President Prabowo Affirms He Is Not Anti-Criticism, What Does That Mean?

What was President Prabowo's message in the meeting with hundreds of university rectors?

President Prabowo Subianto invited hundreds of rectors from public and private universities to the Presidential Palace in Jakarta on Thursday (13/3/2025). The gathering, which also included a joint iftar, was held in the central courtyard between the State Palace and the Merdeka Palace in Jakarta and lasted for four hours.

Met after the meeting, the Rector of Padjadjaran University, Bandung, Arief Sjamsulaksan Kartasasmita, revealed that the President stated Indonesia possesses various resources that can be utilized to improve the welfare of its people. The President also emphasized that Indonesia is in a stable condition. Despite numerous challenges at the national and global levels, the existing natural and human resources can be harnessed to achieve prosperity.

Although Indonesia is said to be doing fine, Arief stated that this does not mean the President is closed to criticism from universities. "The President emphasized that criticism is allowed, but it must be based on data," he said.

A few hours before the meeting took place, the President, who attended the event "Launch of the New Mechanism for Distributing Regional ASN Teacher Allowances" at the Office of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education in Jakarta on Thursday afternoon, also briefly mentioned this meeting. He stated that he would discuss plans to eradicate hunger and poverty with university rectors. He also reminded everyone to ensure that no individuals misuse or cut the rights of the people.

"Indonesia is bright, and we will manage it well. Develop our campuses so that they truly serve the people. Be vigilant, do not let our students be incited," said Prabowo.

What are the criticisms of Prabowo's government so far?

Among the series of criticisms directed at Prabowo's administration, some were expressed through demonstrations. One such demonstration by students and civil society was seen last February, in a protest titled "Indonesia in Darkness."

The demands presented were diverse. They were not limited to matters directly concerning students' interests, such as the issue of single tuition fee increases as a result of education budget cuts; other issues that have become public concerns were also raised.

For example, 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), which allows universities to manage mines. This is considered a potential tool for the regime to suppress critical voices from campuses and academic environments.

In addition, students and civil society also criticized a number of government policies that threaten democracy. The large number of TNI soldiers who entered civil positions, for example. Also the revision of the DPR Regulation on Rules of Procedure which gives them the authority to evaluate and even remove the leaders of institutions they choose.

The performance of the National Police has not escaped the attention of "Dark Indonesia". The impact of the case of the behavior of a number of National Police personnel in various regions who were unprofessional, they demanded National Police reform.

Demonstrations to remind the authorities that are 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 already 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.

What is the message from the 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, to Prabowo regarding critics?

The 6th President of the Republic of Indonesia, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono, was upset with democracy in countries around the world that were declining, including in Indonesia. The founder of the Democratic Party also gave a message to the government regarding tips for maintaining democracy.

"Set back, regression of democracy around the globe," said Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono to Indonesian students and Japanese academics at the Indonesian Embassy in Tokyo, Japan, Friday (7/3/2025).

Yudhoyono's concerns about the state of democracy are not just empty words. Recently, The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) released the 2024 Global Democracy Index at 5.17 on a scale of 10. The data included in the 2025 EIU Report shows a decline in democracy compared to previous years.

Indonesia is no exception. Indonesia is still included in the category of countries with a flawed democracy with a total score of 6.44 and is ranked 59th in 2024.

In order for Indonesian democracy not to decline further, Yudhoyono emphasized the importance of communication in maintaining democratic values. "I have conveyed to President Prabowo some time ago the importance of improving genuine (quality) communication between the palace and those who convey their criticism. Mr. Prabowo also said, 'We continue to improve the quality of communication,'" he said.

Was the anti-criticism attitude visible during the five months of Prabowo's administration?

Head of the Presidential Communications Office Hasan Nasbi said that criticism and input can still be conveyed in Indonesia. The public is still free to speak. Demonstrations are not prohibited as long as they do not disrupt or damage public facilities.

"So far, no one has criticized and then suddenly reported (to the authorities), right? The media that wrote rather harshly were also allowed even though the President knew some of it was made up," said Hasan when contacted, Monday (2/17/2025).

In fact, according to Hasan, President Prabowo listens to all criticism and input that is conveyed, especially those related to the fate of the people. Therefore, generally many inputs are then considered and made into decisions.

He gave an example, the change in the implementation of 12 percent VAT occurred because of listening to public criticism and input. "By law, everything should just go up. However, there was a lot of input and suggestions so that the President finally decided to only apply it to luxury goods," said Hasan.

In addition, the budget efficiency policy implemented by the President turned out to receive a lot of criticism and input because many public service budgets were cut. Therefore, it was then reaffirmed that efficiency was not applied to public services, salaries, and social assistance, but to capital expenditure.

Was the recent cabinet reshuffle part of Prabowo's attitude of not being anti-criticism?

President Prabowo Subianto reshuffled the Red and White Cabinet when his administration had only been running for exactly four months. In this first cabinet reshuffle, precisely in mid-February, the President removed Satryo Soemantri Brodjonegoro from his position as Minister of Higher Education, Science, and Technology and appointed Brian Yuliarto as his replacement.

Researcher at the Political Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN), Wasisto Raharjo Jati, assessed that this first cabinet reshuffle was carried out by the President in response to a number of problems at the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology, including harsh criticism from the public.

The problems are mainly about the disbursement of ASN lecturer performance allowances and budget cuts that reportedly have an impact on cutting the Smart Indonesia Card (KIP) College budget. These problems have not only been criticized, but have also sparked demonstrations in several regions.

"Those two things are what I think are the reasons for urgently changing ministers so that the various harsh criticisms do not become a long-lasting hot potato in the public space," said Wasisto.