Indonesia Protests, TikTok Suspensions & What Happens When Trust Breaks w/ Gita Sjahrir - E633
"The real gist of that entire situation was government please listen to people who are hurting so more free speech so more freedom of press more avenues for the people and the DPR and the government to interact and I think the big aha moment in this entire movement is finally lots of people are waking up that politics affect their everyday lives it affects every single person who's a resident or a citizen and are living in Indonesia and who love Indonesia" - Gita Sjahrir, Head of Investment at BNI Ventures
"The cost of this was extremely clear. It's the cost of what happens when empathy is not expressed in politics and when you make rules and regulations. The cost of what happened starting in the end of August until now is more than 6,000 people have been arrested. I lost count of how many thousands of people are injured. Ten people were killed. And so the cost is extremely clear. I'm hoping there's something that came out of it." - Gita Sjahrir, Head of Investment at BNI Ventures
"One person said, 'Anyone who criticize what DPR members make are idiots.' And there were others who said, 'Well, I'm okay getting this housing benefit. I think it's completely fair because my house is very far from my office in Jakarta.' That was considered tone-deaf for very obvious reasons. A really big piece that's missing here is empathy. There seems to be this lack of empathy and understanding that people are hurting. People don't have time to wait for government officials to finally do the right thing and have great results because people are literally hurting in every way—economically, health-wise, everything." - Gita Sjahrir, Head of Investment at BNI Ventures
Gita Sjahrir and Jeremy Au analyze Indonesia’s nationwide protests to uncover how economic frustration, political tone-deafness, and social media reshaped the country’s trust in government. They discuss how widening income gaps and stalled reforms triggered anger across generations, how empathy and governance broke down, and how technology became both a rallying force and a regulatory battleground. Their conversation highlights the urgent need for reform, the rise of citizen activism, and the lessons Southeast Asia can draw from Indonesia’s call for accountability and change.