KUALA LUMPUR: When Indonesian driver Rizky Azhar received a food delivery order from Malaysia, he was surprised by both the location and the accompanying note, which said the plate of smoked beef with rice was for him.
The order was part of a surge in food purchases from other Southeast Asian countries for motorcycle taxi and delivery drivers in Indonesia, a show of solidarity for week-long protests around income inequality and generous perks for lawmakers.
The protests spread across the country when delivery driver Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta, placing the low wages and income precarity of ride-sharing drivers at the heart of the demonstrations.
President Prabowo Subianto has said the police and military would stand firm against the protests, which have occasionally turned violent after Affan’s death and left 10 people dead.
But the images of students and workers on the streets have attracted a wave of solidarity, with people across Southeast Asia ordering food for delivery drivers and sharing the screenshots on social media.
Over 1,100 kilometers (701.5 miles) from the Indonesian capital, Ayman Hareez Muhammad Adib decided to show his support, using the ride-hailing and food delivery app Grab to place the order that ended up with Rizky.
“The calls tell us all to contribute to what’s happening in Indonesia...to show support by sending food,” the 23-year-old Kuala Lumpur resident said.
The orders are usually accompanied by a note that reads the drivers can take the food or give it to their families.
Rizky received a similar message from Ayman on a slow Wednesday, when several schools and offices were shut in Jakarta over the protests.
“We were surprised that in recent days, some foreign nationals have shown concern for us,” he said.
On a major Jakarta street last week, hundreds of motorcycle drivers flanked a vehicle carrying Affan’s body to the cemetery. Most worked for Grab and Gojek, operated by Indonesia’s biggest tech company GoTo.
Grab has seen an uptick in orders from overseas for delivery within Indonesia over the past week, a spokesperson told Reuters, declining to say by how much or from which countries.
Tyas Widyastuti, Grab’s director of mobility and logistics, said the orders came mostly from Southeast and East Asia.
A GoTo spokesperson said the company’s ‘Treat Your Driver’ feature “has been welcomed by customers during this period as a gesture of solidarity with driver-partners” without specifying whether orders had been placed from overseas.
Motorcycle taxis are ubiquitous across Indonesia, including in the capital Jakarta, known for some of the world’s worst traffic congestion.
In recent years, drivers have routinely protested low pay, lack of employment security and unfair practices by ride-sharing companies. GoTo and Grab have defended their business practices.
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Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers
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Indonesian protests draw regional solidarity with food orders for delivery drivers
- The protests spread across the country when delivery driver Affan Kurniawan was run over and killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta, placing the low wages and income precarity of ride-sharing drivers at the heart of the demonstrations
Ukraine’s Zelensky meets Pope Leo, prepares revised plan on Russia war
- UKrainian leader said that Washington’s 28-point plan had been reduced to 20 points after US-Ukraine talks at the weekend
CASTEL GANDOLFO, Italy: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky met with Pope Leo XIV in Italy on Tuesday as he prepared to send the United States revised proposals to end Russia’s invasion.
Zelensky on Monday held talks with European leaders in London and Brussels as US President Donald Trump keeps up pressure on Kyiv for a settlement.
Trump has accused Zelensky of not even reading his administration’s initial proposals, which were judged by Ukraine’s allies to be overly favorable to Russia.
Zelensky said that Washington’s 28-point plan had been reduced to 20 points after US-Ukraine talks at the weekend.
Ukrainian and European officials “are going to work on these 20 points,” Zelensky told an online press conference on Monday.
“We do not like everything that our partners came back with. Although this issue is not so much with the Americans as with the Russians.
“But we will definitely work on it, and as I said, tomorrow evening (Tuesday) we will do everything to send our view on this to the US.”
Washington’s plan involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not captured in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.
Zelensky pointed to the land issue and international security guarantees as two of the main sticking points.
“Do we envision ceding territories? We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either,” Zelensky said.
