Hundreds joined a demonstration in central Jakarta Wednesday, where anger over graft and hardship coincided with criticism of the government’s handling of wildfires, whose toxic haze has sickened thousands, AFP reported.
The rally reflected overlapping grievances: attendees objected to graft and economic hardship while criticizing the government’s handling of the fires. Some used a three-finger gesture associated with rebellion in The Hunger Games films, while signs targeted wealthy people and the administration.
Sadar, the protest committee, called on the government to declare a national emergency because of the fires. The committee said that status could give officials more resources for firefighting across Indonesia’s islands.
Nusantara Atlas, a deforestation monitor, estimated that fires had burned more than 1.9 million hectares during the nine-month period through September. AFP reported that haze had reached elsewhere in the region and that the pollution had harmed Indonesia’s ties with neighboring countries.
Protester Sekar, 37, told AFP that months of fires and haze were adding to residents’ difficulties as the currency weakened and prices rose. She said she had come to protect the students who called the demonstration.
Annette Mau, 47, of the Indonesian Mothers’ Alliance, an NGO, said tens of thousands of babies had health problems because of the toxic haze. “They cannot breathe,” she told AFP. Mau accused the government of making excuses instead of addressing the crisis.
In a statement to AFP, organizers accused an oligarchy of putting its priorities ahead of public needs. They linked the crisis to what they called mismanagement of a debt-burdened economy and exploitation of environmental and energy resources.
Police said about 14,000 officers, alongside soldiers, were deployed to manage the demonstrations. AFP also reported protests in other cities.
Singapore Foreign Minister Vivian Balakrishnan was expected to meet President Prabowo Subianto in Jakarta on Wednesday, AFP reported. On Tuesday, Balakrishnan said the haze was not a natural phenomenon and attributed the fires to human action.
