National Consolidation Conference of the Republic in Salemba Moved Online After Venue Cancellation

The National Consolidation Conference of the Republic, titled ‘The Path to Reorganising the Republic’, scheduled to take place at the University of Indonesia (UI) Salemba Campus in Central Jakarta, was abruptly cancelled in the early hours of Sunday (28/6/2026). Despite the cancellation of the venue, the organising committee decided that the civil society consolidation forum would proceed in full via an online format. Chief Executive of the National Consolidation Conference of the Republic, Ahmad Mujahid, explained that the committee had completed all official administrative procedures required by the university since 19 June 2026. ‘We sent an official letter, held a direct audience with the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Medicine UI, and obtained written confirmation. In fact, on 24 June we received a letter of assignment for faculty officers complete with details of the venue rental costs, and the physical installation inside the venue had been fully set up. However, at 01.00 WIB early this morning, we received official notification of a unilateral cancellation,’ Mujahid said in a statement on Sunday (28/6/2026). The organising committee chose to respond to the sudden cancellation with restraint. In their assessment, the very short-notice change of decision did not stem from the internal wishes of the campus bureaucracy, but rather from external intervention or dynamics beyond the control of UI management. ‘We did not come bearing weapons. So why should a forum of ideas be viewed with suspicion?’ said Deputy Chairperson of the Conference of the Republic, Jaleswari Pramodhawardhani. Secretary General of the Conference of the Republic, Yanuar Nugroho, questioned the reasons behind the prohibition of public discussion. He assessed that public space is currently too dominated by issues of power and position, so that conceptual debate about Indonesia’s future is notably absent. Chairman of the Conference of the Republic Committee, Sudirman Said, placed the cancellation incident as an indication of an attempt to ignite fear in the public sphere that must be fought intellectually. He recalled Mohammad Hatta’s speech at the UI Alumni Day on 11 June 1957 at the same campus, regarding the danger of replacing democracy with dictatorship amidst a crisis of trust in the country’s leadership. ‘Do not be afraid to continue speaking out. Doors can be locked, but ideas cannot be confined,’ said the former Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources. As a solution, the national working meeting forum was moved entirely to a virtual space via Zoom, starting simultaneously at 13.00 WIB for all registered participants. The Conference of the Republic is a continuation of the civil society consolidation movement that was previously successfully held for the first time at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta on 30 May 2026.