00:00Thousands of university students take to the streets across Indonesia, decrying the budget
00:08efficiency policies of the country's president Prabowo Subianto, the 72-year-old former general
00:15who assumed the elected office just five months ago.
00:18This policy has significantly impacted the livelihoods of civil society and also key
00:24human rights and law enforcement institutions.
00:29Prabowo's budget efficiency policy aims to cut funding to various government institutions
00:34in the name of mitigating what it sees as wasteful government spending.
00:41Among the impacted sectors are education, health, and natural disaster prevention.
00:47Opponents argue that it will cut funding for scholarships, lay off government contractual
00:52workers, and discontinue key welfare programs for the poor.
00:57The budget cuts were justified as a way to fund a free meal program, the hallmark of
01:02Prabowo's presidential campaign.
01:04The program aims to combat malnutrition by providing daily nutritious meals to children
01:09and pregnant women, but critics call it wasteful and inefficient, pointing out its exorbitant
01:15budget and the simultaneous cuts to primary and secondary education.
01:20Analysts warn the cuts will have sweeping effects across society.
01:25Budget cuts are also applied to different ministries and agencies.
01:29There could be a massive layoff in the future, which means that some parents would actually
01:34lose their jobs, while at the same time their children lose their scholarship.
01:39During his presidential campaign, Prabowo distanced himself from his involvement in
01:43the country's dictatorial past and promised to usher in a golden era.
01:48Instead, public opposition to his policies has twisted that slogan in protest, with the
01:53hashtag Dark Indonesia trending on social media.
01:58The movement eventually took to the streets, with student councils across the nation putting
02:03forward a list of demands, including that the government reassess budget slashes, the
02:08free meal program, and other large-scale projects.
02:12They also want the government to properly compensate teachers and implement pro-people
02:17policies by listening to input and criticism from the public.
02:21In response to protests, Indonesia's Secretary of State insisted that the budget cuts will
02:26not affect the education sector.
02:29But the demonstrators are still awaiting an official response from government, vowing
02:34to continue protesting for the rest of the week.
02:37Hank Hsu and Gina Lopez for Taiwan Plus.
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