West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi Accosted by Students Over Flood Management and Regional Enterprise Capital Injection
BEKASI – West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi was accosted by a group of law students from Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya University whilst attending the 29th anniversary celebration of Bekasi City at the Bekasi City Regional Assembly Building on Chairil Anwar Road, East Bekasi District, on Tuesday, 10 March 2026.
The incident occurred as Dedi was leaving the Regional Assembly building following a plenary session held to commemorate Bekasi City’s founding anniversary.
The students criticised and questioned the Bekasi City Government’s flood management approach, which they deemed inadequate in providing concrete solutions for Bekasi residents.
“As students and members of the public, we believe that the mayor and his administration have erred in formulating policy,” said Rafi Priyatna, Chairman of the Law Faculty Student Executive Board at Bhayangkara Jakarta Raya University, when contacted by Kompas.com on Wednesday, 11 March 2026.
He highlighted the construction of polders in several districts, which has been promoted as one solution to flood management in Bekasi City. However, according to him, flooding continued to occur extensively across various areas, including regions adjacent to polders.
“We suspect this occurs because the government has inadequately assessed how these polders function at maximum capacity,” he said.
Rafi noted that numerous commercial buildings still stand on riverbanks and are believed to obstruct water flow.
“Today we still found several commercial building locations that remain standing and obstruct river flow,” he stated.
Students also questioned the performance of Bekasi City Regional Assembly members regarding capital injections into various Regional State-Owned Enterprises (BUMDs) valued at approximately Rp 48 billion.
According to Rafi, the capital injection was allegedly not based on any regional regulation, as documented in the 2024 State Audit Board (BPK) audit findings.
“In this regard, we observe the absence of general principles of good governance, potentially giving rise to suspicions of widespread corruption in Bekasi City,” he said.
Rafi stated that students had genuinely hoped for more serious dialogue with Dedi Mulyadi. However, the conversation was brief as the governor had to proceed with other engagements.
“The governor’s response was merely that ‘it will be followed up’. Naturally, as protesters, we were disappointed,” Rafi said.
He added that students initially did not know that Dedi Mulyadi was attending the plenary session. They only discovered this upon arrival at the location.