Disabled Coffee Vendor Joins Surabaya Protest, Decries Scarce Job Opportunities

A disabled mobile coffee seller, Aan, took to the stage during a student demonstration in front of the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya on Wednesday (17/6) to voice his grievances. He addressed the crowd gathered in front of the building, asserting that the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) programme is not an urgent priority for the government. According to him, other issues are far more critical, particularly the availability of jobs for disabled people. “What is needed is for disabled people to be able to work to their full potential,” Aan said. Aan highlighted the persistent discrimination against disabled workers amid an uncertain economic climate. He revealed that one of his friends had recently been laid off due to efficiency schemes implemented by companies and agencies, with disabled people becoming victims. “Many disabled people are unemployed. Many of my friends have been laid off,” he stated. Given these conditions, Aan urged both central and regional governments to resign if they are unable to ensure the welfare of the people. Beyond addressing the plight of the disabled community, Aan also directed a jibe at President Prabowo Subianto. He suggested that Prabowo has merely relied on gimmicks in his speeches, including referencing the president’s signature dance moves that often go viral. Thousands of students had begun to fill Jalan Gubernur Suryo to stage a demonstration in front of the Grahadi State Building in Surabaya on Wednesday (17/6). They were protesting a number of government policies deemed detrimental to the public. The students came from various campuses in Surabaya, including Universitas Airlangga (Unair), UPN Veteran Jawa Timur, Universitas Negeri Surabaya (Unesa), Universitas Muhammadiyah Surabaya (Umsura), the Surabaya BEM Alliance, BEM SI Jatim, BEM Nus Jatim, and other student elements. They carried posters and banners with protest messages. Students from the different Surabaya campuses also took turns delivering speeches through loudspeakers. In their orations, the students addressed the increasingly precarious state of Indonesian democracy. They also criticised the role of security forces, accusing them of neglecting their duties and instead engaging in the MBG project. “Today we see the government increasingly undermining democracy; our soldiers are not guarding the borders but instead managing MBG. Indonesia is gravely ill,” one speaker said.