The Inequality That Breeds Anarchism: An Outsider’s Perspective on Indonesia

A perspective from someone who once lived inside the bubble for a while. Safe, backed up by those above me, shielded from chaos outside. Demonstrations? Turmoil in the streets? I only learned about them years later, when one of the protesters became a colleague. That’s when it hit me: the world outside the bubble was far more tumultuous than I had ever imagined.

Jakarta Daily

From outside, the picture is stark. The elite live in filtered environments, insulated by networks, PR, and protocols. Criticism from the streets rarely reaches them, and when it does, it’s diluted, safe, and sanitized. Their wealth and privilege often stem not from effort or contribution to society, but from positions, connections, and a system that rewards them, while the majority of people struggle to make ends meet.

Rakyat are smarter than ever. Not necessarily elite-educated, but sharp enough to spot injustice, quick enough to act, and loud enough to make the world notice. Protests erupt, symbols of power are challenged, and viral narratives amplify the tension. And yet, the system remains largely oblivious, the bubble above barely touching the reality below.

The Guardian

Anarchism in this context is not ideology, it is reaction. A direct response to inequality that feels permanent, personal, and unsolvable. Extreme disparity erodes trust, fuels frustration, and makes conventional avenues for change seem ineffective.

It often takes a crisis, a viral outrage, or a visible backlash for the elite to understand that inequality breeds contempt and anarchism. Only when the bubble cracks do they start to glimpse the consequences of disconnecting from reality.

Indonesia Today Through the Lens of Why Nations Fail

MIT News

Indonesia today exhibits many warning signs described by Daron Acemoglu & James Robinson in Why Nations Fail: The Origins of Power, Prosperity, and Poverty (2012). Extractive institutions (those that enrich a few at the expense of the majority) are still prevalent. Extreme inequality, both economic and political, is visible, particularly when the elite live far above the rakyat’s standard while the majority struggles. Elites remain insulated from reality, often only noticing public dissatisfaction once it erupts into protests or viral outrage. This aligns with the book’s argument that systemic inequality erodes trust, heightens social tension, and can provoke contempt or even anarchism.

Luxury, Power, and the Thin Line of Legitimacy

ANSA

A blunt observation: luxury is safest pursued in the private sector. There, wealth is earned, privilege is justified, and it rarely collides with public expectation. 

Life within government or formal power structures is different, being funded by taxpayers while living above the rakyat’s standard is risky, ga sopan. It invites disdain, sparks protests, and fuels viral outrage.

Seeing a private entrepreneur buying high-jewelry at Sotheby’s? Respect is easy to give. But witnessing a government official doing the same, I don’t care if they have side businesses or inherited wealth, triggers a different reaction, an instinctive sense of unfairness, a quiet “this isn’t right.” Perhaps this is exactly what fuels the rakyat’s resentment. Note: The Sotheby’s analogy is symbolic, not literal.

A word of caution to the People: patience must sometimes be prolonged. Demonstrations, for all their intensity, can feel almost useless against a bubble so protected, so insulated, once inside, it’s astonishingly safe and sound.

Perhaps the bubble will eventually crack, and when it does, the consequences of disconnecting from reality will be undeniable. Until then, inequality continues to breed contempt, and the rakyat’s frustration simmers, ready to erupt in ways the insulated few may never anticipate. Do they wait for the nation to fail?

The Guardian