Palace Clarifies Prabowo's Version of Academic Freedom

The Deputy Minister of State Secretariat, Juri Ardiantomoro, stated that President Prabowo Subianto respects academic freedom within higher education environments. However, he noted that such freedom must remain within the corridors of science and be held accountable.

Juri’s remarks serve to clarify Prabowo’s previous statement that campuses possess “academic freedom, not other types of freedom.”

“The President always conveys that campuses possess academic freedom. Everyone knows this, it does not need to be disputed, and the President deeply understands and respects academic freedom on campus,” Juri said at the Presidential Palace complex in Jakarta on Monday, 29 June 2026.

Juri explained that Prabowo’s emphasis lies on the aspect of accountability regarding academic values in every activity within the scope of higher education. “As long as it can be academically justified, then freedom on campus is valid and permissible,” Juri remarked.

He noted that the government’s concern arises if the freedom exercised by various groups in universities is not based on scientific values. “The issue is whether the freedoms used by many groups on campus reflect academic freedom or fall outside of things that are not based on academic values at all. That is the key point of note,” said Juri.

On Sunday, 28 June 2026, during a speech at the Convention on Science, Technology, and Industry, Prabowo Subianto spoke about freedom within the university environment. During his speech, Prabowo likened the Indonesian nation to passengers on a large ship, stating that differences in opinion are not a problem.

The Chairman of the Gerindra Party stated that campuses are places where differences naturally emerge. “Universities are places where ideas are contested. A clash of ideas, a clash of views, a clash of philosophies, and a clash of innovations,” Prabowo said in Jakarta on Sunday.

The former Minister of Defence during President Joko Widodo’s era noted that such differences are a form of academic freedom. However, he added the caveat that academic freedom on campus does not imply other forms of freedom. “It was mentioned that campuses have academic freedom. Academic freedom, not other types of freedom,” he said.