Jakarta – Analysts believe that the wave of mass riots that broke out in several cities at the end of August 2025 was not merely spontaneous incidents, but rather the result of accumulated social injustice born of an extractive development model.
“The mass riots at the end of August are a clear sign that something is wrong with our development model,” said Firdaus Cahyadi, Founder of Indonesian Climate Justice Literacy, on Tuesday, September 2.
The incident that sparked public outrage began with the death of an online motorcycle taxi driver who was hit by a police car during a demonstration against an increase in parliamentary allowances. The tragedy, amid economic hardship for the people, triggered a wave of widespread protests that led to riots in various regions.
According to Firdaus, the root of the problem cannot be separated from a development model that relies solely on the extraction of natural resources. “The extractive development model not only destroys ecosystems, but also creates new poverty and concentrates wealth in the hands of a small group of people—the oligarchy,” he said.
Indonesia’s economic inequality data, said Firdaus, shows a widening gap. “Social inequality is an inevitability of extractive development. Unfortunately, the government and some members of the House of Representatives are actually exposing this social injustice,” he added.
Call for a change in development direction
Following the August events, Firdaus urged the government to immediately abandon its old approach and adopt a restorative, populist development model. “Restorative means that development must maintain the balance of the ecosystem while placing the community as the main actor. From the planning stage, the people must be involved so that a sense of ownership can grow. This is how to prevent social unrest like yesterday,” he explained.
However, according to him, the government’s response was disappointing. Instead of evaluating development policies, the state chose to label mass actions negatively and deploy the military into civilian spaces. “This is similar to the pattern of the New Order regime. It may be able to quell short-term anger, but as long as the injustices of extractive development are allowed to continue, the people’s anger will surely recur,” said Firdaus.
Firdaus also warned of the dangers of the country continuing to rely on a repressive approach. “If Indonesia turns into a militaristic fascist state, the chances of building a restorative economic model will be even smaller. On the contrary, extractive development will grow stronger to finance arms spending and protect the interests of a small elite,” he said.
He added that public opinion is crucial in driving change. “The public must continue to speak up so that the government does not turn Indonesia into merely an extractive economic machine that only benefits the oligarchy, while closing down democratic space,” he concluded. (Hartatik)
Banner photo: Image generated by OpenAI’s DALL·E via ChatGPT (2025)
