Alpera Yogyakarta Challenges Four Independence Ideals

The People’s Liberation Alliance (Alpera) Yogyakarta challenged a number of issues deemed inconsistent with the ideals of independence during a protest at the Gramedia intersection in Yogyakarta on Friday (14/8/2026) at around 1 p.m. local time. The action, titled ‘81 Years of Independence: Who Profits from Independence?’, was attended by various cross-generational elements of society, ranging from students and university students to representatives of the online motorcycle taxi (ojol) community and Muslim intellectuals. In the action, Alpera carried the agenda of ‘Challenging 4 Independence Ideals’ through open orations and discussions of various issues in national and state life. Alpera put forward four demands: free and quality education, the eradication of oligarchy, rejection of LGBTQ normalisation, and rejection of Indonesia’s involvement in the Board of Peace (BoP) and the deployment of Indonesian National Armed Forces (TNI) troops to the International Security Forces (ISF) in Gaza. One of the protest participants, Muhammad Fauzan Yazid Ramadhan, a university student and the first orator, said the presence of the younger generation was an effort to convey their concerns to the nation’s leaders. ‘We are here out of the same liberation of thought, namely our thinking so that we can give advice to the fathers and mothers of our nation,’ Fauzan said. According to Fauzan, independence is not enough if it is merely celebrated through various activities every year. He argued that the general welfare, which is one of the ideals of independence, needs to be genuinely felt by the public. ‘The younger generation is tired of promises, especially the promises and ideals of independence today, namely providing general welfare. We as Gen Z feel that we actually go through the days and events, we enliven independence, but we do not actually feel that independence. The dollar is rising, work is getting harder, and our regions are increasingly confused about their future direction,’ he said. Fauzan said these conditions are the reason the younger generation needs to voice its aspirations. He expressed hope that the concerns raised would not stop as voices on the street but could be heard by the nation’s leaders. ‘We are the children of the nation who will become the fathers and mothers of the nation in the future,’ he said. In addition to domestic issues, Alpera highlighted the planned involvement of Indonesia in the Board of Peace and the International Security Forces in Gaza. Ahmad Hanafi Rais, one of the orators at the protest, highlighted the plan to deploy TNI troops to the International Security Forces in Gaza as well as the narrative of developing Gaza into a global metropolitan city. ‘The fate of being part of the Board of Peace, the Peace Council, is planned to send Indonesian National Armed Forces troops to the International Security Forces in Gaza. The narrative now emerging is that Gaza will be built into a global metropolitan city,’ Hanafi said. He argued that this situation needs to be viewed in the context of Palestinian history. ‘But we know very well that since the genocide by Zionist Israel three years ago until now, it is the history of Zionist Israel’s colonisation of Palestinian land,’ said the eldest son of reform figure Amien Rais. Meanwhile, Aziz, an online motorcycle taxi driver, also voiced concerns about the economic condition of the public. He highlighted the heavy economic pressures, including the costs of healthcare and education. Aziz expressed hope that these conditions could change in the future so that the public would not be further burdened by basic needs. Alpera stated that the action was a peaceful and orderly expression of aspirations. Participants were also asked to maintain order, respect road users, and be mindful of the public and the environment around the protest site.