Demands of the UPNVJ Student Executive Board Protest
The Student Executive Board of Universitas Pembangunan Nasional “Veteran” Jakarta held a protest at the Patung Kuda area on Jalan Medan Merdeka today, Thursday, 18 June 2026. BEM UPNVJ Chairman Gufron Dymas Wicaksono stated that the UPN Veteran Jakarta Student Family had consolidated and decided to take to the streets today.
“From within UPN Veteran Jakarta, the estimated number of students who will directly participate ranges from 200 to 300,” Gufron said when contacted on Thursday afternoon.
According to Gufron, this protest stems from the anxiety of UPNVJ students regarding various national issues that are increasingly felt by the public. For instance, he cited economic uncertainty, natural resource management that has not fully sided with the people, various public policies lacking public participation, and educational issues still far from the principles of justice and equity.
“On that basis, the UPN Veteran Jakarta Student Family consolidated and decided to take to the streets as a form of constitutionally conveying the people’s aspirations,” Gufron said.
Gufron stated that this protest also serves as a reminder to the government to remain grounded in the mandate of reform, Pancasila, and the 1945 Constitution in running the wheels of government.
The UPNVJ student masses brought at least three demands. First, BEM UPNVJ demands a reaffirmation of the mandate of Article 33 of the 1945 Constitution and the building of national economic sovereignty through state governance that sides with the people; maintaining the health of the state revenue and expenditure budget by prioritising pro-people public spending; and eradicating natural resource mafia practices that harm the nation’s interests.
Second, the government is asked to safeguard the sovereignty of the nation and the people by ensuring that every policy and international cooperation prioritises national interests; rejecting all forms of intervention that disrupt Indonesia’s sovereignty; strengthening public participation in decision-making; and providing real protection for indigenous peoples and local communities over their living spaces and ancestral lands.
Third, the masses demand that the government improve state governance through a comprehensive evaluation of the free nutritious meal programme; guarantee the right to quality, decent, and equitable education for all Indonesian people; and ensure that all legislative products are based on the values of Pancasila as the source of all sources of law.
Based on a protest poster shared by the @bem_upnvj Instagram account, the action was scheduled for 10:00 WIB. UPNVJ students gathered first at the Pondok Labu UPNVJ campus, specifically at the Selasar of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences B. After that, the students moved together to the protest point near the State Palace.