Student Movement, Not Just Rhetoric

The student and civil society movement taking to the streets in various regions last February once again shook the authorities. For the umpteenth time, they reminded the authorities when the parliament, dominated by political parties supporting the government, failed to function optimally. They strive to maintain a critical stance to oversee the course of governance in the future, despite facing numerous obstacles.

Under the banner "Indonesia in Darkness," students and civil society simultaneously held demonstrations in various regions. Not just for a day, but a marathon lasting several days.

The demands conveyed were not limited to those directly related to student interests, such as the issue of increased single tuition fees as a result of budget cuts in education.

Other issues that have become public concerns were also raised. For instance, national strategic projects that often serve as tools for land confiscation from the people, and the revision of the Law on Minerals and Coal (Minerba) that allows universities to manage mines. This is considered a potential tool for the regime to suppress critical voices from campuses and academic circles.

In addition, students and civil society have also criticized several government policies that threaten democracy. For instance, the increasing number of military personnel occupying civilian positions. Additionally, the revision of the Parliamentary Regulation on Rules of Procedure, which grants them the authority to evaluate and even remove the leaders of institutions they have elected.

The performance of the National Police (Polri) has also drawn the attention of "Indonesia Gelap." As a result of cases involving the unprofessional conduct of several Polri personnel in various regions, they are demanding police reform.

The broad demands have successfully drawn public attention. In fact, many joined students and civil society. Not only did they contribute their "voices" to oppose government policies, some of them willingly extended their hands to provide various food and beverages for the demonstrators' consumption.

Demonstrations to remind the authorities, which were attended by large numbers of people and on a large scale, have not only occurred this time during President Prabowo's administration.

The movement had emerged when Prabowo's government was only about two months old, precisely when the discourse on increasing the Value Added Tax (VAT) rate from 11 percent to 12 percent, late last year. The impact of the widespread public rejection, the government canceled part of the increase plan. The increase in VAT rates was finally decided to only be applied to luxury goods.

The Head of BEM Universitas Padjajaran (Unpad), Bandung, West Java, Ridho Anwari Aripin when met in Jakarta, late February, agreed with this. After the planned increase in VAT rates, student groups from various campuses have been communicating intensively to take to the streets, rejecting the planned increase in VAT rates of 12 which will cause trouble for the community.

After the policy was canceled, the demonstrations subsided. However, it did not mean that they fell asleep. They continued to monitor the course of the government. They slowly woke up again when a series of government policies contradicted the needs of the people and deviated from democratic values. At its peak, a movement was born to take to the streets under the title "Dark Indonesia".

The “Dark Indonesia” demonstration only gradually subsided after the Minister of State Secretary (Mensesneg) Prasetyo Hadi promised to absorb the demands of students and civil society when he met the masses demonstrating in the area of the Arjuna Wijaya Horse Statue, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Jakarta, Thursday (20/2/2025) evening.

However, it does not mean the end of supervision from students and civil society. According to a number of coordinators of student and civil society groups, supervision of the running of the government will continue. Street parliaments are very likely to come back to life when government policies or actions are not in line with the will of the public.

"We as students continue to be ready to take to the streets. And also perhaps from UI itself, we already have several UI friends who are carrying out concrete resistance, where several students from the Faculty of Law have filed a request for a material and formal review of Presidential Instruction Number 1 of 2025 concerning the State Budget Law at the Supreme Court," said the Chairperson of the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the University of Indonesia (UI) Defani Syafa Maharani.

According to Defani, communication has long been built intensely between BEM administrators from various campuses in this country. In fact, alliances have long been built between these BEM groups.

Intense communication is not only to coordinate the preparation of the "going out on the streets" agenda, but also to discuss issues that are of concern or concern to the public.

The discussions between them have become a routine agenda. The discussions do not always run smoothly, often the debates get heated because of different views. However, from these discussions, ideas and solutions to the problems faced by the community are born, as well as a shared awareness. The study of the results of the discussions is also what they use when demonstrating regarding certain issues.

“We (students) have to understand what happened. "What things are still possible and very important for us to monitor," said Defani.

After a collective awareness was built, BEM in each campus was creative in broadcasting the results of their discussions on social media. An invitation to the wider community to demonstrate together was also conveyed.

