Students Join Kamisan on Reform Anniversary: Don't Stay Silent
Several students took part in the 908th Kamisan protest, which coincided with the 28th anniversary of Reformasi 1998 on Thursday, 21 May 2026. The students attended the protest in front of the Merdeka Palace, Jakarta, because they felt the younger generation should not be blind to the state of Indonesia.
There were several groups of students at this Kamisan. Some wore grey and white uniforms among around a thousand Kamisan participants dressed predominantly in dark colours.
The students came from senior high schools (SMA) to vocational high schools (SMK). Some were attending Kamisan for the first time, while others had been regulars over the past year.
Reformasi 1998 happened before they were born. Yet the students felt it necessary to join the struggle for it. “It turns out that it has not yet been achieved,” said Imam Muhammad Al-Mahdi, a student at SMA Negeri 28 Jakarta, at the Kamisan site.
The eleventh-grade student said students should not stay silent in the face of the problems. If the Indonesian government has not yet succeeded in reform, Imam said, the consequences are felt by the wider public, including students.
Before today, Imam said he had repeatedly attended Kamisan. “It’s been about a year now, alhamdulillah,” he said.
He explained he first heard about Kamisan from a friend. “A friend told me there is a non-violent demonstration called Kamisan. I became quite interested,” he said.
According to Imam, he came to the front of the Merdeka Palace after school hours. This time, Imam invited several of his friends to commemorate Reformasi 1998 at Kamisan.
Reynaldi Rizky Mahardika, a schoolmate who Imam invited, said it was his first Kamisan. Like Imam, he was drawn to come because he felt Indonesia still has many problems even 28 years after Reformasi.
According to Reynaldi, Indonesia has not truly escaped the shadow of the New Order regime toppled by the Reform movement. He cited various cases of activist intimidation that occurred frequently in the era of former president Soeharto, and that political oligarchy remains a feature of life in the country.
Reynaldi said students are among the groups most often disadvantaged by the failure of Reform. He highlighted the high cost of education, especially for students who want to move on to higher education, and even a messy school curriculum. “Our rights may be the ones most frequently taken away,” he said.
Another student, Dava Fadila from SMK Negeri 45 Jakarta, said students should not stay silent in the face of the various problems that have happened and are happening in Indonesia. “As young people, we must not be blind to what is happening,” she said.
Kamisan, Dava said, is one of the reminders of Indonesia’s dark history. For example, she said, such cases as abductions and killings in 1998.
One such case was the death of Atma Jaya University student Benardinus Realino Norma Irawan, on 13 November 1998, which prompted his mother, Maria Catarina Sumarsih, to start Kamisan to demand justice. “I want to join in making my voice heard,” Dava said.
Muhammad Azzam Maheva, another SMK student, said he learned a lot from Kamisan. According to Azzam, it helped him understand the ongoing struggles of Indonesian society.
Azzam added that some of his peers often questioned why he goes to Kamisan. “My friends say, ‘Zam, what are you doing Kamisan for? You should just stay home and watch YouTube.’ I reply, if you were a parent and your child disappeared, what would your reaction be? He was puzzled,” he said.
Therefore, Azzam said he wanted to invite other students to join in learning and fighting through Kamisan. “Like what I mean, don’t stay silent. We must confront impunity, the violation of human rights that goes unpunished,” he said.