Johnny Johan Sompotan, Andrew Tito, Jakarta – The homes of Indonesian lawmakers Uya Kuya and Eko Patrio were looted on Saturday night as unrest over parliamentary pay and benefits continued to engulf Jakarta and spread to other cities across the country.
In East Jakarta's Duren Sawit district, hundreds of people forced their way into the residence of Uya Kuya – a former television personality whose real name is Surya Utama – destroying the gate and breaking down doors before vandalizing and looting the property. Police and soldiers arrived about an hour later, but most of the looters had already fled with electronic goods and clothing.
Around the same time, protesters targeted the luxury home of comedian-turned-lawmaker Eko Patrio (Eko Hendro Purnomo) in South Jakarta's upscale Mega Kuningan area. Looters took luggage, clothing, a refrigerator, and even an LPG gas cylinder. Security forces again arrived too late to prevent the ransacking.
Both Uya and Eko, who are members of the National Mandate Party (PAN), had become lightning rods for criticism earlier this month after videos surfaced of them dancing during parliament's annual session – behavior widely seen as insensitive amid mounting economic hardship. Their home addresses were circulated online by protesters shortly after another lawmaker, Ahmad Sahroni, saw his house in North Jakarta vandalized and looted the same day.
In separate Instagram videos, Uya and Eko issued public apologies and pledged to act responsibly as lawmakers. "I sincerely apologize from the bottom of my heart to all Indonesians," Uya said, while Eko – serving his fourth parliamentary term – promised to "be more cautious" and "faithfully uphold my oath as a representative of the people."
Their apologies, however, failed to prevent the attacks on their residences. Another legislator, Nafa Urbach, also issued a public apology after her address was shared among protesters. Nafa had fueled public anger by backing a controversial Rp 50 million ($3,000) monthly housing allowance for lawmakers.
The demonstrations, which began on August 25, were initially triggered by outrage over lawmakers' generous pay and allowances. Protests have since escalated, culminating in violent clashes with riot police and the death of 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was fatally struck by a police armored vehicle on Thursday. By Saturday night, unrest had spread to multiple cities, including Cirebon, Brebes, Solo, Kediri, Malang, and Makassar.