty of the people,” University of Indonesia student body president Yatalathof Imawan told protesters near the Tugu Tani monument.
“On October 28th in Jakarta, we will hold a national demonstration to reclaim the sovereignty of the Indonesian people.”
The planned demonstration coincides with Indonesia’s Youth Pledge Day.
