JAKARTA — The homes of Indonesian lawmakers Uya Kuya and Eko Patrio were looted on Saturday night as unrest over parliamentary pay and benefits continued to engulf the capital and spread to other cities, the Jakarta Globe reported.
In East Jakarta’s Duren Sawit district, hundreds forced their way into the residence of Uya Kuya — a former television personality whose real name is Surya Utama — destroying the gate and breaking down doors before vandalising and looting the property.
Police and soldiers arrived about an hour later, but most of the looters had fled with electronic goods and clothing, according to the report.
Around the same time, protesters targeted the luxury home of comedian-turned-lawmaker Eko Patrio (Eko Hendro Purnomo) in South Jakarta’s upscale Mega Kuningan area.
Looters took luggage, clothing, a refrigerator and even a gas cylinder, while security forces again arrived too late to stop the ransacking, Jakarta Globe said.
Both Uya and Eko, who are members of the National Mandate Party (PAN), had faced criticism earlier this month after videos showed them dancing during parliament’s annual session — behaviour widely seen as insensitive amid worsening economic hardship.
Their home addresses were circulated online by protesters shortly after another lawmaker, Ahmad Sahroni, saw his house in North Jakarta vandalised and looted the same day.
In separate Instagram videos, Uya and Eko issued public apologies and pledged to act responsibly as lawmakers.
However, their apologies failed to prevent attacks on their residences.
The demonstrations, which began on August 25, were initially triggered by outrage over lawmakers’ pay and allowances.
Protests have since escalated, culminating in violent clashes with riot police and the death of 21-year-old motorcycle taxi driver Affan Kurniawan, who was fatally struck by a police armoured vehicle on Thursday.
By last night, unrest had spread beyond Jakarta to several cities, including Cirebon, Brebes, Solo, Kediri, Malang and Makassar, the report said.
