Young Indonesians say they feel 'complicit' in voting for Prabowo

As Indonesia's President Prabowo Subianto marks his second year in office this month, discontent with his administration is growing among the young voters who helped bring him to power.

Gen Z and millennials were a key demographic in Mr Prabowo's victory in 2024, making up more than half of registered voters.

The former special forces commander previously had a fearsome reputation, but his campaign worked hard to win the youth vote, with a focus on social media to rebrand him as a "gemoy" or "cuddly grandpa".

According to an exit poll conducted by national newspaper Kompas on election day, he won the vote of about two-thirds of gen Z voters and nearly 60 per cent of millennial voters. 

But two years later, rising anger has spilled onto the streets, with students and civil society groups protesting the government's economic policies and response to recent wildfires in Sumatra and Kalimantan.

An opinion poll by Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting (SMRC) released earlier this month found Mr Prabowo's approval rating had fallen from 81.2 per cent in November last year to 44.5 per cent. 

Poltracking Indonesia this month found public trust in Mr Prabowo's administration was 64.8 per cent and 62 per cent of respondents felt the Indonesian government was "seriously working to solve problems".

Desfa Priamanda, a 32-year-old from Jakarta, is one of the millennials who have changed their mind about the president. 

Mr Priamanda told the ABC that he voted for Mr Prabowo thinking he would continue the legacy of former president Joko Widodo, known as Jokowi.

Mr Prabowo chose Jokowi's son, Gibran Rakabuming Raka, as his running mate in the election.

However, he says he now feels like he had committed a "sin" and is "complicit" in the government's policies.

He has started volunteering for humanitarian causes to "atone", he says.

Free meals program

Mr Priamanda says he is particularly disappointed by the government's controversial free school meals program, one of Mr Prabowo's key campaign promises.

The program, designed to combat undernutrition, has left thousands of recipients suffering from food poisoning. Critics also say it has resulted in less money for teachers' salaries, which the government denies.

Badan Gizi Nasional (BGN), which oversees the program, told Indonesia's parliament last month that "digestive disturbances" were due to violations of standard operating procedures. 

Mr Priamanda told the ABC: "We want the program and its funding to be reviewed, so that the welfare of teachers can be improved." 

In July, Indonesia's Constitutional Court ruled that the government would have to stop financing the program with funds from the education budget from 2028.

A statement from the government says it has increased the total national education budget, monthly incentives for teachers, and the number of teachers who receive the incentives. 

Economic performance

Other young people say they have been disappointed by Mr Prabowo's performance with the economy.

Amid the fallout from the Iran-US war, Indonesia's rupiah has weakened to historical lows against the US dollar.

However, some Indonesian economists have said the currency decline is mostly because of domestic factors, including uncertainty over government policies.

Last week, the global stock market index provider MSCI announced a proposed downgrade of Indonesia's market from "emerging" to "standalone", which would put it in the same group as Lebanon and Zimbabwe.

David Julian, a Jakarta resident in his mid-20s, says he voted for Mr Prabowo because of his courage and charisma.

But he says the president lost his support when campaign promises were not fulfilled.

"I was hoping that the economy would improve, more job opportunities, the prices of basic necessities would remain affordable," he says.

A statement from the government said a range of cost-of-living measures costing more than 26 trillion rupiah ($2 billion) were being implemented including 10kg packages of rice for 33.24 million beneficiaries.

Forest fires

Rolling protests over the government's response to the forest fires escalated this week in at least six cities. 

For months Indonesia has been struggling to contain the fires mostly on Sumatra and in Kalimantan, with smoky haze blanketing neighbouring countries such as Malaysia and Singapore. 

The demonstrators want the government to declare the fires a national disaster, but the government has repeatedly said that was not yet necessary.  

Salsa, a 22-year-old graduate student who goes by one name, told the ABC that Mr Prabowo shows a lack of empathy, particularly to those affected by the forest fires.

"The response to the forest fires has been incredibly slow," the Jakarta resident says.

"The situation has already gotten so serious, yet the government seems to be treating it as if it's not a big deal."

The Indonesian Government Communications Agency says Mr Prabowo is personally overseeing the response, directing additional funding to seven provinces and deploying more than 71,000 personnel.

On Monday, Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry said legal sanctions had been issued against 32 companies.

But many young people say they keep reading and hearing "bad news" on almost a daily basis.

"We are no longer tired of it; we are actually angry about it," Mr Priamanda says.

Ubedilah Badrun, a political analyst from Universitas Negeri Jakarta, says the criticism of Mr Prabowo and Mr Gibran circulating on social media appear to reflect real dissatisfaction.

"There appears to be considerable disappointment among gen Z towards Prabowo and Gibran for a number of reasons," Mr Badrun says.

"The problems aren't just economic. There are also political issues and policies that appear to lack clear priorities and thorough research."

Not all young voters have turned away from Mr Prabowo.

Raga Awandayu Prakasa, a 25-year-old member of the Prabowo-led Gerindra Party, says the president is a "visionary leader" whose ideas go beyond campaign rhetoric.

Mr Prakasa, who has founded his own think tank, says leading a large country, such as Indonesia, is no simple task and that its problems cannot be solved overnight.

"To me, political support does not mean that we need to agree to every single policy," he says.

"There is room to support the overall direction while evaluating aspects that still require improvement."

Mr Julian, meanwhile, hopes the government will listen to criticism, particularly from the young people who voted for him.

He says he wants to see an honest and reliable government committed to fighting corruption.

A statement from the government says it respects the rights of students and young protesters to express their aspirations through demonstration and is committed to eradicating corruption, collusion, and nepotism "without favouritism".

"The government will continue to evaluate policy implementation based on data and public needs," Kurnia Ramadhana, from the Government Communications Agency, told the ABC. 

In a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Mr Prabowo acknowledged more work was needed to meet the public's expectations but says his government is achieving outcomes.