These discussions do not only take place in a face-to-face atmosphere. Discussions more often take place on the Whatsapp chat platform. Likewise, communication using a video conference platform. This is considering the location of BEM which is spread across various cities in the country.

The students’ discussions and critical attitudes did not always run smoothly. Ahead of the “Dark Indonesia” demonstration, in late February, for example, there was an online gender-based violence attack on the demonstration coordination group. “There were unknown and irresponsible people who sent indecent photos to the action coordination group,” said Defani.

The attack still occurred even though the student group had been careful due to the impact of hacking attacks that had often occurred previously, such as the experience of former BEM UI Chair Iqbal Cheisa Wiguna whose WhatsApp account was hacked.

Ridho Anwari also admitted that he had been hacked when he voiced his rejection of the revision of the Minerba Law. "My IG (Instagram) was also hacked when I uploaded an issue of rejecting the revision of the Minerba Law," he said.

Not only that, one of his friends who is a new student was also stalked by an unknown person after the demonstration rejecting the revision of the Minerba Law. After that, the student was reprimanded by the Unpad rectorate. Because he was new, the student was also mentally disturbed. After that, he was accompanied by other colleagues from BEM Unpad.

Despite a number of obstacles, the students' enthusiasm did not diminish. Likewise in the future, their eyes will continue to monitor government policies. According to Defani, what students do is merely part of their contribution to the sustainability of the nation. As the next generation, they have an interest in it. If not, there may be nothing left for the next generation in the future.

Therefore, now, they do not want the authorities to issue policies that deviate from the needs and difficulties of the people. They also do not want the authorities to operate without supervision. Especially with the current parliamentary situation dominated by political parties supporting the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka government. If the parliament were more critical, the street parliament might not need to exist.

The “Dark Indonesia” demonstration, Ridho added, is a reminder for those in power not to act arbitrarily. The people are their superiors, so every policy and action of the government should move in line with the interests and aspirations of the public.

Looking back, students have always been the main driving force for reminding the authorities and even the driving force for change. In the era of the 7th President of the Republic of Indonesia Joko Widodo when parliament was controlled by political parties supporting the government, massive student demonstrations also often occurred.

At the end of Jokowi's first term in office, for example, students and the community demonstrated against the Draft Criminal Code (RKUHP) and the revision of the Corruption Eradication Commission (KPK) Law which aimed to weaken the anti-corruption agency.

In early 2020, students also became the driving force behind the rejection of the Job Creation Bill. Then, demonstrations rejected the three-term presidential discourse that violated the mandate of the constitution and the 1998 Reformation, in April 2022. Furthermore, larger and broader student demonstrations occurred at the end of Jokowi's second term, rejecting the revision of the Regional Head Election Law (Pilkada).

Not all student struggles bear sweet fruit, but there are also many struggles that are successful. The RKUHP, for example, was postponed after massive demonstrations, but after a few months, it was continued by the government and the DPR, and finally passed. This is different from the revision of the Pilkada Law which was later canceled by the government and the DPR.

Likewise, if we look back further. Sometimes it works, sometimes it is simply ignored by the government. One that will always be recorded in the history of the nation's journey, during the 1998 Reformation demonstration that succeeded in overthrowing the authoritarian regime of Soeharto.

Lecturer of the Faculty of Law, University of Indonesia, Sulistyowati Irianto, believes that there are many reasons why students are always at the forefront of the struggle and movement for change. Students are part of the intellectuals who are constantly seeking knowledge, constantly asking questions, and restless.

They also have awareness and sensitivity from theories and readings on campus. "And, they confirm the theories they read with the realities of the day and then ideas are born. I'm not surprised, they are young people. Whenever there is an issue that is disturbing the public, they will definitely take to the streets," he said.

He also believes that "Dark Indonesia" will not be the last. Despite many obstacles, students, together with civil society, will continue to monitor the work of the authorities. The end of student status is also believed not to end the critical attitude of students. He believes that new students will remain critical like their predecessors.

"They will continue to move spontaneously, organically, and that is more genuine," he said.

To students, supervision of the authorities is now focused, especially when parliament fails to carry out its supervisory function. To students, the public is waiting for them to side with the policies of the authorities that burden them. "Mother, let our blood fight, To free the people...," the song Darah Juang was faintly heard being sung by students during a demonstration, late February.