Elon Musk needs nickel. Indonesia’s repressive regime has it. What could possibly go wrong?

World’s richest man Elon Musk craves natural resources for Tesla. The human rights abuses taking place to get them, however, don’t seem to concern him too much. And Indonesia is a good example of that.

The revival of a US-backed dictatorship in Indonesia?

Nickel is important for electric vehicle batteries, and therefore of immense interest for Musk. And Indonesia leads nickel production globally, with some saying it “nearly has a monopoly on nickel”. In 2022, Tesla made a massive deal to buy nickel products from the country, despite environmental concerns.

The 1 May protests and repression in Indonesia, however, act to remind us that Indonesia is not exactly a champion of human rights. Because the “world’s third-largest democracy” currently seems to be at risk of slipping back into military rule. Elitist president Prabowo Subianto has faced massive protests recently over austerity measures and efforts to give armed forces more of a role in government. In particular, cuts have hit ministries dealing with “children’s welfare, public infrastructure and natural disasters”. And despite this context, the government has chosen to raise royalties on nickel.

It’s unsurprising that wealthy “strongman” Subianto would seek to further empower the military and weaken democracy in Indonesia. Because he’s an ex-general linked to war crimes and other abuses during the US-backed anti-communist dictatorship of Suharto during the Cold War. These attacks on human rights have long come with the complicity of Western companies, especially in the ongoing brutal occupation of West Papua. And now, Subianto seems to be “reviving” Suharto’s dark legacy.

Resources, repression, and resistance

As the Canary previously argued, the alliance between Elon Musk and Donald Trump may well be responsible for the strategy of bulldozing international diplomacy over natural resources. For electric vehicles in particular, resources like steel, aluminium, lithium, cobalt, nickel, manganese, graphite, and rare earth elements are all in demand. And Indonesia is just one in a long list of countries that has resources Musk and the US want. It’s also one of the places where the economic and political elites of the empire are happy to trash human rights and the environment in the interest of profits.

The fightback is both in the streets and online. And we know which side we’re on.

Indonesia: The dark side of the nickel.https://t.co/Po1qmAOynh pic.twitter.com/KrncsXJZ47

— Aida Greenbury (@AidaGreenbury) April 30, 2025

Aksi MayDay 2025 di DPR mendapatkan represifitas aparat kepolisian dan TNI.
Saat ini kasbi masih stay di pintu 10 GBK untuk memastikan dan mengkoordinir massa aksi yang datang dari berbagai daerah dan banyak yang merupakan perempuan, dan anak-anak memastikan keselamatan mereka. pic.twitter.com/qLMP2yg6A7

— KASBI_Indonesia (@KasbiIndo) May 1, 2025

Video ini memperlihatkan momen ketika polisi menarik dan memeriksa paksa peserta aksi Hari Buruh di depan Gedung DPR, Jakarta, pada Kamis (01/05).

Sebelumnya, massa melakukan long march sambil menyuarakan hak-hak buruh. pic.twitter.com/ECXRmUPLgN

— BBC News Indonesia (@BBCIndonesia) May 1, 2025

VIDEO | #MayDay2025: Jakarta, Indonesia#ACAB pic.twitter.com/njbrVcebc5

— Antifa_Ultras (@ultras_antifaa) May 1, 2025

Featured image via the Canary