Qualla: The Summer Jakarta Burned

The Summer Jakarta Burned: Introduction

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Maria Cynthia, CC BY 4.0. The numbers that started it were simple enough to understand. Members of Indonesia's House of Representatives were set to receive a monthly housing allowance ten times Jakarta's minimum wage, on top of existing food and transportation stipends. According to the Indonesian Forum for Budget Transparency, total take-home pay for each of the 580 members could reach 230 million rupiah per month — roughly $14,000 — while ordinary Indonesians contended with soaring food prices, rising education costs, mass layoffs, and property tax increases. Students gathered outside parliament on August 25, 2025. Within four days, one man was dead, cities across the archipelago were in flames, and the country was facing its most serious civil unrest since the fall of Suharto.

Image: Maria Cynthia | CC BY 4.0

The Summer Jakarta Burned: Tone-Deaf in the Chamber

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Baqotun0023, CC BY-SA 4.0. The fury had been building before the first protest sign was painted. At a joint session of the MPR, DPR, and DPD on August 15, several members of parliament were filmed dancing — a display that drew savage criticism on social media as millions of Indonesians struggled with econo...

Image: Baqotun0023 | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Summer Jakarta Burned: The Death of Affan Kurniawan

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Happywu, CC BY-SA 4.0. On the night of August 28, after police used tear gas and rubber bullets to push protesters away from the parliament building, a 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver named Affan Kurniawan was struck and killed by a Rimueng 4x4 armored vehicle belonging to the Mobile Brigade, the po...

Image: Happywu | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Summer Jakarta Burned: A Country on Fire

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Janorovic Volkov, CC BY-SA 4.0. Affan's funeral on August 29 at Karet Bivak Cemetery, escorted by hundreds of fellow motorcycle taxi drivers, became both a memorial and a flashpoint. When Jakarta's police chief arrived, drivers shouted "murderer" and threw water bottles. That same day, protests erupted in more ...

Image: Janorovic Volkov | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Summer Jakarta Burned: Looting the Legislators

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Saviraluthfiah, CC BY-SA 4.0. On August 30, the fury turned personal. Protesters descended on the private residence of Ahmad Sahroni in Tanjung Priok, broke through the front gate, and began carrying out his possessions. Footage circulated of crowds parading a life-sized Iron Man statue, pornographic film dis...

Image: Saviraluthfiah | CC BY-SA 4.0

The Summer Jakarta Burned: Aftermath and Reckoning

Thu, 02 Apr 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Gunawan Kartapranata, CC BY-SA 4.0. President Prabowo Subianto delivered a televised address the day after Affan's death, calling the police response "excessive" and pledging a transparent investigation. The government agreed to create a task force to address mass layoffs and established a new Labor Welfare Council...

Image: Gunawan Kartapranata | CC BY-SA 4.0