Can Indonesia Meet the People's Demands? Here's What Citizens Think

In late August to early September 2025, protests took place across various regions of Indonesia.

Following the protests, netizens widely circulated the "17+8 People's Demands," comprising 17 demands requiring government resolution within one week and 8 demands with a one-year deadline.

These demands ranged from evaluating DPR (House of Representatives) member allowances and reforming political parties, the police, the TNI (Indonesian National Armed Forces), taxation, and the seizure of assets from corruptors, to economic and labor policies.

According to a Kompas Research and Development (Litbang Kompas) survey, 37.9% of respondents believed the government could only fulfill some of these demands. 30.7% believed all demands could be met, while 30% were pessimistic about the realization of all demands.

Of the 8 demands with a one-year deadline, 27.6% of respondents believed the most likely to be fulfilled was the ratification of the Asset Seizure Law for Corruptors.

Fewer respondents believed the government could meet the other demands.

The following shows public confidence levels in the fulfillment of the people's demands with a one-year deadline:

* Ratification and enforcement of the Asset Seizure Law for Corruptors: 27.6%

* Review of economic and labor sector policies: 16.8%

* Overhaul and large-scale reform of the DPR: 14.5%

* Develop a fairer tax reform plan: 10.4%

* Reform of leadership and systems within the police to ensure professionalism and humaneness: 5.9%

* TNI return to barracks without exception: 5.5%

* Reform of political parties and strengthen executive oversight: 3%

* None at all: 10.5%

* Don't know/didn't answer: 5.8%

"This phenomenon demonstrates public pragmatism. They place hope in concrete, technocratic steps. Complex structural reforms are considered difficult to achieve in the near future," stated the Litbang Kompas team in their report on Monday, September 15, 2025.

This survey involved 528 respondents from 72 cities across 38 provinces, randomly selected according to the population proportion in each province.

Data collection was conducted from September 8-12, 2025, through telephone interviews. The survey's margin of error is approximately 4.22% with a 95% confidence level, under conditions of simple random sampling.