Andi Arief: The Public Will Not Rebel Against Prabowo

Politician from the Democrat Party, Andi Arief, assesses that Saiful Mujani’s remarks about public consolidation to topple President Prabowo Subianto cannot be acted upon. The 1998 activist opines that the public has no reason to overthrow Prabowo’s government, which has only been running for one year and six months.

“Based on the political theory I understand and my political experience, it is impossible for the people to become angry and hate Mr Prabowo and then rebel,” said Andi via a video he sent to Tempo on Friday, 10 April 2026.

Andi also expressed a desire to invite Saiful Mujani for a discussion to learn what references were used when he voiced his thoughts at an event titled “Halalbihalal of Observers Before Being Regulated” at Beranda Utan Kayu, East Jakarta, on Tuesday, 31 March 2026. At that event, observers and academics expressed concerns about the direction of Prabowo’s administration.

Mujani, who is a professor of Political Science at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, Jakarta, also participated as a speaker. The founder of Saiful Mujani Research and Consulting questioned the possibility of public consolidation to pressure for political change, including pushing Prabowo to step down from his position. “Can we consolidate ourselves to topple Prabowo?” said Mujani at the time.

Andi Arief views Mujani’s statement as an expression of a desire to remove Prabowo outside the impeachment mechanism stipulated by the constitution. However, through a people’s rebellion route. According to him, toppling a government outside the impeachment mechanism has occurred when the second President Soeharto was brought down by the public during the 1998 reformasi.

Arief opines that under Prabowo’s administration, this is difficult to do. Because the reasons for impeaching a president after a direct general election have strict requirements, such as allegations of corruption practices. He also assesses that Prabowo faces various challenges in leading Indonesia, such as being affected by the Iran war against Israel-America to fiscal limitations in implementing priority programmes.

Andi believes that Prabowo’s administration is now making maximum efforts to overcome obstacles amid limitations. He invites all parties to return to the democratic system. “Respect the people’s choice like that, so if you want to rebel, what will you rebel against?” said Andi.