Version imprimableToday’s wave of popular anger is an accumulation of disgust over reckless policies and the arrogance of state officials. Basic commodity prices are rising, taxes are increasingly strangling, unemployment queues continue to grow, mass redundancies, seizure of customary lands, children victims of MBG poisoning. [1] When the people bear the suffering caused by the state, instead of showing empathy, DPR [2] members who are supposedly people’s representatives, together with officials, are instead having lavish parties in luxury, enjoying allowances, facilities, and soaring salaries. Not only that, the DPR and government also give awards to relatives and colleagues, even allowing officials to hold concurrent positions as BUMN [3] commissioners with abundant facilities.
In the field, people who dare to voice their disappointment and anger are instead faced with brutal repression from the state apparatus. Hundreds of people are arbitrarily arrested, beaten, and treated inhumanely. Tear gas is fired indiscriminately, even directed at places of worship and medical teams carrying out humanitarian duties. This situation not only threatens the safety of action participants, but also shows how the apparatus abandons its basic obligation to protect civilians. Women and students who are at the forefront of action are also not spared from violence; they experience intimidation, beatings, and discriminatory treatment simply for daring to express their opinions. All these repressive actions confirm that the state prefers the path of violence rather than opening democratic dialogue space.
The face of state violence is also visible in many regions: the transfer of Papuan political prisoners to Makassar, [4] agrarian and natural resource conflicts in Rempang, [5] Sulawesi, North Maluku, to the expanding military territory in civilian areas. The state chooses a violent approach rather than opening dialogue space with the people.
This reflects the characteristics of Prabowo’s government which is very militaristic, anti-women, and not pro-people. Prabowo [6] as the person responsible for governance perpetuates a culture of violence by adding battalions, kodams, [7] kodims, [8] and so forth to build defensive fortifications to crush people’s resistance demanding justice and to smooth the way for National Strategic Projects. Prabowo, with his empty efficiency rhetoric, chooses to suppress budgets related to people’s welfare and instead increases allowances for the DPR that does not perform its duties properly. When people protest, Prabowo is busy distributing honorary stars including to former corruption convicts.
This condition is a political and humanitarian crisis! The state that should protect is instead harming. The DPR that should represent and voice the people’s interests has instead become part of the oppression machine. Indonesian democracy is increasingly wounded!
Today the state is no longer ashamed to display the silencing of democracy. Sadistic and brutal repression is carried out openly, targeting people who voice loud rejection of discriminatory policies. The state continues to widen the gap of social and economic inequality with various policies that are not pro-people and have adverse impacts on the lives of women, disability groups, indigenous peoples, and vulnerable groups.
Therefore the Indonesian Women’s Alliance demands:
– Prabowo must be held responsible for all violence against the people!
– Justice for Affan Kurniawan and all victims of apparatus violence.
– Remove the National Police Chief and Regional Police Chiefs for failing to make POLRI [9] an institution to perform the function of maintaining public security and order, enforcing law and maintaining protection and service to the community.
– Release the names of apparatus perpetrators, monitor the legal process to completion, and stop impunity for human rights violators.
– Comprehensive Police reform.
– Eliminate the militaristic culture full of violence.
– Stop the use of weapons, tear gas, war equipment and other tools against the people.
– Stop the use of violence or unfounded arrests against mass action, students, women, indigenous peoples and vulnerable groups.
– Revoke excessive facilities and allowances for DPR and state officials.
– Revoke special facilities for DPR and state officials.
– Open dialogue space by meeting and accommodating people’s voices in all regions.
– Dismiss DPR members who do not carry out the constitutional mandate.
– Reform taxation policies.
– Stop tax increases that increasingly burden the people without considering the socio-economic conditions of society, especially vulnerable groups.
– Open transparency to the public on the use of state budget allocation from taxes.
– Stop oligarchy and the practice of holding multiple positions.
– Reject the practice of state officials holding concurrent positions in BUMN.
– Create a transparency portal so the public can monitor officials’ salaries and allowances.
– Stop repression and open democratic space.
– Support media independence to report facts without intervention.
– Stop blocking and wiretapping on communication platforms and social media.
– Stop criminalisation and violence against people who dare to speak out.
