People's Power Movement Blockades Gejayan Intersection in Yogyakarta

A combined mass united under the ‘Aliansi Rakyat Memanggil’ (People’s Call Alliance) movement packed the Gejayan Road intersection in Yogyakarta on Saturday afternoon, 13 June 2026. Based on Tempo’s monitoring, the crowd, comprising civil elements from the Cik Di Tiro Forum, student groups from various Yogyakarta campuses, academics, activists, labourers, and online motorcycle taxi drivers, had filled the area since 2:30 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. They set up a speaker’s platform right in the middle of the intersection connecting campuses such as Gadjah Mada University (UGM), Yogyakarta State University (UNY), Atma Jaya, and Sanata Dharma. The crowd also positioned a command pickup truck equipped with loudspeakers. Despite heavy rain, waves of protesters continued to arrive. Numerous banners highlighting current socio-economic conditions were displayed at various corners of the road. The protest, which continued until Maghrib, caused a total closure of traffic flow heading towards the Gejayan junction, affecting vehicles from the north, west, and south. In their action, the crowd carried ten demands related to economic policy, law, and public welfare under the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. Key issues highlighted included the controversy over the free nutritious meal (MBG) programme, the weakening rupiah exchange rate, rising fuel oil (BBM) prices, and tax burdens weighing on Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises. On the command platform, representatives from various organisations took turns delivering speeches opposing state management perceived as not siding with the people. During the protest, Masduki, a Professor of Media and Journalism at the Communication Science Study Programme of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII), also gave a speech. ‘We ask President Prabowo and Vice President Gibran, if they are still sane and pro-people, to review their programmes,’ Masduki said. Marsinah, spokesperson for the People’s Call Alliance, stated that the condition of democracy and the position of civil society is increasingly concerning because the space for criticism is continuously narrowed by the authorities. According to Marsinah, the current political situation is full of falsehoods where honesty and concern for the daily fate of the people have become very rare commodities. ‘Ironically, criticism, which should be a healthy part of democracy, is often suspected as a threat,’ she said. She noted that when observers, academics, journalists, activists, and even ordinary citizens voice objections, they are frequently accused of having hidden motives or foreign interests. ‘Yet democracy does not grow from forced praise, but from the courage to correct power,’ Marsinah stated. The People’s Call Alliance brought ten main demands to this demonstration. The first demand is to stop the free nutritious meal (MBG) project, which is deemed prone to corruption and lacking public oversight. The second demand rejects the existence of the ‘Koperasi Desa Merah Putih’ (Red and White Village Cooperatives) as they are considered a deviation from the principles of the people’s economy and potentially an instrument of political control by the rulers. In the third demand, the crowd urged the revocation of revisions to the TNI Law, the Polri Law, the Prosecutor’s Office Law, and the Military Justice Law. They demanded protection for freedom of expression, opinion, assembly, and association, as well as an end to impunity for officers by trying TNI and Polri members who commit violence against civilians openly and independently. The fourth and fifth points urge the government to realise quality free education and free health services and facilities without discrimination for all Indonesian people. In the sixth demand, the crowd called for the restoration of the people’s economy, the elimination of inequality, and a reduction in the prices of staple goods, fuel, and basic service tariffs. The people must not bear the burden of state mismanagement and corruption. The seventh demand focuses on protecting workers’ rights and ending the exploitation of domestic workers, teachers, farm labourers, mine workers, factory workers, digital platform workers, and the informal sector. Furthermore, the eighth demand is specifically aimed at protecting online motorcycle taxi drivers by urging action against application companies violating KP 667 and 1001 provisions, removing problematic articles in Presidential Regulation Number 27 of 2026 concerning term partnership contracts, and drafting an academic paper for the Online Transportation Bill involving online motorcycle taxi organisations. The ninth demand urges the release of all political prisoners and citizens criminalised for criticising the government, as well as an end to all forms of intimidation against people’s movements. Finally, in the tenth point, the crowd demanded guarantees for land rights, housing, and decent living space, an end to forced evictions for investors, and a thorough investigation into the corruption case of the Mandala Krida Stadium in Yogyakarta.