Jakarta – The demonstrations that have brought thousands of people to the Indonesian Parliament in recent weeks reflect a civic demand for greater transparency, democracy and justice, as well as a more effective fight against corruption. This is what Father Aloysius Budi Purnomo, Secretary of the Commission for Interreligious Relations of the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference, told Fides News Agency.
“The demonstrations on 27 August were not attended only by students, but also by ordinary people, especially from Central Java, where there have been serious cases of corruption,” the priest explained. “They come from all religions. This is not a movement based on religion, but on ethical principles.”
In Indonesia, a country of more than 270 million people where coexistence among Muslims, Christians, Hindus, Buddhists and other religious communities is one of the defining features of society, the protests, Fr Budi Purnomo observed, stem from a shared perception of what the common good of the nation should be.
The focus of the mobilization is Parliament, rather than the Government or President Prabowo Subianto himself. “The protesters’ target is the lawmakers, which is why the demonstrations are taking place outside Parliament. For the time being, there is no direct demand directed at the Government or the President,” the priest said. The protesters’ demands, he added, are largely legitimate: “There is a demand for transparency, democracy and justice,” provided that these goals are pursued “peacefully, of course.”
The protests have already produced a concrete political result. On 27 August, following a meeting with representatives of the Aliansi Masyarakat Pati Bersatu , the leadership of the House of Representatives signed a letter of commitment concerning legislation on the confiscation of assets derived from criminal activity. Parliament pledged to complete and pass the legislation by 15 December 2026. The lawmakers who signed the commitment stated that they were prepared to relinquish their positions and resign from Parliament should the law fail to be passed by the agreed deadline.
The 15 December deadline could become a test of the institutions’ ability to turn a demand from civil society into concrete reform. Habiburokhman, chairman of Commission III of the DPR, said that the legislative process is already underway and that the December deadline has been included in Parliament’s legislative agenda. The bill concerns one of the most sensitive issues in the fight against corruption: the possibility of recovering assets obtained through criminal activity and stripping corrupt officials of the proceeds of their crimes. Its approval has long been a key demand of civil society groups.
The mobilization, however, was not always peaceful. After the main rally outside Parliament had ended, groups described by authorities and the media as “rioters”, including people wearing “black shirts” who were not affiliated with the main organizers, sparked unrest. Fires, property damage and clashes with police were reported. More than 300 people were detained, and one civilian died after being struck during the unrest and taken to hospital.
The distinction is also important from the perspective of the Catholic Church. “As Catholics, we look at the spirit of the demonstrations,” Fr Budi Purnomo stressed. “If they are conducted peacefully and promote values aimed at the common good, such as the fight against corruption, they can be understood as an expression of healthy civic responsibility. Violence, on the other hand, cannot be identified with this demand for justice.”
The Indonesian Church has also recently reaffirmed its moral commitment to the management of public affairs: supporting everything that contributes to human dignity, justice, transparency and peace, while maintaining an attitude of dialogue and responsibility towards all sides.
This position, Fr Purnomo recalled, finds an important point of reference in the Indonesian Bishops’ Conference’s recent 2026 Pastoral Note, published on 17 August on the occasion of Independence Day. Entitled “The Path of Hope Amidst the Nation’s Dynamics: A Synodal Church to Uphold Public Ethics and Strengthen Human Solidarity in Indonesia”, the document emerged from the Church’s reflection on the national situation.
The Bishops identify a multidimensional crisis encompassing social, economic, political, ecological and moral aspects. Their concerns include corruption, inequality, the fragility of public ethics, the deterioration of democratic quality and the risk that public policies may end up serving the interests of elites rather than the common good.
“Particularly significant,” the priest noted, “is the Bishops’ call to be an integral part of the life of the nation without becoming a partisan political actor. According to the approach set out in the Note, the Church must be a presence capable of working with all men and women of good will while, at the same time, exercising the role of a critical interlocutor with institutions.”
The analysis contained in the Note sheds light on several of the issues underlying the current situation: the fight against corruption, the quality of democracy, citizen participation, institutional responsibility, and the defence of the dignity of individuals and the most vulnerable groups. In this sense, Fr Budi Purnomo concluded, the Bishops’ reflection makes one point clear: “Democracy is a daily culture of responsibility, transparency and participation, and of safeguarding the dignity of every person.”
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