Hundreds of Semarang Students Protest Again at Central Java Governor's Office, Criticising MBG and Shrinking Civil Space

Hundreds of students affiliated with the Indonesian Islamic Student Movement (PMII) held a demonstration in front of the Central Java Governor’s office and Regional People’s Representative Council (DPRD) building in Semarang on Wednesday afternoon. This marks the third student protest at the Governor’s office in nearly a week. The demands voiced by the PMII students were largely similar to those of the previous two demonstrations. A representative from the PMII commissariat of UIN Walisongo Semarang, Alfani, stated that while a previous collective action had raised five points known as the Panca Tuntutan Rakyat (Pantura), this protest focused on two primary demands: the cessation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme and the rejection of repressive actions by security forces within civilian spaces. Alfani highlighted how TNI and Polri personnel are currently entering the civilian domain and occupying civilian positions, arguing this serves as evidence that civil space is increasingly shrinking. He noted that the participating demonstrators came from several PMII commissariats in Semarang, including UIN Walisongo, Semarang State University (Unnes), Muhammadiyah University of Semarang (Unimus), and the University of PGRI Semarang (Upgris), with an estimated crowd of more than 300 people. During the protest, the crowd unfurled banners at the gate of the Central Java Governor’s office bearing slogans such as ‘The state is dying, the rulers are treacherous’, ‘Reject militarism’, and ‘PMII indicts’. Demonstrators also painted the asphalt with the words ‘State = oppressor. Fight!!’. Alfani emphasised that the PMII Semarang action is a follow-up to previous demonstrations and that further protests will be organised. He stressed that the student actions, particularly by PMII members, will not cease until all their demands are met, until the political situation is no longer in collapse, and until welfare is restored to the people.