DPR dissolution protest a natural part of Indonesia's democracy: govt

Jakarta (ANTARA) - An Indonesian minister said the government has no objection to the mass protest staged by citizens against the House of Representatives (DPR) on Monday, calling it "a natural phenomenon in a democracy."

Thousands of protesters under the banner of the Revolution of the Indonesian People gathered around the Parliamentary Complex in Jakarta, demanding the dissolution of the DPR, the cancellation of the ongoing Criminal Procedure Code revision, and the rejection of additional benefits for legislators.

"We are not forbidding residents from staging demonstrations. People are allowed to raise their voices, including calls for the dissolution of parliament," Coordinating Minister for Law, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra said.

However, Mahendra reminded citizens to express dissent only through legitimate means to maintain public order.

"In a democratic state, we must respect all legitimate processes," he emphasized.

The protesters included residents, workers, university students, online taxi drivers, and even high school pupils.

The rally was fueled by reports that each of the 580 DPR lawmakers receives up to Rp230 million (around US$14,100) per month, with a plan to add another Rp50 million in housing allowance.

Social media users widely criticized the benefits as excessive, particularly in contrast to parliament's perceived poor performance and the low wages of ordinary workers, especially honorary teachers.

Despite the demonstrations, the DPR continued its scheduled sessions on Monday, including meetings of Commissions X, VIII, and XIII.

To safeguard public order, authorities deployed 1,250 security personnel, including members of the National Police (Polri) and the Armed Forces (TNI).