A new allowance increase has sparked new public outrage, weeks after widespread protests against parliamentarians’ exorbitant salaries swept Indonesia. According to the deputy house speaker of the nation, lawmakers would now receive 702 million rupiah ($42,400; £31,800) in recess allowances, nearly doubling their previous 400 million rupiah.
When parliament is not in session, the recess payment is intended to assist members in doing their official responsibilities, such as visiting constituents. The MPs’ $3,000 monthly housing allowance, which is over ten times Jakarta’s minimum income, was the main cause of the protests earlier in August. Later, in an effort to calm ire, these were cut.
Thousands protested over MPs’ housing allowances, which sparked the protests in August. However, they quickly spread into a larger demonstration against economic disparity and corruption in the biggest economy in South East Asia.
This topic has now been reignited by the announcement of the most recent increase in recess allowance, which went into effect on October 3. During their roughly five annual breaks, Indonesian parliamentarians travel to their electoral districts to get input from the populace.
Sufmi Dasco Ahmad told reporters on Saturday that the rise in recess allowances is intended to correspond with the increased activity by parliamentarians during their absences.
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