Indonesians seek escape as anger rises over quality of life

Indonesian private tutor Patricia has been learning German for two years, armed with a dream of leaving for Europe and driven by a lack of opportunities, economic stagnation and little hope at home.

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JAKARTA - Indonesian private tutor Patricia has been learning German for two years, armed with a dream of leaving for Europe and driven by a lack of opportunities, economic stagnation and little hope at home.

She is one of thousands of Indonesians on social media promoting a popular hashtag that translates as "let's just escape for now".

Anger at the quality of life in South-east Asia's biggest economy - a nation of 280 million known for pervasive corruption and nepotism - has stirred student protests and driven young and middle-aged professionals to seek jobs abroad.

"After working for so many years, my income remains about the same... meanwhile my needs are increasing," said the 39-year-old in the capital Jakarta, who declined to give her last name.

"I don't own a house or car... if I keep working like this, it will probably never be enough."

In the last month, the hashtag has picked up steam.

It has racked up thousands of mentions and reached over 65 million accounts on X, formerly Twitter, analytics firm Brand24 said.

The outpouring has coincided with student-led protests against wide-ranging government budget cuts by new President Prabowo Subianto.