“The economy and morality of capitalism are destroying our people” – Letter from the frontline in Indonesia

Gepubliceerd op 2 september 2025

The 2025 protests in Indonesia do not only call out specific government policies, but are a reaction to the everyday reality of our capitalist world. Het Actiefonds stands in solidarity with our Indonesian partners and comrades in our shared struggle for a just world!

Dear Comrades in Amsterdam,

Warm greetings of solidarity from your friends in Indonesia. I am writing to you after returning from the mass protests in Jakarta. The situation was chaotic, marked by violence and brutality. These protests are not triggered by a single factor; they are the result of accumulated structural problems—economic disparity, the climate crisis, rampant corruption, bureaucratic failure, and the incompetence of the Indonesian government in addressing these issues. In short: the economy and morality of capitalism are destroying our people.

Comrades,
We cannot sleep peacefully after all that has happened. We are filled with anger and grief. Workers, students, traders, and ordinary people are expressing this outrage everywhere—from police stations to government offices. Government buildings have been set ablaze, especially after one of our comrades, a worker, was crushed to death by a police armored vehicle. The people continue to resist and stand in solidarity even now.

Even in the small corners of my neighborhood, children no longer sing songs of joy. Instead, they chant songs of resistance, filled with anger: “Workers, farmers, students, the urban poor—unite and seize democracy!” Their voices echo ours on the streets.

But comrades,
Many have fallen victim to this struggle. Beyond Jakarta, casualties include workers, women, students, journalists, medical staff, and even children and teenagers. Protesters have been beaten, run over, and shot with rubber bullets—many in the head. Medics have been blocked and assaulted while carrying out their duties. Journalists have been arrested and repressed. Even minors have been detained. Not a few have suffered serious injuries and had to be rushed to hospitals for critical care.

The movement that my comrades and I are building is born out of this collective rage. We could never forgive ourselves if we remained silent. For us, the blood of one worker is the blood of all humanity. Capitalism has brought our country to its knees, corrupting both materially and morally—through politicians, businessmen, public figures, and religious leaders who bow to power and capital. They must be held accountable for everything happening today. We stand firmly with the working class, with small farmers, and with the women’s movement. We fully support this resistance.

As for Hendropriyono—the man complicit in countless human rights abuses—who accuses these protests of being funded by foreign actors, we are utterly indifferent. Indonesian officials are nothing more than comprador elites of global capitalism. Or in Gunder Frank’s terms, lumpen-bourgeois, eager to sell the nation into servitude to global capital. Every accusation that foreign powers are behind people’s protests is nothing more than this regime’s paranoia toward the voices of civil society. We strongly condemn such lies!

Comrades,
In these difficult times in Indonesia, global solidarity is one of the keys to sustaining this struggle. Especially when so many forces are working to dismantle it.

With or without global solidarity, we will continue to resist with all the strength we have. But with it, we will be stronger. We call on you, comrades, to spread our voices, organize solidarity actions, and stand with us against capitalism!

In solidarity

Firhandika
Commune de Liberte

Commune de Liberte is a longtime Indonesian partner of Het Actiefonds.