BEM UBK to Stage Protest at State Palace Tomorrow with Six Demands

Student demonstrations are set to take place in Jakarta on Monday, 15 June 2026. Among the participants is the Student Executive Board of Bung Karno University (BEM UBK), which will hold a protest under the theme ‘Reorganising Indonesia’ at 10:00 WIB at the State Palace, Jakarta.

BEM UBK will present six key demands, including urging the government to temporarily suspend and evaluate the free nutritious meal programme and the Red and White Village Cooperative (Koperasi Desa Merah Putih); reviewing the National Police Law; and halting militarism to uphold civilian supremacy.

Furthermore, BEM UBK is calling on the government to take strategic steps to maintain the stability of the rupiah exchange rate and national economic resilience. They also demand that the government provide inclusive, high-quality, and affordable education for all Indonesians, and finally, a review of fuel price increases due to the burden they place on the public.

The Chairman of the BEM Faculty of Law at UBK, M. Abdi Maludin, stated that the ‘Reorganising Indonesia’ action is the result of a consolidation of UBK student organisations held on Saturday, 13 June 2026. According to Abdi, this consolidation followed an internal study by BEM UBK suggesting that the country is currently in decline, marked by various demands ranging from discussions of ‘Reform Part 2’ to calls to halt the free meal programme.

“Therefore, we from the Bung Karno University BEM are conducting this consolidation because there are indicators that the nation today must rise from the current state of decline,” Abdi told Tempo on Sunday, 14 June 2026.

However, Abdi noted that BEM UBK does not wish to return to the era of the 1998 demonstrations. He emphasised that BEM UBK wants Indonesia to remain united despite the current hardships. “We do not want Indonesia to be divided by provocations and such; we must anticipate this as students and citizens,” he added.

Abdi estimated that approximately 200 people from within UBK will participate in tomorrow’s action, though this number could increase if other campuses join. He noted that BEM from Pamulang University (Unpam) and Muhammadiyah University of Jakarta (UMJ) have indicated they may join the protest. “They are currently undergoing their own internal consolidations and deliberations, and we will await their final decision,” said the man who is also serving as the field coordinator for tomorrow’s UBK action.