In Indonesia, public frustration about the increased cost of living and the administration of government has spilled out onto the streets with mass demonstrations across several major cities.
This would boil over into violence following revelations the police ran over and killed a 21 year old motorcycle rideshare driver Affan Kurniawan.
Stephen Hill asked Professor Vedi Hadiz at the Asian Institute at the University of Melbourne whether these protests in Indonesia indicate a serious disconnect between the government and the public?
Image: Shutterstock Asset id: 2672513033 “Bandung, West Java, Indonesia – September 1, 2025. Saijian Sambara Sundanese restaurant in Bandung after being torched on August 29, 2025 during demonstrations and protests throughout Indonesia.”
Produced By: Stephen Hill
Featured In Story: Professor Vedi Hadiz, Director and Professor of Asian Studies at the Asia Institute
First aired on The Wire, Wednesday 3 September 2025