Aug. 25: Indonesia.
Sept. 8: Nepal.
Sept. 21: the Philippines.
Within the span of a month, the world has witnessed mass demonstrations against corruption and authoritarianism.
In Indonesia, President Prabowo Subianto’s administration cut funding for education, health, and public works, while approving a massive increase in housing allowances for members of the Parliament to a total nearly ten times the minimum wage in Jakarta.
In Nepal, the government attempted to ban social media platforms to suppress a connected and mobilized population that exposed the corruption and poor governance of the now-resigned Prime Minister K. P. Sharma Oli.
In the Philippines, mass protests broke out after officials were implicated in a corruption scandal surrounding flood-control projects that led to the resignation of the Speaker of the House of Representatives Martin Romualdez.
Watching these movements, I have realized that in one way or another, these policies represent schemes intended to exploit public money while ordinary citizens drown, literally and figuratively, in the costs of misgovernance.
These mass protests may seem geographically isolated, but their message is clear: nationally, democracies are under assault. From Jakarta to Kathmandu to Manila, crowds, especially the youth, have filled the streets chanting out one plea: for governments to stop neglecting the very people they are meant to serve.
Just as much as we pay attention to Indonesia’s Bali beaches, Nepal’s highest peaks, or the Philippines’ shores and cuisine, we must also pay attention to their collective movements against corrupt governments. If the past month has shown us anything, it is that the will of the people, though battered, remains unbroken.
Corruption and misgovernance survives on apathy. It is not an “over there” problem. It is a global horror that robs nations of democracy and dignity. By paying attention, we strip away the apathy that sustains them.
As Indonesia, Nepal, and the Philippines rise up, they remind us we cannot ignore these issues, we must amplify their voices across borders.
Because democracy does not just live in parliaments or palaces. Democracy lives where people demand democracy. And right now, it is alive, and the screams are loud in the streets of Jakarta, Kathmandu, and Manila.
Ry De Guzman Jr. is a member of the class of 2028 and can be reached at rdeguzmanjr@wesleyan.edu.
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