Students Protest at Buleleng DPRD, Disappointed by Absence of Council Members
Dozens of students belonging to the Cipayung Plus alliance demonstrated at the Bulelen Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) office on Monday (29/06/2026). The student group comprised various organisations, including the Islamic Students Association (HMI), the Indonesian Islamic Student Movement (PMII), and the Muhammadiyah Student Association (IMM).
The demonstrators issued harsh criticism because not a single member of the Buleleng DPRD was present to meet them. The students assessed that the Buleleng DPRD is not serious about absorbing public aspirations.
“We came peacefully to convey our aspirations, but not a single DPRD member was present to meet us. Yet, the voice we carry is the voice of the people,” said the Chairperson of HMI Singaraja, Didit Kurniadin, during his oration.
Didit also demanded follow-up action on demands previously submitted by students during last year’s protests. According to him, the Buleleng DPRD has never provided an explanation regarding the progress of various aspirations that were previously submitted.
“We want to question how far our demands from last year have progressed. We must ensure that people’s aspirations are not merely received and then piled up without any follow-up,” explained Didit.
According to Didit, the criticism presented by the students is a constitutional right of every citizen and should not be viewed as a form of hostility towards the government or the Buleleng DPRD.
“Criticism is not a mistake. Criticism is a right of the community guaranteed by the 1945 Constitution. We are here because we care about the condition of Buleleng,” Didit clarified.
The students issued an ultimatum to the Buleleng DPRD, threatening to organise larger protests if there is no clarity regarding their demands within one week.
For information, the students brought seven national demands, namely requesting the government to enforce Article 32 of the 1945 Constitution, provide 19 million jobs, overhaul the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) programme and the Red and White Village Cooperative (KDMP) system, reject the revision of the TNI and Polri Laws, save the education, health, and environmental sectors, improve the distribution of subsidised fuel, and stop the criminalisation of civic space.
Additionally, the crowd raised five local issues, including demanding transparency for the North Bali Airport project, addressing the ecological crisis at the Bengkala landfill, halting tax policies deemed burdensome to MSMEs and local coffee shops, increasing the regional budget (APBD) allocation for road construction, street lighting (PJU), and drainage, and protecting subak lands from land-use conversion.
Responding to the protest, the Head of the Legal and Trial Division of the Buleleng DPRD Secretariat, I Nyoman Toya, apologised because the leadership and members could not meet the protesters. He stated that the absence of the legislators coincided with the Purnama Day, as most were participating in religious activities.
“As the DPRD Secretariat, we will certainly convey all the demands or aspirations presented by the students, both orally and in writing, to the leadership and members of the DPRD,” said Toya.
Toya ensured that all student aspirations would be forwarded to the leadership and members of the Buleleng DPRD. As part of the secretariat, his duty is to facilitate the implementation of the Buleleng DPRD’s functions, including receiving and forwarding public aspirations.
Toya also appreciated that the protest was conducted in an orderly and peaceful manner. He noted that the DPRD Secretariat has always been open to facilitating student aspirations, through both protests and discussion forums, so that various inputs can serve as considerations in policy formulation.
However, this response did not fully satisfy the protesters. Student representatives subsequently questioned the follow-up on aspirations submitted in the previous year, particularly regarding education issues and several studies submitted to the Buleleng DPRD.
Furthermore, the students demanded certainty that the 12 demands presented in this protest would be officially received and acted upon, given that no leadership or members of the Buleleng DPRD were present to receive them.