Demands for a national disaster declaration
The government's response to the fires dominated the protests, according to The Jakarta Post. Demonstrators carried banners criticizing its handling of blazes that have swept through Kalimantan, Sumatra and Papua for months, spreading haze and raising health concerns in Indonesia and neighboring countries.
Many protesters urged the government to declare a national disaster, a step that could bring additional firefighting resources. Prabowo's administration has repeatedly rejected those calls, maintaining that the fires are under control.
The Government Communications Agency outlined the official response in an Oct. 28 statement: more than 72,000 personnel deployed to battle fires in six provinces and 1.24 trillion rupiah, about $73 million, in assistance provided to affected regions. According to the agency, authorities had also designated 244 individuals and 14 companies as suspects in fire-related cases by Oct. 25.
Burned land, respiratory illness and regional haze
Figures from the forest monitoring platform Nusantara Atlas put the area burned during the nine months since January 2026 at no less than 1.9 million hectares. The Independent described this year's fire season as Indonesia's worst in more than a decade, driven by an El Niño-induced drought and record heat.
An Oct. 23 report by The Independent cited health ministry records showing more than 333,470 cases of acute respiratory illness in seven affected provinces since mid-August. The tally had stood at nearly 280,000 a week earlier.
Singapore has also acted over the haze. As reported on Oct. 23, it had sent legal notices to seven companies in Indonesia that it holds responsible for the fires. Singapore's environment minister, Grace Fu, warned that the country's air quality could deteriorate further.
Youth Pledge Day rallies and political discontent
A coalition of student unions organized the demonstrations in Jakarta and other cities under the name #IndonesiaSadar, or Wake Up, Indonesia. They took place on Youth Pledge Day, which commemorates the 1928 pledge by Indonesian youths concerning the nation's identity.
In the capital, thousands assembled near the Welcome Statue at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle. Beyond the fire response, protesters accused the government of pursuing policies that benefited political elites rather than meeting public needs.
For the first time, the students marched without their signature varsity jackets. They raised three-finger salutes to signal resistance, a gesture popularized by the American film The Hunger Games and adopted by pro-democracy movements around the world.
Police reported deploying more than 14,000 combined security personnel across central Jakarta for the rally. Tactical vehicles were positioned nearby, according to Bloomberg News, as published by BusinessMirror.
The demonstrations took place amid mounting criticism two years into Prabowo's presidency. An October 2026 poll by Saiful Mujani Research & Consulting put his approval rating at 44.5%, compared with 81.2% in November 2025, Bloomberg News reported.
