Indonesia sees student protests over corruption, rising costs and toxic haze

Student-led protests swept across several Indonesian cities on October 20, as demonstrators voiced opposition to the government of President Prabowo Subianto, marking his second year in office.

The demonstrations took place in the capital, Jakarta, as well as Bandung and Yogyakarta on Java island, Pekanbaru on Sumatra, and Makassar in South Sulawesi, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Protesters accused the government of incompetence and corruption. Local media reported that students from at least nine universities participated, raising concerns over the rising cost of living, restrictions on freedom of expression, environmental degradation and education expenses.

Jakarta police spokesperson Budi Hermanto said authorities had ordered the deployment of approximately 9,500 security personnel as students prepared to demonstrate at several locations across the capital, Reuters reported.

Forest fires and toxic haze fuel public anger

One of the protesters’ main concerns was the wave of forest fires and toxic haze that has affected Indonesia, leaving thousands of people ill over several weeks.

Demonstrators criticized the government’s response to the fires, which have devastated large areas of Borneo and Sumatra since July.

“If we burn, you burn with us!” read a banner held by a protester in Jakarta, AFP reported. Another sign demanded: “I have the right to breathe. Put out the fires immediately.”

Although Indonesia experiences fires during every dry season, this year’s blazes have been particularly severe, partly due to the strong influence of the El Niño climate phenomenon.

The fires have also affected livelihoods, as toxic haze disrupts daily activities and businesses.

“This haze is really bad. Sales are slow. Prices keep rising, but there is no income,” Melsi, a 40-year-old street beverage seller, told AFP through tears. “We are ordinary people. We can do nothing but wait for the government to handle it.”

Sifra, a 29-year-old homemaker, said her husband and two children had been coughing for a month and that smoke was entering their home.

“Honestly, since the haze arrived, my body has been aching, as if I had been beaten,” she said.

More than 1.9 million hectares burned

According to the forest-fire monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas, fires in Indonesia burned more than 1.9 million hectares during the first nine months of 2026.

The scale of the fires, their impact on public health and the rising cost of living have become central concerns for protesters demanding a stronger government response.