Indonesia doubles MPs’ recess allowances weeks after deadly protests
Reports indicate that Indonesia's 580 MPs take roughly five recesses per year, during which they visit electoral districts and gather feedback from residents.
Indonesia has introduced a new allowance that will see MPs receive nearly double their previous recess pay, sparking fresh public anger just weeks after some benefits were cut following nationwide protests.
The increase affects payments meant to support the MPs' activities in their constituencies during parliamentary breaks, covering visits, meetings and related work activities.
Indonesia's Deputy Speaker Sufmi Dasco Ahmad announced on Monday, noting that each MP will now receive 700 million rupiah (Sh5.5 million) per recess, up from 400 million rupiah (Sh3.1 million).
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Reports indicate that Indonesia's 580 MPs take roughly five recesses per year, during which they visit electoral districts and gather feedback from residents.
According to Dasko, the allowance, which was approved by the country's finance ministry in May and took effect on October 3, is intended to cover the MPs' visits and related activities.
He similarly justified the new allowance by pointing to rising living costs, stating that the previous figure was based on the 2019-2024 period and did not account for "subsequent rises in staple food prices and transportation costs."
"So this is not a raise, it's a policy decided by the house's secretariat after reviewing various kinds of aspects," he said, adding that the figure was proposed by the Secretariat and not Parliament itself.
Dasko added that the House of Representatives would launch a publicly accessible app requiring lawmakers to report how they spend their recess funds, giving Indonesians a way to track and monitor their expenditures.
The increase follows widespread unrest in August, when thousands of students, activists, and other civilians took to the streets to protest government spending, including MPs' salaries.
The demonstrations turned violent after a motorcycle taxi driver was killed during a police operation, spreading to 32 of Indonesia's 38 provinces. The unrest left 10 people dead and led to at least 5,000 arrests, marking the deadliest nationwide protests in over 20 years.
Protesters were particularly angered by MPs' monthly housing allowances of around $3,000 (Sh387,600), which is almost ten times Jakarta's minimum wage. These were later cut by the Indonesian government in an effort to mitigate public anger
"It's like Indonesians have been pranked," Lucius Karus from Formappi, a non-profit parliamentary watchdog, told local media outlets.
"We were satisfied by the abolition of the housing allowance ... but, in fact, another fantastic allowance has appeared."
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