Officials' Displays of Wealth Spark Anger in Indonesia

Against backdrop of public fury, Prabowo urges his party's lawmakers to avoid 'flexing'

- Arlina Arshad

JAKARTA - An Hermes handbag. A Harley-Davidson motorcycle. A Ritz-Carlton birthday party. A private jet. Even a 400,000 rupiah (S$31) lobster roll from Los Angeles.

In Indonesia, flaunting wealth - or budaya pamer - has become a lightning rod for public anger. Social media feeds overflow with images of luxury cars, designer bags and million-dollar homes, while millions of ordinary Indonesians struggle with rising costs.

Tensions boiled over in late August, when protests against lawmakers' perks, including a 50 million-rupiah housing allowance, turned violent. Demonstrators in Jakarta looted officials' homes, wrecked luxury cars and seized designer goods - even several pedigree cats. Some protesters justified such actions as punishment for the elite who appear indifferent to everyday hardships, framing them as "dancing on the suffering of small people", which is a widely used phrase on social media.

Indonesian lawmakers came under fire after a viral video showed several members dancing merrily inside the Parliament complex following the country's annual legislative session on Aug 15.

Against this backdrop, President Prabowo Subianto issued a stern warning to his Gerindra Party colleagues. On Sept 8, he summoned lawmakers to his Jakarta residence and urged restraint. Gerindra secretary-general Sugiono quoted him as saying: "Watch your lifestyle, watch your speech, watch your words, do not be arrogant, do not show off, what is the term, flexing, it is useless."