An Indonesian priest has urged the government to listen to the growing demands of young people calling for transparency, work opportunities, and good governance amid ongoing protests across the country.
“The expectations of young Indonesians are legitimate; they demand transparency, work, development, good politics, and a future. The problem is that they are being exploited for other purposes,” said Father Agustinus Purnama, Superior General of the Missionaries of the Holy Family (MSF) in the province of Java, in an interview with the Vatican’s Fides News Agency.
Father Purnama, who is nearing the end of his six-year term as Superior (2019–2025), said the demonstrations that swept Indonesia in early September reflect deeper frustrations and a strong civic conscience.
“Now we will see if the government will pay attention and listen to these demands… I do not think the movement is just a sudden outburst. Rather, I think it will continue, raising public awareness on essential issues of democracy and civic life,” he said.
He described the current movement as “an impulse dictated by an ethic of responsibility that addresses the entire nation and refers to Indonesia’s fundamental principles, the Pancasila.”
Among the key issues raised by young Indonesians is unemployment. Indonesia has one of the highest youth unemployment rates in Asia, with nearly 20 percent of the more than 44 million Indonesians aged 15 to 24 out of work — more than double the rate in neighboring Thailand, Vietnam, and Malaysia.
“Young people harbor a certain distrust of the government, which is being called upon to change course,” Father Purnama said.
This distrust, he added, has found expression in a student-led protest movement called Indonesia Gelap (“Dark Indonesia”), opposing the government’s plans to reduce spending on public services.
Economists attribute the country’s high unemployment to structural issues such as labor market rigidity, low wages, and weak investment.
Father Purnama warned that one of the major risks facing workers today is “modern slavery,” where people are trapped in exploitative conditions.
“It is the image of economic inequality that, exacerbated by corruption, has led to the demonstrations of recent weeks,” he said. “I believe that all politics, society, and even the Catholic Church are called upon to do their part to meet the expectations of young people.”
