Republic Conference Continues in Online Format

The Republic Conference will continue in an online format, organisers have confirmed. General Chairman of the Republic Conference Committee, Sudirman Said, addressed the cancellation of the National Consolidation of the Republic Conference, titled ‘The Path to Reorganising the Republic’, which was scheduled to take place at the University of Indonesia’s Salemba campus in Central Jakarta on Sunday, 28 June 2026. Sudirman Said framed the incident within a broader context. ‘Repression is carried out to ignite fear. Therefore, it is this fear that we must fight. Do not be afraid to continue speaking out. Room doors can be locked, but ideas cannot be restricted,’ Sudirman Said said in a written statement. Sudirman also recalled a message from Indonesia’s Vice President from 1945 to 1957, Mohammad Hatta, during a speech at the first University of Indonesia Alumni Day on 11 June 1957. At that time, Hatta warned that a crisis of confidence in the country’s leadership could not be overcome by replacing democracy with dictatorship, as such a replacement would only give rise to a worse situation and erase trust entirely. The message was delivered by Hatta on the same campus nearly seven decades ago. Meanwhile, the Executive Chairman of the National Consolidation of the Republic Conference, Ahmad Mujahid, explained that the Republic Conference committee had completed all administrative stages required by the university. ‘We completed all the required administrative procedures since 19 June. From the beginning of this process, we were received very well by the campus. Communication and cooperation over the past week have been positive, cooperative, and professional,’ he said. The committee had sent official correspondence, held a direct audience with the Dean’s Office of the Faculty of Medicine, and obtained initial verbal and written confirmation. On 24 June, Ahmad said, the committee received an assignment letter for faculty officers who would oversee the activity, complete with details of the venue rental costs. ‘The dynamics developed at the last second. At 1.00 a.m. early this morning, we received an official notification stating the unilateral cancellation of the use of the room for our National Working Meeting,’ Ahmad said. ‘We regret this change of decision in such a very short time. At the same time, we understand that this is a difficult situation for UI. We believe this sudden cancellation did not stem from the campus’s internal desire. There are factors beyond UI management’s control that are also at play. As fellow elements of the nation, we respect this difficult position,’ he continued.