Sultan HB X: Wave of Government Protests a Constitutional Right

Governor of the Special Region of Yogyakarta (DIY) Sri Sultan Hamengku Buwono X, or Sultan HB X, has stated that the recent wave of demonstrations, including those in Yogyakarta, is a constitutional and democratic right of Indonesian citizens. The demonstrations in recent days were triggered by several policies of President Prabowo Subianto’s administration, which are perceived as increasingly impoverishing the people. According to the Sultan, the public now has full space within the democratic system to voice their aspirations publicly. “Demonstrations are the right of citizens, please go ahead,” he said on Monday, 15 June 2026. The Sultan said that criticising the government is also permitted by law in Indonesia. However, the King of the Yogyakarta Palace also reminded that expressing criticism, aspirations, or opinions must comply with existing regulations and safeguard the public interest. “The important thing is to remain orderly, do not harm the public, do not damage public facilities, and notify the police,” said the Sultan. A wave of protests, especially from students, began simultaneously on Friday, 12 June 2026, in major cities such as Jakarta, Semarang, and Yogyakarta, driven by increasing economic pressures and rising prices of non-subsidised fuel. In Yogyakarta, the escalation peaked on Saturday, 13 June 2026. A mass of people under the banner of the People’s Alliance Calling filled the Gejayan intersection in Depok, Sleman. The protesters, uniformly dressed in black, criticised various crucial central government policies, ranging from the Free Nutritious Meal programme and the establishment of Village Red-and-White Cooperatives to the surge in energy commodity prices. The crowd at the Gejayan area was not only dominated by students but also included other elements of society such as academics, activists, labourers, researchers, housewives, and online motorcycle taxi drivers. They unfurled banners and posters of various sizes, used a pickup truck as the main oration stage, and read poems of resistance. Due to the large concentration of people, traffic from the north, west, and south towards the Gejayan intersection was completely closed for approximately four hours. Police were forced to divert all vehicles to alternative routes to minimise congestion. Student protests from various campuses in Yogyakarta continued on Monday, 15 June 2026. The students carried the same agenda, urging the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to immediately evaluate several state policies that are seen as increasingly uncertain and detrimental to the people’s livelihoods. The student elements holding the protest today included the Family of Students of the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences, Gadjah Mada University (KM Fisipol UGM), as well as the Student Body Forum and the Legal Consultation and Aid Institute (LKBH) of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) Yogyakarta.