Masked man protesting against Ahok last year.
Jakarta City Council (DPRD) Vice Chairman Muhammad Taufik doesn’t see anything wrong with paying people to protest in a political rally.
Referring to the protester who admitted he was paid Rp 50k to protest against Ahok yesterday, Taufik defended the existence of paid protesters.
“Paying them is acceptable because it’s for their meals. It’s acceptable. Don’t just look at it from the paying angle, dong,” Taufik said today, as quoted by Kompas.
Taufik added that the protesters, who were part of the Anti-Corruption Society (MARS), were right to be upset at Ahok for naming a specially-bred breed of Jakartan cattle the “Betawi cow” as the name is apparently racist.
But we doubt they’d even care to protest if nobody promised them around Rp 50k as meal allowance.
