Student Protest Today Highlights Indonesia's Crisis

A number of student organisations held a protest today (12/6) in Central Jakarta in response to various government policies. The action carried the theme #MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut (#TowardsIndonesiaBankrupt), which according to the organisers reflects the social, economic, and political situation currently facing Indonesia. In their statements, the student demonstrators assessed that national conditions are worsening after the government raised fuel prices amid the weakening of the rupiah against the US dollar. They argued this situation coincides with global economic uncertainty and ongoing international conflicts. They believe people from all walks of life are now facing increasingly heavy pressures. Farmers are said to be experiencing difficulties in production and facing mounting debt burdens. Meanwhile, workers and the urban poor are finding it increasingly difficult to meet basic needs and access affordable public services. Additionally, public budget cuts in several regions are said to be impacting various sectors of community life, including education. In response to this situation, the ranks of the Front Mahasiswa Nasional (FMN) and democratic organisations across various universities are carrying out a national action titled #MenujuIndonesiaBangkrut. The title depicts the current decline of the Indonesian nation under the oppression and exploitation of a backward semi-feudal system maintained by US imperialism and its puppet regime, the Prabowo Subianto administration, said FMN Chairperson Symphati Dimas Rafi’i on Thursday. Together with several Student Executive Bodies, including BEM UI, FMN coordinated the implementation of actions in various regions, cities, campuses, and rural areas. In Jakarta, the action began around 1 p.m. local time with a long march involving hundreds of students from the Dukuh Atas area. Participants carried flags, banners, and posters containing various demands, such as lowering fuel and staple food prices, halting the MBG and Koperasi Desa Merah Putih programmes, rejecting militarism, stopping evictions, and opposing the construction of Territorial Development Battalions. The action then centred on the Bundaran HI in Central Jakarta. The crowd grew with the arrival of students, women’s groups, the urban poor, and various worker elements. They voiced their aspirations through chants, protest songs, speeches, and orations calling for fundamental change in Indonesia. The Prabowo Subianto administration is the centre of policies and programmes that are making the Indonesian people sink deeper into crisis, the source of the problem of Indonesia heading towards bankruptcy, Rafi’i said. For him, the people’s suffering is less important than continuing the MBG and KDMP programmes and strengthening the military in all civilian posts and development projects. Even though the people are already suffering, the Prabowo regime raised fuel prices after the prices of basic necessities had already soared. This is real, a fascist regime.