Agencies, Jakarta – Thousands of students and civil society groups protested on Wednesday in Jakarta and other cities against President Prabowo Subianto's policies, including the handling of ongoing forest fires.
Worsened by the El Nino weather pattern that leaves peatland vulnerable to fires, Indonesia has been faced with its worst forest fires and resulting haze in 11 years, increasing respiratory illnesses and polluting the air of neighbouring countries Malaysia and Singapore.
Protesters crowded a Jakarta landmark roundabout, with some wearing gas masks, holding up signs protesting over forest fires and demanding the government designate the blazes as a national disaster.
The government's communications office welcomed input from students in a statement late on Wednesday, adding it had prosecuted companies linked to the fires, sent aid to haze-stricken provinces, and it would keep monitoring the fires.
Some demonstrators carried signs that said "If we burn, you burn with us," and held up the three-finger sign of protest – a reference to "The Hunger Games" movie that has been adopted as a symbol by many youth protest movements globally.
Anggi Aurien, 28, had been wearing a gas mask for three hours at the landmark, protesting about the forest fires that have killed wildlife.
"Animals don't have a mind of their own. If we kill them, what's the difference between us and them?" she said.
Other signs included photos of the orangutan, which bears the brunt of the fires, and a cardboard cutout of Prabowo.
Other students, including from the University of Indonesia, were blocked by dozens of police and military personnel, leading to some scuffles.
"Revolution! Revolution!" protesters chanted.
Ezra Al Barra, a student from the University of Padjadjaran, said the fires were "our collective anger," adding students came from other regions outside Jakarta.
Students also rallied in Makassar, in South Sulawesi, and Bandung, in West Java, with similar demands. Dozens of them on motorbikes filled the main roads.
Protesters called for the government to halt spending on populist programmes such as Prabowo's free meals scheme, among other demands.
Many placards expressed anger towards President Prabowo, whose popularity two years into his term has reached record lows amid claims of widespread government corruption and growing authoritarianism.
"Hey Wok! Nobody paid us. We all hate you for free," stated one sign, using a pejorative for the president, while another blared: "No Clean Air Under Dirty Government."
Protester Sekar, 37, told AFP her "heart is shattered" by the plight of compatriots battling months of wildfires and haze while also contending with the effects of a weakening currency and higher prices.
"I came here from home with the intention of protecting the students" who called the demonstration, Sekar told AFP.
Police said about 14,000 of its officers, as well as soldiers, had deployed to keep a lid on the demonstrations in Jakarta.