Indonesia’s unpopular Omnibus Law ‘trying to kill us slowly’, protester says
- Thousands have been arrested in violent protests against the new Job Creation Law, with the use of force by the police and military criticised
- President Joko Widodo said demonstrators were being driven by disinformation and social media hoaxes, amid calls for a Constitutional Court review
The violent protests, which have taken place in over 20 cities nationwide, have seen thousands of demonstrators injured as they clashed with police who deployed tear gas and water cannons. Thousands more have been arrested. More protests are likely to take place next week.
President Joko Widodo, commonly known as Jokowi, told a news conference on Friday night that the new law was meant to improve workers’ welfare, dismissing reports that workers would not be paid during their leave.
“What I see is the widespread protest against the Job Creation Law is basically driven by disinformation about the law’s substance and social media hoaxes,” Jokowi said.
Bima, 19, a university student in Medan, told This Week in Asia that he joined a protest on Friday because he wanted to hold the government accountable.