No Apology from Rudy Mas’ud, Instead He Speaks of Destiny Following Major Protest in East Kalimantan

VIVA – East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud has responded to the demonstration by thousands of people in front of the Governor’s Office in Samarinda, which concluded on Tuesday night, 21 April 2026.

In his statement, he did not convey an apology, but rather appreciated public aspirations and touched on the direction of the future or “destiny” of East Kalimantan.

Rudy expressed thanks to students, the public, and security forces, which he deemed to have maintained a conducive situation until the end of the action. He also viewed public input as an important part of evaluating local government performance.

“We express our thanks to our student siblings, all levels of society, as well as the TNI-Polri who have maintained security until the end of the aspiration delivery,” said Rudy in Samarinda, quoted from Antara, Saturday, 25 April 2026.

Based on field observations, the protest action was joined by around 4,000 people who filled the area of Jalan Gajah Mada to Teras Samarinda for nearly one kilometre. Security forces deployed more than 1,700 combined personnel to escort the demonstration.

In his statement, Rudy hopes that the public can continue to carry out the social control function over the government. He considers various criticisms and inputs conveyed to be material for evaluation to improve the performance of the East Kalimantan Provincial Government going forward.

“I am also fully aware that the direction of the future destiny of East Kalimantan Province is in the hands of the young generation who care,” he stated.

Previously, the demonstration that lasted until night was coloured by unrest. The crowd, disappointed at not being able to meet regional leaders, carried out stone-throwing actions, so police officers from the Samarinda Police Resort along with combined teams fired water cannons to disperse the increasingly uncontrollable crowd.

This protest was initiated by a coalition of students and civil society elements urging the East Kalimantan DPRD to use the right of inquiry and interpellation. Those demands related to several local government policies deemed controversial.

One of the main issues raised was the use of regional budget amounting to Rp25 billion for renovating the governor’s official residence. The crowd also highlighted several operational expenditures considered ineffective amid the public’s economic conditions.