East Timorese Students Protest Lawmaker Perks  

Student-led protests in East Timor entered a third day Wednesday, as thousands demonstrated against a now-scrapped plan to buy new SUVs for lawmakers in the Southeast Asian country where 40 percent of the population lives in poverty, Agence France-Presse reported. 

Earlier this week, the capital Dili saw mass protests denouncing a $4.2 million plan to buy Toyota Prado SUVs for all 65 members of parliament. Protesters complained that lawmakers already owned well-functioning cars while citizens continue to face dire economic hardship.

Clashes between demonstrators and police were reported on two consecutive days. 

On Tuesday, parliament dropped the plan in an effort to appease protesters, saying they must now “adopt administrative and financial measures aimed at maintenance and efficient use” of vehicles already used by lawmakers. 

Even so, protesters remained skeptical of the reversal, and around 2,000 people rallied in front of the parliament Wednesday to protest other issues, including a 2006 law that gives retired lawmakers lifetime pensions. 

Parliament later said in a statement that it would take steps to annul the pension law. 

According to the Inter-Parliamentary Union, East Timorese lawmakers have an annual basic salary of $36,000 as of 2023 – more than 10 times the country’s average income, the BBC noted. 

This is not the first time East Timor has been hit by protests over vehicles for lawmakers: In 2008, police detained students protesting a plan to spend $1 million on new cars for representatives. 

But observers said the current demonstrations have now expanded to calls to address inequality, unemployment, and poor public services. 

East Timor’s protests echo similar student-led demonstrations across South and Southeast Asia in recent weeks that have seen thousands hit the streets of Indonesia and Nepal over perceived excesses of lawmakers.