TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The student demonstration entitled 'Indonesia Gelap' or 'Dark Indonesia' will reach its peak today, Thursday, February 20, 2025. The rally is a continuation of the action that took place in the Patung Kuda area, Central Jakarta, on Monday, February 17, 2025.

The Alliance of the Executive Board of the All-Indonesia Student Executive Board (BEM SI) proposed this action to voice concerns and disappointment with the country's policies under the leadership of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. The state of the country is considered to be increasingly "dark" due to existing policies.

The Central Coordinator of BEM SI, Herianto, said that the peak of today's action will begin at 14.00 WIB at Patung Kuda near the Presidential Palace, the same location as the action on the previous Monday.

This time, the action is centralized in the capital, whereas the previous action took place simultaneously in various regions. Student demonstrations have taken place in several regions such as Bandung, Lampung, Surabaya, Malang, Samarinda, Banjarmasin, Aceh, and Bali.

The policies protested by the students varied, ranging from economic issues to budget cuts for Prabowo's flagship programs.

"From inappropriate budgets, problematic nutritious eating programs, to the scarcity of LPG gas-problems continue to accumulate, but the struggle never stops," said BEM SI in their call for action, quoted from the @bem_si Instagram account today.

In the call for action a few days ago, BEM SI also used the hashtag #AdiliJokowi - a demand to prosecute the 7th President Joko Widodo or Jokowi. The BEM alliance also called for a total evaluation of the performance of the Prabowo-Gibran cabinet.

Herianto, as the Central Coordinator of the BEM SI Alliance, said they chose the peak action date on February 20, 2025, to coincide with the inauguration of regional heads at the Presidential Palace and City Hall. Herianto said that the students want to remind the elected regional heads of their moral responsibility to bring justice to the people.

"So the burden is not only on the central government. The regional government also has to consider their position there," said Herianto when contacted on Tuesday, February 18, 2025.

When contacted yesterday, Herianto presented the nine new demands from BEM SI for the peak action at the Presidential Palace today. BEM SI's demands in the Dark Indonesia action are as follows:

1. Review Presidential Instruction No. 1 of 2025 on Efficient Expenditure in the Implementation of the 2025 State Budget and Regional Budget2. Transparency of the status of development and public taxes3. Large-scale evaluation of the Free Nutritious Meal (MBG) program4. Reject the revision of the Fourth Amendment to the 2009 Law on Mineral and Coal Mining or the Minerba Bill 5. Reject the dual function of the Indonesian Military (TNI)6. Enact the Asset Seizure Bill7. Improve the quality of education and health nationally8. Reject impunity and resolve serious human rights violations9. Reject Jokowi's shadow in the Prabowo government

Hammam Izzuddin and Andi Adam Faturahman contributed to the writing of this article.

Editor's Choice: Luhut on 'Dark Indonesia' Protests: Darkness Lies in You, Not in Indonesia

Click here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News