Hundreds of women dressed in pink joined protests in Indonesia’s capital on Wednesday (September 3, 2025) against lawmakers’ perks and police brutality, brandishing brooms as a symbol of their calls for reform, while the President flew to China for a military parade.

The women carried signs with slogans such as “reform the police” and “your sweet promises cause diabetes,” as well as the brooms which protest organiser The Alliance of Indonesian Women said symbolised a need to “sweep the state’s dirt … and the repressiveness of security forces.”

Protests involving students, workers and rights groups that that began in Jakarta last week have rocked the world’s third-largest democracy, with the demonstrations escalating nationwide after a police vehicle hit and killed a motorcycle taxi driver on Thursday night.

Trying to placate the protesters, three deputy speakers of parliament held a meeting with at least 10 student unions, whose demands included the release of protesters from police detention and an investigation into Mr. Prabowo’s accusation about treason. The student body of University of Indonesia called for an independent party to investigate police violence during the unrest and expressed disappointment over lawmakers’ benefits as ordinary Indonesians experience economic hardship.

Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, deputy parliament speaker and a senior member of Prabowo’s political party, said parliament will evaluate members’ benefits, impose a moratorium on overseas trips and introduce reforms to improve transparency.

The students will be given a chance to convey their demands directly to the government on Thursday, Mr. Dasco said.

The ratings agency “believes there is a risk that social tensions could linger as the deeper issues are likely to endure, posing political challenges for the president and the ruling coalition, even with its large parliamentary majority”, it said.