Civil Society to Hold Republic Conference at UGM
A coalition of civil society organisations, activists, academics, and national figures will convene at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on Saturday, 30 May 2026, for the ‘Republic Conference: Strengthening Civil Society as a Republic Pillar’.
Committee Chairman Sudirman Said stated the meeting serves as a space to reflect on ideas scattered across various movements, aiming to consolidate and transform them into an organised collective will. “This forum is a continuation of historical calling. The republic was driven by civil society long before the state existed,” said the former Energy and Mineral Resources Minister in a written statement on Friday, 30 May 2026. “Hence, the cohesion of civil society must be re-established as a pivotal force contributing to the republic’s welfare.”
Sudirman noted that history shows civil society has always been at the forefront of societal change, including leading the independence movement. However, he added, the emergence of civil society movements was an unintended consequence of the Ethical Policy.
He cited civil society movements emerging every two decades: the 1908 event marking the birth of modern civil society consciousness with Boedi Oetomo’s establishment, the 1928 Youth Pledge, and the 1945 independence declaration. This was followed by the transition from Sukarno’s Old Order to Suharto’s New Order in 1966 and the Reformasi era that toppled Suharto in 1998.
Sudirman questioned whether Indonesia has improved since Reformasi. “This nation should be advancing. But is it truly progressing today?” he asked.
Committee Secretary Yanuar Nugroho said today’s challenges require different approaches from the 1998 Reformasi. “Previously, we united against what we did not want. Today, we face oligarchies operating through laws, regulations, and more sophisticated narrative control,” said the Nalar Institute founder.
Thus, Yanuar stressed civil society must develop infrastructure connecting groups to foster mutual understanding and collective action. “The republic does not lack concerned citizens; it needs connectors to unite them,” he said.
Sudirman and Yanuar confirmed the Republic Conference was designed around this framework. The one-day event will open with a speech by UGM Vice Rector Arie Sujito, followed by a keynote address from Press Council Chairman Komaruddin Hidayat, establishing the foundation for civil society-power relations in current crises.
A plenary session will address four dimensions of crisis: democratic representation crisis, economic inequality and social base erosion, anatomy of strategic institution weakening, and social fragmentation and depoliticisation of the public.
Seven parallel panels will delve into specific themes: models of institutionalising public participation, national civil society consolidation strategies, economic justice and economic democracy, rule of law and anti-corruption, ecological crisis and growth limits, democratisation of knowledge, and active and deliberative citizenship models.
Dozens of speakers, including academics, legal practitioners, economists, activists, and civil society leaders, are scheduled to attend, such as Jaleswari Pramodhawardani (Lab 45), Andi Widjajanto (former Lemhannas Governor), Arie Sujito (UGM Sociology Professor), Romo Leo Kleden (IFTK Ledalero), Alissa Wahid (Gusdurian Network), Zainal Arifin Mochtar (UGM Constitutional Law Professor), Bhima Yudhistira (CELIOS), Titi Anggraini (Perludem), Victoria Fanggidae (The Prakarsa), Chandra Hamzah (former KPK commissioner), and Yanuar Nugroho (Nalar Institute).
The conference will close with remarks by Baiquni, Chair of UGM’s Professors’ Council, and Endgame founder Gita Wirjawan, discussing the importance of building a transnational civil society epistemic community in Southeast Asia.
Sudirman and Yanuar emphasised the theme “Strengthening Civil Society as a Republic Pillar” is not ceremonial. Civil society movements have often stopped at expression and aspirations without converting them into binding decision-making and action. Thus, the Republic Conference aims to produce two concrete outcomes: a collective statement on civil society’s role as a republic pillar and concrete post-conference action steps.