In brief
In Jakarta, hundreds of workers rallied behind President Prabowo Subianto while an equal number of women marched to protest his handling of forest fires, a free‑meal programme and a tax on sanitary products. The events highlight mounting public discontent amid allegations that police illegally wiretapped the president.
Hundreds of workers and women assembled in Jakarta on Saturday, Nov 7, 2026, to either endorse President Prabowo Subianto or oppose his policies, according to Reuters.
The pro‑Prabowo rally was led by Labour Party chairperson Said Iqbal, who urged union members to stand with the president amid allegations that police illegally wiretapped him. Police had named four senior officers as suspects in the alleged interception of the president’s communications, the report said.
Said Iqbal
"We can mobilise members of our organisation across every town, every factory. We are prepared to respond at any moment to maintain order should any unrest arise, whether instigated by foreign interests or by individuals seeking to cause trouble."
Iqbal, a special adviser to President Prabowo, also warned that the friendly support would continue if any threat emerged against the former general’s administration.
Meanwhile, a separate group of hundreds of women marched through Jakarta’s streets to protest the president’s policies on forest fires that have raged for months, his costly free‑meal programme for workers, and a newly introduced tax on women’s sanitary products. The women’s march was described in the Straits Times as a demand for stronger women's rights and a critique of the administration’s approach to environmental and economic issues.
Both demonstrations underscored growing public discontent, with Reuters noting the protests were part of a series that included student rallies the week before in the capital and other cities. The protests also reflected concerns about the government’s handling of wildfires and weakening investor confidence in Southeast Asia’s largest economy.
Joko Widodo, the former president whose loyalists include one of the police suspects, said he respected the legal process surrounding the alleged wiretapping. A lawyer for one of the four suspects stated that the client would cooperate with investigators.
These events came as police continued to investigate the alleged interception, reflecting both internal tensions between Prabowo and his predecessor and broader questions about the rule of law in Indonesia’s political climate.
Overall, the day's flashpoints – a rally in support of Prabowo and a counter‑march by women – illustrated the polarised public sentiment surrounding the incumbent administration’s domestic agenda.
