Jakarta (ANTARA) - The government respects and values students\u2019\naspirations, including those expressed through demonstrations, as part\nof the freedom of expression guaranteed in a democracy, while\nreaffirming its commitment to addressing a range of public issues.<\/p>\n
Syahganda Nainggolan, head of the Indonesian Government\nCommunications Agency (Bakom), said in a statement received in Jakarta\non Wednesday that criticism, public aspirations and oversight are\nimportant parts of national life.<\/p>\n
He said these aspirations provide input for the government as it\ncontinues to evaluate and improve the quality of its policies and public\nservices.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government respects and values students\u2019 expression of their\naspirations, including through demonstrations, as part of efforts to\nnurture democracy,\u201d Syahganda said.<\/p>\n
He said the government therefore understood the various concerns\nraised by students during demonstrations.<\/p>\n
The issues highlighted include the environment, the economy,\neducation, legal reform and governance, as well as the protection of\nhuman rights and democracy.<\/p>\n
Syahganda said these issues were among the government\u2019s priorities\nand were being addressed through various policies and concrete\nmeasures.<\/p>\n
On environmental issues, for example, the government is stepping up\nefforts to extinguish forest and land fires.<\/p>\n
It is also seeking to protect affected communities, strengthen\nprevention and ensure that the law is enforced against parties suspected\nof being responsible for the fires.<\/p>\n
As of 25 October 2026, there had been 287 police reports involving\nindividuals, with 244 suspects, as well as 104 reports involving\ncompanies, with 14 companies named as suspects.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis shows that the response to forest and land fires involves\noperational action on the ground as well as legal action against parties\nsuspected of being responsible,\u201d Syahganda said.<\/p>\n
On the economy, he said the government continued to work to maintain\neconomic stability, expand employment opportunities and promote more\nevenly distributed development.<\/p>\n
These efforts are reflected, among other things, in Indonesia\u2019s\nyear-on-year economic growth of 5.45 per cent in the first half of\n2026.<\/p>\n
Investment realisation from January to September 2026 reached\nRp1,539.2 trillion, creating 2.19 million direct jobs.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government recognises that economic growth must be accompanied\nby higher purchasing power, better-quality jobs and equal access to\nopportunities, so that the public can feel the benefits of development\nmore widely,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
In education, the government is increasing its support, with the\nbudget rising from Rp757.82 trillion in the 2026 state budget to Rp824\ntrillion in the 2027 budget.<\/p>\n
The funds are intended to widen access to education, improve\nlearning, renovate schools, accelerate the digitalisation of education\nand improve teachers\u2019 welfare.<\/p>\n
For example, more than 55,451 schools were renovated in 2025-2026,\nwith a target of renovating more than 71,000 by the end of 2026.<\/p>\n
The education digitalisation programme has reached 368,310\neducational institutions, benefiting more than 51 million students.<\/p>\n
To support digital learning, the government distributed 288,865\ndigital devices and related equipment, including laptops and\ndata-storage devices, in 2025.<\/p>\n
In 2026, 72,258 devices had been distributed towards a target of\n742,536. In addition, 126,097 schools had received technical assistance\nin using the equipment.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government has also provided electricity to 2,389 schools and\ninternet access to 8,152 schools that were not connected, so that the\nuse of learning technology can be more evenly distributed,\u201d Syahganda\nsaid.<\/p>\n
On legal reform, Syahganda said President Prabowo Subianto\u2019s\nadministration was committed to eradicating corruption, collusion and\nnepotism without discrimination through law enforcement, preventing\nbudget leakage and recovering state assets.<\/p>\n
According to an official government statement on 6 October 2026, the\nTask Force for the Control of Forest Areas (Satgas PKH) had cumulatively\nrecovered state finances worth Rp52 trillion. The task force had also\nbrought more than 6.2 million hectares of forest under control.<\/p>\n
These achievements form part of efforts to protect state assets so\nthey can be used to the greatest possible benefit of the public.<\/p>\n
On 22 October 2026, the task force also shut down illegal gold-mining\noperations by PT Kristalin Eka Lestari in Nabire, Central Papua,\ncovering an area of 275.36 hectares.<\/p>\n
The government also revoked the company\u2019s mining business licence,\nwhich covered an area of 3,500 hectares.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is part of law enforcement against illegal mining, as well as\nefforts to protect forest areas and ensure natural resources are managed\nin accordance with regulations,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
On human rights and democracy, the government reiterated its\ncommitment to respecting citizens\u2019 constitutional rights, including the\nfreedom to express opinions peacefully.<\/p>\n
Its commitment to respecting human rights is also reflected in its\nrecognition of communities\u2019 struggles in the nation\u2019s history.<\/p>\n
One example was the inauguration of the Ibu Marsinah Museum on 16 May\n2026, in tribute to the struggle for workers\u2019 rights.<\/p>\n
Syahganda added that President Prabowo continued to make space for\ndialogue with academics, experts and various sections of society to hear\ntheir views and input on government policies.<\/p>\n
One such initiative was the \u201cThe President Answers\u201d forum, which\nlasted more than 12 hours.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government believes democracy must be continually safeguarded\nthrough openness to criticism, respect for differing views and\nprotection of people\u2019s rights in accordance with the Constitution,\u201d he\nsaid.<\/p>\n
Syahganda stressed that these achievements did not mean that all\nproblems had been resolved. He said challenges remained and would\nrequire sustained effort, evaluation and improvement.<\/p>\n
Students\u2019 aspirations therefore provide important input to help\nensure that government policies are better targeted and deliver tangible\nbenefits to the public.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government is committed to continuing its work, keeping dialogue\nopen and ensuring that development, law enforcement and governance\nalways serve the people\u2019s interests,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>", "url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/government-respects-demonstrations-reaffirms-commitment-to-address-public-issues-1793195628", "image": "" }, "sponsor": "Okusi Associates", "sponsor_url": "https:\/\/okusiassociates.com" }