– Evaluate government programmes and performance as well as ministry bureaucracy that does not side with the people, is not thorough in realising pro-people policies, does not function in preventing human rights violations that are actually committed by state institutions whilst consuming the state budget.
Therefore We, the Indonesian Women’s Alliance, state our position:
– Demanding President Prabowo Subianto’s responsibility for the continuing state violence.
– Strongly condemning repressive actions by the apparatus and demanding full justice for victims.
– Urging the DPR as servants of the people to work according to the constitutional mandate, not to enrich themselves with excessive allowances and facilities.
– Rejecting problematic programmes and projects that drain the APBN [10] without providing real benefits to the people.
– Rejecting impunity and bringing to justice perpetrators of Human Rights violations.
– Demanding unconditional release for mass action participants detained throughout Indonesia.
Together with the Indonesian Women’s Alliance:
– Aliansi Perempuan Bangkit
– Aneta-Papua
– Artsforwomen Indonesia
– Arus Pelangi
– Asosiasi LBH APIK Indonesia
– Betina issue (North Sulawesi)
– Cakra Wikara Indonesia
– Emancipate Indonesia
– FAMM Indonesia
– Federasi Serikat Buruh Persatuan Indonesia (FSBPI)
– FeminisThemis
– Forum Pengada Layanan
– FPPI
– Gema Alam NTB
– Girl, No Abuse – Makassar
– Y2F Media
– WCC Puantara
– ICJR
– Ikatan Pemuda Tionghoa Banten
– INFID
– Institut KAPAL Perempuan
– Jaringan Advokasi Nasional Pekerja Rumah Tangga (JALA PRT)
– Jaringan Akademisi GERAK Perempuan
– JASS
– Kaoem Telapak
– Kartini Manakarra
– Kelas Muda
– Koalisi Perempuan Indonesia
– Koalisi Perempuan untuk Kepemimpinan (KPuK)
– Kolektif Semai
– Komunitas Empu Fesyen Berkelanjutan
– Komunitas Feminis Gaia, Yogyakarta
– Konsorsium PERMAMPU – Sumatera
– Konde.c0
– LBH APIK Jakarta
– LBH Kalbar
– Migrant CARE
– Muslimah Reformis, Tangsel
– OPSI
– Peace Women Across the Globe network
– Pamflet Generasi
– Perempuan Mahardhika
– Perempuan Mahardhika Palu
– Perempuan Melawan (Aliansi Tolak Reklamasi Manado Utara)
– Perempuan Solipetra (Petani Penggarap Kalasey Dua) North Sulawesi
– Perhimpunan Jiwa Sehat
– Perhimpunan Rahima
– Perkumpulan DAMAR Perempuan Lampung
– Perkumpulan Gemawan
– Perkumpunan Kecapi Batara Indonesia
– Perkumpulan Lintas Feminis Jakarta
– Perkumpulan Samsara
– Perkumpulan Sawit Watch
– PHD PEREMPUAN AMAN LouBawe
– Proklamasi Anak Indonesia
– Rifka Annisa WCC Yogyakarta
– Rumah Pengetahuan Amartya
– Save All Women and Girls (SAWG)
– Second Chance
– Serikat Buruh Industri Perawatan Taiwan (SBIPT)
– Serikat Buruh Migran Indonesia
– Serikat Pekerja Kampus (SPK)
– Solidaritas Feminis West Papua
– Solidaritas Perempuan
– Serikat Pekerja Kampus
– Support Group and Resource Center on Sexuality Studies (SGRC) Indonesia
– Suara Ibu Indonesia
– Lembaga Pengembangan Sumber Daya Mitra (LPSDM NTB)
– OPSI
– Warga Humanis
– Women’s March Jakarta 2025
– YAPPIKA
– Yayasan Gemilang Sehat Indonesia
– Yayasan IPAS Indonesia
– Yayasan Kalyanamitra
– Yayasan Keadilan dan Perdamaian Indonesia
– Yayasan Kesehatan Perempuan
– Yayasan Penabulu
– Yayasan Srikandi Sejati (YSS)
Contact persons:
Nabila – 0896-9368-0646
De – 0851-5875-5180
Ajeng – 0811-1313-760
29 August 2025
Source: Perempuan Mahardhika by Wendy Lim.
