Government Communications Body Denies Police Blocked Student Protest at Bundaran HI

The Head of the Government Communications Body (Bakom) of the Republic of Indonesia, Muhammad Qodari, has denied narratives that the police intercepted students attempting to express their opinions at the Bundaran Hotel Indonesia (HI) in Central Jakarta on Friday (12/6). Qodari described the incident as traffic management, citing the need to accommodate the interests of other community groups. “I think it was not an interception, but rather traffic management to ensure other community activities could continue,” Qodari said during a discussion programme on CNN Indonesia TV on Friday evening. “On one hand, students can voice their aspirations, but on the other, office and economic activities must also run optimally,” he continued. Qodari stated that the government, through state apparatus, must consider the interests and needs of all societal sectors. “Once again, there are student aspirations, but there are also economic activities, offices, education, and other matters that must proceed smoothly,” he said. “Bundaran HI is a public space, and all community groups have the right to use it. Frankly, I myself checked the route from Cempaka Putih to here [the discussion venue],” he added. Responding to the students’ demands, Qodari considered them reasonable. However, he noted that students and other groups must also view issues from different perspectives. “The students’ demands are certainly very reasonable as part of the democratic process. We certainly want to hear input and suggestions from all community groups, especially students,” he said. “On the other hand, we must also provide a perspective based on data and information,” he continued. During the protest, students and other community groups brought several demands, including urging the government to stop state budget waste, lower staple food and fuel prices, halt the Free Nutritious Meals programme and the construction of the Red and White Village Cooperatives, end militarism in civilian domains, and for President Prabowo to stop evading and admit the government’s mistakes. Responding to these, Qodari claimed that what the public is fighting for is already being pursued by President Prabowo Subianto. “What Prabowo has been doing is precisely stopping waste. Pak Prabowo is the foremost figure fighting for what the people are fighting for,” he stated. Qodari then highlighted the single-door export body, a government policy to manage and oversee natural resource commodity exports through the state-owned enterprise PT Danantara Sumber Daya Indonesia (DSI). “That is intended to prevent leaks in our state budget. This is exactly what student activists should be supporting,” he said, adding that Prabowo is currently leading a ‘Second Wave of Reform’. Earlier, hundreds of students, mostly from the University of Indonesia’s Student Executive Body (BEM UI), conducted a long march to Bundaran HI as part of their planned protest. The action was taken after their buses and vehicles were stopped by police to prevent the demonstration from taking place at Bundaran HI. The mass long march departed from in front of the parliament complex around 1:00 PM WIB, after two minibuses were intercepted in the Semanggi area, forcing the vehicles to head to the parliament building instead. Interceptions were also reported at several other points. Near Bundaran HI, the crowd was halted at the closest point, the Tosari area on Jalan Jenderal Sudirman.