KUALA LUMPUR/JAKARTA: Indonesian delivery driver Rizky Azhar received an unexpected food order from Malaysia accompanied by a note stating the smoked beef with rice was for him.
This order represented part of a regional surge in food purchases for motorcycle taxi and delivery drivers across Indonesia.
The movement emerged as a show of solidarity with week-long protests addressing income inequality and generous parliamentary perks.
Protests spread nationwide after delivery driver Affan Kurniawan was killed by a police vehicle in Jakarta.
The demonstrations have highlighted the low wages and income precarity facing ride-sharing drivers throughout Indonesia.
President Prabowo Subianto stated that police and military would stand firm against the protests, which have occasionally turned violent.
Ten people have died since Affan’s death during the ongoing demonstrations.
Images of students and workers protesting on Indonesian streets have attracted widespread regional solidarity.
People across Southeast Asia are ordering food for delivery drivers and sharing order screenshots on social media.
Kuala Lumpur resident Ayman Hareez Muhammad Adib decided to show support from over 1,100 kilometres away.
The 23-year-old used the Grab app to place the order that ultimately reached driver Rizky Azhar.
Ayman explained that social media calls encouraged people to contribute and show support by sending food.
Orders typically include notes indicating drivers can either consume the food themselves or share it with their families.
Rizky received a similar message from Ayman during a slow Wednesday when many Jakarta schools and offices closed due to protests.
Drivers expressed surprise at receiving concern from foreign nationals in recent days.
Hundreds of motorcycle drivers recently flanked a vehicle carrying Affan’s body to the cemetery on a major Jakarta street.
Most drivers work for major platforms Grab and Gojek, the latter operated by Indonesia’s largest tech company GoTo.
Grab reported an uptick in overseas orders for Indonesian deliveries over the past week according to a company spokesperson.
The spokesperson declined to specify the exact increase or identify the specific countries involved.
Grab’s director of mobility and logistics Tyas Widyastuti confirmed orders originated mostly from Southeast and East Asia.
GoTo acknowledged their ‘Treat Your Driver’ feature has been welcomed as a solidarity gesture during this period.
The company did not specify whether these solidarity orders included purchases from overseas customers.
Motorcycle taxis remain ubiquitous throughout Indonesia, including in traffic-congested Jakarta.
Drivers have routinely protested low pay, employment insecurity, and unfair practices by ride-sharing companies in recent years.
Both GoTo and Grab have consistently defended their business practices against these criticisms. – Reuters
