Coalition Plans to Rally Parliament to Urge Prabowo to Withdraw from the BoP

A coalition of civil-society groups affiliated with the mass action Weekend Melawan plans direct meetings with the DPR, MPR, and DPD to deliver demands that Indonesia withdraw from the Board of Peace (BoP) forum membership. Representative Al Araf said that consolidating with Parliament is one of the steps the coalition will take to prevent Indonesia from slipping further into the abyss of American imperialism. ‘We are considering, and perhaps in the near future, a consolidation to urge Parliament to ratify policies and agreements with the US,’ Al Araf said during the Weekend Melawan rally in front of the DPR, MPR, and DPD Complex on Friday, 6 March 2026. He argued that Indonesia’s current position is highly unfavourable due to policies and agreements signed by President Prabowo Subianto with US President Donald Trump. For example, economically Indonesia is squeezed by the Agreement on Reciprocal Trade (ART). In terms of foreign policy, Indonesia has been pressured after joining BoP. ‘This could lead to our future economic development being difficult to achieve, including ensuring Palestinian independence,’ said the head of the Centra Initiative. During the Weekend Melawan rally, the demonstrators shouted ‘Prabowo Penakut’ (Prabowo Coward) as a critique of the Head of State’s apathy towards violations of international law and the Constitution carried out by the US and its allies, Israel. In the context of the US-Israel military attack on Iran, for example, the protestors argued Indonesia has lost its vigour as a country that adheres to a policy of free and active foreign policy. Instead of condemning or denouncing the assault that led to the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Hosseini Khamenei, Prabowo remained silent and slow to offer condolences. ‘Therefore we single out Prabowo as a coward; Prabowo does not dare to defend the nation better,’ Al Araf explained. In a separate remark, Wira Dika Orizha Piliang, a researcher at Imparsial who attended the action, said Prabowo’s stance on US foreign policy shows submission, for example in tariff setting and negotiations that clearly harm Indonesia. The climax, he said, is that instead of rejecting a biased agreement, Prabowo follows the wishes of US President Donald Trump, including signing ART, joining BoP, and approving the deployment of Indonesian soldiers in the ISF mission. ‘The Prabowo-Gibran administration has openly shown its true nature as a puppet of US imperialism,’ said Wira. In this Weekend Melawan protest, the coalition put forward several demands. First, rejection of the Indonesia-US trade agreement as it is detrimental. Second, urging the Parliament and government to evaluate all Indonesia-US trade agreements that are skewed and unfair. Third, Parliament and the government must evaluate Indonesia’s involvement in BoP. Fourth, the coalition rejects plans to send Indonesian soldiers to Gaza, Palestine in the ISF mission. Fifth, the government and Parliament must realise genuine agrarian reform and develop a national industry to safeguard the people’s sovereignty from imperialism and feudalism. Sixth, build unity of anti-imperialist, anti-feudal, and anti-fascist peoples, and seventh unite the democratic and national struggles of the Indonesian people with the struggles of oppressed peoples around the world in the spirit of international solidarity. Editor’s Choice: ITB Students’ Family Demands on the Prabowo Government.