Observer Says Gibran's Move to Involve Students in Working Visits Strengthens Public Participation

Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s move to invite several student representatives on working visits to Ende, Gorontalo, and Papua has drawn appreciation from academic circles. The involvement of this educated group is considered a bold new precedent to strengthen the space for dialogue and public information transparency. Political observer Erdi from Tanjungpura University in West Kalimantan assessed that students are a relatively neutral and objective group in evaluating government development programmes. “What the Vice President has done is very appropriate. Because the most neutral party in expressing opinions, speaking, and assessing performance is students. They are the educated group that should indeed be involved,” Erdi said when contacted on Friday. Erdi, who also serves as Vice Dean III of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences at Untan, added that this step simultaneously dispels narratives claiming the Vice President is allergic to criticism from intellectual circles. “When the Vice President is willing to accept students, this is a courageous step and perhaps unprecedented in this country. Students who are in the midst of the hustle and bustle of demonstrations are embraced to speak, invited to dialogue, and their aspirations are absorbed,” he added. In a similar vein, public policy expert and lecturer at Parahyangan Catholic University’s Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Kristian Widya Wicaksono, views this method as effective in reducing the information gap between the government and the public, particularly regarding crucial issues such as land management policy in Papua. According to Kristian, students need to see empirical facts on the ground firsthand in order to provide a balanced assessment, rather than merely assuming based on a single source of information. “I think this is the government’s effort to enable students to compare information obtained from various sources with the government’s version. This means the government is striving for a process of openness,” he said. The inclusion of students in this working visit is considered a direct response by the government to the wave of aspirations from young groups. One crucial issue recently voiced by students from various universities is the demand to halt the Free Nutritious Meals programme. Responding to this, Vice President Gibran confirmed the government’s commitment to continuously evaluate and improve the governance of strategic national programmes, including the Free Nutritious Meals and the Village Cooperative programmes. As a form of transparency, the Vice President brought along five student representatives from various leading universities to accompany the working visit. The five students are Daffa Ulhaq from the University of Indonesia, Keletus Sakaro from Sanata Dharma University, Nolan Christoper Adam from Pelita Harapan University, Rapid Bena Matin from Jenderal Soedirman University, and Salsabila Maulida from the Indonesian Institute of Arts and Culture.