Kilusang Mayo Uno strongly condemns the brutal killing of Affan Kurniawan, a Gojek delivery rider, by the Jakarta Metropolitan Police during a protest near the Parliamentary Complex of Indonesia yesterday.
Kurniawan was in the middle of making a delivery when he was deliberately run over by a tactical vehicle of the Mobile Brigade Corps.
The protests erupted after the Members of Parliament in Indonesia received a hefty increase in their allowances. Led by workers, including delivery riders, the protest on August 28 demanded an increase in the minimum wage, an end to mass layoffs, and the imposition of stricter penalties against corruption.
This reflects the same conditions faced by Filipino workers, who also suffer from low wages and job insecurity. Like in Indonesia, our government officials wallow in stolen wealth wrung from our daily labor. They, too, unleash police and military violence against people asserting their rights.
Filipino workers stand in solidarity with our Indonesian brothers and sisters in their fight against corporate greed and state violence. Whether in Manila or Jakarta, the enemy is the same: exploitative capitalists who squeeze millions in profit from workers, and their fascist enforcers. We stand with you in the fight for the rights and dignity of the working class!
To workers in the Philippines and around the world, let us demand justice for Affan Kurniawan and for all workers who are exploited, oppressed, and killed. Let us support the struggle of Indonesian workers for a living wage, job security, and against corruption!