In Response to "Dark Indonesia" Demonstration, Government Asks Students to be More Observant

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The government considers the student demonstration titled "Indonesia Gelap" as a normal expression of opinion. However, students are asked to be more discerning, especially regarding demands about budget efficiency, which is a policy of President Prabowo Subianto. This is because efficiency does not affect the education budget.

State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi, when met at the Parliament Complex, Jakarta, Tuesday (18/2/2025), said that the government has no issue with student demonstrations. Expressing opinions is something normal and common.

"The government will continue to accept input. Because for us, those inputs are also corrections for us. What is important is the spirit. The spirit must be constructive. We really need that. Do not criticize with a tendency that is negative, with a tendency to create conflicts, with negative energy, not for improvement," said Prasetyo.

On Monday (17/2/2025), thousands of students held a demonstration in front of the Horse Statue, Jalan Medan Merdeka Barat, Gambir, Central Jakarta, and various other regions. They submitted 13 demands to the government, including canceling the budget cuts for education, abolishing the multifunction of ABRI (now TNI/Polri), a total evaluation of the free nutritious program, rejecting the revision of the DPR Rules of Procedure, and the efficiency and restructuring of the Red and White Cabinet.

This action is a response to various government policies that are considered detrimental to the people and threaten the future of the younger generation. If their demands are not met, they will hold similar actions in various regions again.

Prasetyo urged the students to be more discerning in understanding budget efficiency policies. As stated in a joint press conference with Minister of Finance Sri Mulyani and the leadership of the House of Representatives on Friday (14/2/2025), there is no budget efficiency targeting education funds at all.

"It is not true, there is no (budget efficiency) that affects education, especially for the students. The issue of KIP (Indonesia Smart Card), then the IPI (Indonesian Education Institute) scholarships, all continue as usual. LPDP (Education Fund Management Institution) also continues as usual," he asserted.

He reiterated that the spirit of this efficiency policy is to target budget items that are less productive and do not foster productivity. For example, ceremonial activities and seminars. According to him, there is no need for seminar activities anymore because the people now need real action from the government.

Then, there is no need for a budget for consultants. Because, Indonesia does not lack great people. There are various professors from leading universities who can always be asked for opinions. "That is actually the efficiency. So, don't shift it to 'wow, this efficiency seems like it will interfere with performance, as if it will burden the community.' That's not the spirit," said Prasetyo.

Regardless, he appreciates the students' demonstrations. He calls it freedom of expression.

"But please once again, don't distort what is actually not like that. There is no such thing as a dark Indonesia. We will welcome the rise of Indonesia. We as a nation must be optimistic. We are in the same boat, in the same ship, right," he said.

For that, Prasetyo hopes, the public can give a chance to the government led by Prabowo Subianto. After all, the government has only been running for 100 days.

"There are so many problems, but you notice that we are constantly looking for ways, looking for solutions, right? That it has not been able to please one party, maybe there are parties who still cannot accept it, for us, the government, that is normal," he said.

Prasetyo also responded to the students' demands to evaluate the free nutritious meal program that was Prabowo's campaign promise. He emphasized that this free nutritious meal will later affect the quality of Indonesia's human resources (HR). With good nutrition plus equal access to education, Indonesia's HR in the future will be increasingly qualified.

"We must be fully aware that our position today, we are playing catch-up, especially in terms of fulfilling our nutritional needs," said Prasetyo.

On the other hand, he asked the public to understand that the government's fiscal space is still limited. Therefore, the government is working hard to try to reallocate the budget, including carrying out budget efficiency.

"So, it's not that (the budget is made efficient and then) not spent. However, the spending allocation is diverted to things that will help us catch up," he stressed.

Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives from the Golkar Party Faction Adies Kadir agreed that demonstrations are a natural thing in a democratic country. "Well, good democratic ways of channeling aspirations through demonstrations like that are indeed typical of students like that," he said.

Meanwhile, Gerindra Party Secretary General Ahmad Muzani said that everything Prabowo has done now is just the initial stage, so it causes surprise and often his reactions are excessive and counterproductive. "But, as a reaction, I think it's okay," he said.

The reaction, continued Muzani, occurred not only in society but also within the bureaucracy and government. For example, the issue of savings. For a long time the bureaucracy has been moving with relatively loose budget tightening. Then, when there is currently a budget tightening, it causes shock.

"Well, that shock is what often gives rise to counterproductive attitudes, even misunderstanding of what the government, in this case President Prabowo, meant. That's what happened, so this is often misunderstood. But as a reaction, we hear, we pay attention," he stressed.

In principle, the government remains committed to the initial plan. As Prabowo once said, this plan, budget efficiency for priority programs such as the free nutritious meal program, is a long-term plan for Indonesia.

Meanwhile, a lecturer at the Indonesian Jentera Law College, Bivitri Susanti, said that the student movement with the theme "Dark Indonesia" was a sharp criticism of the current conditions.

In the three months of government, many policies were considered to have made the people even more miserable. Not only related to budget cuts that were considered to have an impact on education costs for students, but also other policies such as the 3-kilogram LPG gas case and the implementation of the free nutritious meal program.

"There are many policies that are absurd, starting from gas cans to free nutritious meals whose implementation is very chaotic and so on to budget efficiency which has caused public unrest," said Bivitri.

Bivitri saw that the student demonstrations also emerged because the DPR's performance as a counterweight to government power was not working.

He reminded the DPR and the government not to be arbitrary with the power they have because the public, especially students, will not remain silent when the policies taken are detrimental to them.

"Students are often said to be one of the most important guardians of democracy because they still have a lot of idealism and they are more expressive in expressing whatever they think," said Bivitri.

He also reminded the government not to take repressive action against students. The government should listen to them and fulfill all the demands of the students. "The government should listen to them, stay away from repressive methods with tear gas and so on, beaten by students and so on, and instead listen and change policies, fulfill the demands of the students," he said.

Lecturer at the Faculty of Law, Andalas University, Feri Amsari, also asked the government to be able to restrain itself in responding to various public criticisms including student criticism. The government's response must be more productive or pro-public, not tendentious, leading to an emotional response.

"There are no more excessive words such as 'ndasmu' and so on, which in my opinion should not be uttered by the highest leader of this republic and this is also an important sign for the opposition to truly march with the people," said Feri.

Feri reminded that the demonstration by students should be a sign that there is room for opposition within the government. He also reminded the DPR to truly work for the public interest and create a balanced point in the government.

Because, when the policy that is born is far from the public interest, it will definitely be responded to with street parliamentary action such as the student demonstration. It is also a public right to voice their aspirations.

"This demonstration indicates that the government has not been working optimally in its first 100 days of government, which is why public criticism is based on the chaos created by the government itself, even for simple matters, the government has been denying policies in public," said Feri.