Sawt Falasteen - Indonesians seek escape as anger rises over quality of life

She is one of thousands of Indonesians on social media promoting a popular hashtag that translates as "let's just escape for now".

Anger at the quality of life in Southeast Asia's biggest economy -- a nation of 280 million known for pervasive corruption and nepotism -- has stirred student protests and driven young and middle-aged professionals to seek jobs abroad.

"After working for so many years, my income remains about the same... meanwhile my needs are increasing," said the 39-year-old in the capital Jakarta, who declined to give her last name.

"I don't own a house or car... if I keep working like this, it will probably never be enough."

In the last month, the hashtag has picked up steam. It has racked up thousands of mentions and reached more than 65 million accounts on X, formerly Twitter, analytics firm Brand24 said.

The outpouring has coincided with student-led protests against wide-ranging government budget cuts by new President Prabowo Subianto.

Savings have been channelled into a new multi-billion-dollar sovereign wealth fund -- that reports to the ex-general.

- 'Want to fight' -

There were nearly 7.5 million unemployed people in Indonesia, according to the latest figures from the country's statistics agency, dating to August 2024.

That has stoked anger against a perceived poor quality of life, as the divide between the emerging nation's rich and poor grows wider and the middle class is squeezed.

"After many strange policies and the change of president, I have shifted to feeling like I have to move abroad. It has become a primary necessity," said Chyntia Utami, a 26-year-old tech worker in Jakarta.

"I really feel it. I don't get social assistance, and I have limited money to spend. Working is just about surviving day by day, month by month, not working with passion."

Some Indonesians are taking more physically demanding jobs abroad to escape.

Randy Christian Saputra, 25, left an office job at a multinational consulting firm to do manual labour on a tomato farm in Australia.

"I'm tired of the system in Indonesia. If we look abroad, they usually have a better system," he said.

Poor living standards in the megacity Jakarta encourage others to leave.

"The longer I stay in Jakarta, the harder it is because of pollution or traffic jams. It has more to do with the living standard," said Favian Amrullah, a 27-year-old software engineer, who is leaving for a tech startup in Amsterdam in April.

"I am exhausted, and feeling hopeless."

Some foreign companies are trying to capitalise on the trend, including Japanese recruitment firms posting online seeking to attract the most talented.

Experts said social media offers Indonesians an outlet where they feel heard.

"This showed the public's emotion," said Ika Karlina Idris, associate professor at Monash University Indonesia.

She said the hashtag highlighted "the public's concerns about jobs and nepotism" as well as at "haphazard public policies".

- 'Don't come back' -

The uproar sparked criticism from some government ministers. One even told those who wish to leave should not return.

"Just run away, if necessary, don't come back," Deputy Manpower Minister Immanuel Ebenezer told a reporter last month.

He did not immediately respond to an AFP request for comment.

Pro-Prabowo influencers have also spread disinformation, aiming to undermine the credibility of protesters.

In recent weeks, AFP's Fact Check team found more than a dozen TikTok videos pushing the baseless claim that student protesters are "paid", which attracted more than eight million views.

Pro-government and pro-Prabowo content creators then posted reaction videos amplifying the misinformation on YouTube and TikTok, garnering more than two million views, AFP Fact Check found.

Patricia remains undeterred, applying for a volunteer post in Germany in the hope she can find a paid job once there.

"I want to fight there for a better job, life, a better income," she said. "When I have a place there... no, I won't be returning to Indonesia."

Z.Ramadan--SF-PST