Massive protests broke out last Thursday across Indonesia after the passage of a statute that critics say hang workers and the environment out to dry while enriching the country’s elite.
The New York Times reported the government in Jakarta, which is known as the “omnibus law,” allows companies to cut pay, eliminate days off, and allow employers to hire freelance contractors to take the jobs of permanent employees.
The protests across the country have been contentious, and 400 people were arrested on Thursday alone, CNN reported. Protesters clashed with police, set fires, and broke into buildings, according to the report. Police resorted to using water cannons and tear gas to break up the protests.
“We remind you that we are still in a pandemic condition, there is a public health emergency,” Wiku Adisasmito, a member of the country’s COVID-19 task force, said, according to the Associated Press.
The Times spoke to a 37-year-old who lead a factory strike and said the government is “killing us” with the law.
“The president is paying back the financiers who helped him win the election, not ordinary people who voted for him,” the worker said.
The legislation, called the “Job Creation Law,” was passed last Monday. In one fell swoop, the bill amended 79 laws that were in place. President Joko Widodo’s administration believes the legislation will make the country more attractive to investment, the AP reported.
TREND FORECAST: To date, of a population of 274.33 million people, 12,027 people have died of the virus or 0.0043 percent.
We note what is going on in Indonesia because it is more of what is yet to come: violent civil wars. Name the country and look at the facts. The rich are getting much richer as the majority of populations get much poorer.
Again, the “OFF WITH THEIR HEADS 2.0” movement is accelerating across the globe as people take to the streets to demonstrate against government corruption and incompetence, lack of basic living standards, and rising crime.
Most importantly, although Indonesia is an unlikely flash point, civil wars will spread to regional wars and regional wars will lead to world war if the trends are not reversed.
