UGM Students Hold Press Conference: Explain Tensions at GIK and Call for Civil Movement
In response to the tensions that occurred at the Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK) on Monday evening (15/6), students from Universitas Gadjah Mada (UGM) held an open press conference in front of the Balairung of the UGM Central Office Building on Wednesday (17/6). In a statement read by student representative Sarah, she asserted that their action was the culmination of disgust and distrust towards a government they consider to be continuously oppressing the people. They rejected accusations that they are anti-dialogue. “The forum at GIK was not a genuine discussion space, but rather a stage for unilateral achievement displays by state officials,” she stressed.
During the press conference, the students presented a range of data and government policies they deemed to be severely impoverishing society. She outlined the economic and fiscal crisis, marked by the collapse of the Rupiah exchange rate to Rp18,000 per US dollar in early June 2026, the swelling state budget deficit to Rp180.4 trillion in May, and a 32% surge in Pertamax fuel prices (to Rp16,250 per litre) which triggered severe fiscal pressure. Furthermore, a wave of layoffs continues, with 88,519 people recorded as having been laid off throughout 2025, reflecting a slump across all industrial sectors.
She also highlighted the imbalance in state spending. The government is seen as prioritising the expansion of security hegemony by channelling fantastic budgets to the Ministry of Defence (Rp185 trillion) as well as the National Police, State Intelligence Agency, and National Narcotics Agency (totalling Rp179.4 trillion), amidst cuts to allocations for education, health, and social protection. The students also conveyed controversial government policies, including the sacrifice of education budgets for the populist Free Nutritious Meals programme, the mega food estate project that seizes the living space of indigenous Papuan communities, and the revision of the TNI and POLRI laws that occupy civilian space. They also highlighted the death of democratic principles and the massive violence by state apparatus, revealing data from KontraS (December 2024–November 2025) which recorded 42 incidents of extrajudicial killing with 44 fatalities. Additionally, 2025 data from Amnesty International showed 5,538 people were victims of repressive actions and excessive use of force by authorities when facing civil protests.
As proof of the government’s commitment to democracy, the UGM students put forward four main demands. One, release all political prisoners and grant amnesty to criminalised activists. Two, guarantee freedom of demonstration without restrictions. Three, withdraw the military from civilian spaces and revoke the TNI and POLRI laws. Four, stop the criminalisation of activists. The students also urged the UGM Rectorate to take a firm stance, demanding that UGM openly declare it no longer trusts the Prabowo-Gibran administration and fully supports the people’s struggle movement in reclaiming their seized civil rights.