DPRD Urges Immediate Action on Malioboro Portals Causing Hardship for the Elderly
The Commission C of the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) has highlighted that the presence of portals in the Malioboro area of Yogyakarta is causing significant difficulties for elderly citizens. They are demanding that this issue be evaluated and immediately addressed with practical execution.
The Vice Chairman of Commission C, Amir Syarifudin, stated that an evaluation is essential given Yogyakarta’s commitment to being a child-friendly and elderly-friendly city. He noted that incidents have already occurred where elderly individuals struggled to navigate the portals.
“Regardless, as a child-friendly and elderly-friendly city, if such incidents occur, there must be an evaluation,” Amir said on Tuesday (1/9/2026).
He believes that evaluation must be followed by concrete steps, especially as the Malioboro area is a public space that will become increasingly crowded during the upcoming holiday season. “There needs to be execution. After all, this is a public area,” he added.
Amir emphasised that studying the problem is not enough. He urged the Yogyakarta City Government to find immediate solutions to prevent similar incidents from recurring. “It is not just about studying it, but executing it. The study has been done, but there were elderly victims. We need to find alternative routes or implement a system where the portals can be opened and closed; there should be a gate,” he explained.
One proposed option is to station officers at the location to assist with access management. Amir hopes that the Maliober area remains a safe and comfortable public space for all members of the community.
Previously, a video went viral on social media showing an elderly woman in a wheelchair struggling to pass through a green and yellow portal on a side street in Malioboro. Despite the portal being relatively low, the woman was seen exerting great effort to crawl underneath, assisted by family members and nearby residents.
The Regional Secretary of the Yogyakarta Special Region (Pemda DIY), Ni Made Dwipanti, stated that the incident is being used as a basis for evaluation. She noted that the portal design needs to better consider access for those using mobility aids.
“If it happens in the field that people with disabilities or pedestrians find it difficult to use that path, this will become a task for the officers on duty to manage,” Made told reporters. She admitted that the current design does not fully account for the needs of pedestrians using mobility aids, such as wheelchairs, which require different spatial considerations.
Meanwhile, the Yogyakarta Department of Transportation (Dishub DIY) plans to station officers to assist in opening the portals for pedestrians. The Head of Dishub DIY, Chrestina Erni Widyastuti, stated that the use of the portals in Malioboro is still in a trial phase. “This is a trial. This is our first time operating all of this; we are seeing what issues arise in the field,” she said in a written statement.