“The key is to know what our partners will be ready to do in the event of new aggression by Russia. At the moment, we have not received any answer to this question,” Zelensky said.
‘Robust security guarantees’
Zelensky met with Pope Leo at his country residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome, and is to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later Tuesday.
Meloni has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, although one of her coalition allies, Matteo Salvini’s League party, is more skeptical.
Rome has sent weapons to Ukraine but only for use inside the country. Meloni has also ruled out sending troops in a possible monitoring force proposed by Britain and France.
The Italian government last week postponed a decision on renewing military aid to Ukraine, with the current authorization due to end on December 31. Salvini has reportedly questioned if it was necessary given the new talks.
However, Meloni at the time insisted that “as long as there’s a war, we’ll do what we can, as we’ve always done to help Ukraine defend itself.”
On Monday, Zelensky met in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany before heading to Brussels for talks with the heads of the EU and of NATO.
“Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected. Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed, in the long term, as a first line of defense for our Union,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after Monday’s meeting.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X after the London meeting that “we are preparing robust security guarantees and measures for Ukraine’s reconstruction.”
Macron said the “main issue” was finding “convergence” between the European-Ukrainian position and that of the United States.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he was also frustrated that efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war had failed to produce results and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
Zelensky on Monday held talks with European leaders in London and Brussels as US President Donald Trump keeps up pressure on Kyiv for a settlement.
Trump has accused Zelensky of not even reading his administration’s initial proposals, which were judged by Ukraine’s allies to be overly favorable to Russia.
Zelensky said that Washington’s 28-point plan had been reduced to 20 points after US-Ukraine talks at the weekend.
Ukrainian and European officials “are going to work on these 20 points,” Zelensky told an online press conference on Monday.
“We do not like everything that our partners came back with. Although this issue is not so much with the Americans as with the Russians.
“But we will definitely work on it, and as I said, tomorrow evening (Tuesday) we will do everything to send our view on this to the US.”
Washington’s plan involved Ukraine surrendering land that Russia has not captured in return for security promises that fall short of Kyiv’s aspirations to join NATO.
Zelensky pointed to the land issue and international security guarantees as two of the main sticking points.
“Do we envision ceding territories? We have no legal right to do so, under Ukrainian law, our constitution and international law. And we don’t have any moral right either,” Zelensky said.
“The key is to know what our partners will be ready to do in the event of new aggression by Russia. At the moment, we have not received any answer to this question,” Zelensky said.
‘Robust security guarantees’
Zelensky met with Pope Leo at his country residence in Castel Gandolfo near Rome, and is to meet Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni later Tuesday.
Meloni has been a staunch supporter of Kyiv since Russia’s February 2022 invasion, although one of her coalition allies, Matteo Salvini’s League party, is more skeptical.
Rome has sent weapons to Ukraine but only for use inside the country. Meloni has also ruled out sending troops in a possible monitoring force proposed by Britain and France.
The Italian government last week postponed a decision on renewing military aid to Ukraine, with the current authorization due to end on December 31. Salvini has reportedly questioned if it was necessary given the new talks.
However, Meloni at the time insisted that “as long as there’s a war, we’ll do what we can, as we’ve always done to help Ukraine defend itself.”
On Monday, Zelensky met in London with the leaders of Britain, France and Germany before heading to Brussels for talks with the heads of the EU and of NATO.
“Ukraine’s sovereignty must be respected. Ukraine’s security must be guaranteed, in the long term, as a first line of defense for our Union,” European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen said after Monday’s meeting.
French President Emmanuel Macron wrote on X after the London meeting that “we are preparing robust security guarantees and measures for Ukraine’s reconstruction.”
Macron said the “main issue” was finding “convergence” between the European-Ukrainian position and that of the United States.
Trump has blown hot and cold on Ukraine since returning to office in January, initially chastising Zelensky for not being grateful for US support.
But he was also frustrated that efforts to persuade Russian President Vladimir Putin to end the war had failed to produce results and he recently slapped sanctions on Russian oil firms.
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