House of Representatives: Terror Against BEM UGM Chairman Is an Act of Silencing
Commission X member of the House of Representatives, Hilman Mufidi, has condemned the acts of terror against Tiyo Ardianto, Chairman of the Student Executive Board (BEM) at Gadjah Mada University (UGM). Tiyo was subjected to terror after criticizing the state for its negligence in the case of a child’s suicide in East Nusa Tenggara. According to Hilman, the various acts of terror targeting Tiyo are nothing but an attempt to silence freedom of expression, as what Tiyo conveyed constitutes free speech protected by law.
“The acts of terror against brother Tiyo, the BEM UGM Chairman, are absolutely unacceptable. I deeply deplore these actions. It amounts to a practice of silencing,” Hilman said in a written statement quoted on Saturday, February 14, 2026.
The National Awakening Party politician urged the police to thoroughly investigate the masterminds behind the terror against Tiyo. He stressed that Tiyo’s criticism must be respected and must not serve as justification for acts of terror. Hilman also called on all parties to respond wisely to the developments in the NTT case. According to him, the case must be faced with emotional stability, despite the tragedy being heartbreaking for everyone. He personally expressed deep concern over the incident.
“But responding to this also requires an open heart and clear thinking. Every criticism of how the case is handled must be addressed wisely, not with terror,” he said.
Tiyo received a threatening WhatsApp message about kidnapping from a number with a UK country code four days after BEM UGM criticized the administration of President Prabowo Subianto. In addition to the kidnapping threat, the harasser sent a message accusing Tiyo of being a foreign agent and an attention-seeker. “Foreign agent. Stop seeking the spotlight and peddling garbage narratives,” the message read. Tempo checked the number through the Getcontact app. The owner’s identity was not listed.
According to Tiyo, besides receiving threats via WhatsApp, he was followed by two individuals while at a café. The stalking occurred the day after the threats appeared. “They took photos and hurried away,” Tiyo said when contacted on Thursday, February 12, 2026.
BEM UGM’s protest against Prabowo took the form of an open letter sent to the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), the UN agency focused on protecting children’s rights, health, nutrition, and education worldwide. The letter, sent on February 6, 2026, described the tragedy of an elementary school student who took their own life in NTT, reportedly unable to afford a pen and school notebook costing less than Rp 10,000.
According to him, the incident reflects the state’s failure to guarantee children’s basic rights, particularly access to education. The failure to protect children is inseparable from the government’s policies and priorities. In the letter, Tiyo said the government has failed to determine humanitarian priorities. BEM UGM saw irony in the government’s ability to contribute Rp 16.7 trillion to the Board of Peace while a child took their own life for lacking the Rp 10,000 needed to buy a pen and notebook for school.
BEM UGM also criticized education budgets being used for populist policies without direction that could potentially become breeding grounds for corruption. They cited the free nutritious meal program, which consumes Rp 1.2 trillion daily, as an example. The program, they argued, does not address the root causes of educational inequality and structural poverty.
At the close of the letter, BEM UGM assessed that the President is blind to reality and unwilling to learn. “Emphatically, our important message to UNICEF: help us to tell Prabowo Subianto how stupid he is as president,” Tiyo said.