Sultan Abdurrahman, Jakarta – Last week's protest in Jakarta resulted in infrastructure damage. The total loss exceeded Rp55 billion. Jakarta Governor Pramono Anung Wibowo stated that several damaged infrastructures, including shelters, toll gates, and closed-circuit television (CCTV).
He explained that the damage to mass rapid transportation (MRT) assets amounted to Rp3.3 billion, the damage to Transjakarta bus stops amounted to Rp41.6 billion, and the damage to CCTV and other infrastructures amounted to Rp5.5 billion. "The total damage is Rp 55 billion," Pramono said after a meeting with the Regional Leadership Coordination Forum (Forkopimda) at the Jakarta City Hall on Monday, September 1, 2025.
Pramono stated that there were 22 Transjakarta bus stops and one toll gate damaged as a result of the protest. Six Transjakarta bus stops were set on fire and looted, while 16 others were targeted for destruction and vandalism. The Jakarta Provincial Government used contingency funds to repair the infrastructure damage this time.
Unrest occurred in several areas starting Thursday, August 28, 2025. It began with labor and student protests in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building in Senayan. The protesters were criticizing the generous allowances granted to parliament members.
The initial protest proceeded peacefully. However, towards the evening, riots broke out. Attempts by the police to disperse the crowd led to the death of an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver, Affan Kurniawan, who was hit by a vehicle from the Jakarta Metropolitan Police Mobile Brigade (Brimob). Affan's death sparked public anger. The Brimob Headquarters in Kwitang, Central Jakarta, was stormed by the crowd on Thursday night.
Protests accompanied by riots spread to Jalan Otista Raya, Bidara Cina, Jatinegara, East Jakarta in the early hours of Friday. The Jakarta East Police Headquarters and several police stations in Jakarta became targets of the crowd's rage and were set on fire.
Protests are not only happening in Jakarta, but also in several other provinces, such as Solo, Bandung, Semarang, and West Nusa Tenggara. One of the worst was the protest and burning of the Makassar City DPRD (Regional House of Representatives) Building, which resulted in the deaths of three staff members.
On Sunday, August 31, 2025, President Prabowo Subianto stated that there were attempts at unlawful actions leading to subversion and terrorism in the recent week-long protests. Prabowo emphasized that the government respects freedom of expression, as outlined in Article 19 of the United Nations International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and Law No. 9 of 1998. He added that pure aspirations must be respected.
"The right to peacefully assemble must be respected and protected. However, we cannot deny that there are indications of unlawful actions. Some even lead to subversion and terrorism," Prabowo said in his statement, accompanied by political party leaders at the Presidential Palace on Sunday, August 31, 2025.
– Eka Yudha Saputra and Vedro Imanuel Girsang contributed to the writing of this article
Source: https://en.tempo.co/read/2045123/losses-from-jakarta-protests-estimated-at-rp55-billio