Student Protests Today: 'Indonesia Bankruptcy' Action and UNJ Resistance Rally

6 hours ago 3

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Several student alliances from universities in Jakarta and its surrounding areas are planning to hold a protest on Friday, June 12, 2025. They have chosen different demonstration sites with nearly identical demands: urging the government to improve Indonesia's struggling economy.

So far, the confirmed protest plans are from the Jakarta State University (UNJ) Resists Alliance and the Bankrupt Indonesia Action initiated by the Student Executive Board of the University of Indonesia (BEM UI). The details are as follows:

Indonesia Bankruptcy Action Location

Several student executive boards from various campuses and student movement organizations will join BEM UI's Indonesia Bankruptcy Action at Bundaran HI, Central Jakarta, today. The BEM UI Chair, Yatalathof Ma'shum Imawan, stated that all 15 UI faculty BEMs will participate. Additionally, eight other campus BEMs and various other student movement organizations will take part.

These include the Student Family Executive Board of IPB University, Jakarta State Polytechnic Student Executive Board, Pancasila University Student Executive Board, Gunadarma University BEM Alliance, National Student Front (FMN) Central, FMN UI, Pembebasan, and the Progressive UI Student Union (Semar UI).

"Several organizations and student movement groups that participated in the national consolidation at the UI Campus yesterday (June 10, 2026) are still confirming their attendance," Athof said when contacted on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

Indonesia Bankruptcy Action Demands

The assembly point for this action will be at the FISIP UI field, Depok, West Java, at 10:00 AM WIB (Western Indonesian Time). The dress code is a yellow jacket and a black shirt. The participants of the action have decided on five demands that will be conveyed, mainly urging President Prabowo Subianto to stop the free nutritious meal project (MBG) and the red and white village cooperatives.

Furthermore, the students demand Prabowo to halt the squandering of the state budget, reduce the prices of necessities and fuel, and stop militarism in civil society. "Prabowo must also stop evading and acknowledge the government's mistakes," Athof stated on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

These demands are formulated based on the current economic and democratic issues in Indonesia. According to Athof, Indonesia is a rich country. However, the people are still not prosperous. Economic growth in Indonesia has even collapsed. The government's policies have only strengthened this collapse.

"Leaky fiscal policies, the independence of the Central Bank snatched away. Not to mention the government's communication with the public is far from adequate," he said.

Athof believes the government rejects the current situation. The government, he says, degrades the struggles and criticisms voiced by the people. "The state apparatus is also used as a tool to silence those who speak up," he said.

UNJ Against Alliance Location

Students from Jakarta State University who are part of the UNJ Resists Alliance will hold a protest on the campus grounds today at 1:00 PM WIB. The long march route will begin from Rawamangun towards the golf course, then turn right towards Pemuda.

"So we will go against the flow. Until the final stop at UNJ's Pemuda gate," stated the Head of the Social Politics Department of the UNJ Faculty of Social and Law Student Executive Board, Dimas Galih, on Thursday, June 11, 2026.

Dimas mentioned that the action will be followed by UNJ's academic community. In addition to students, Sociology Lecturer at UNJ, Ubedilah Badrun will attend the action.

UNJ Resists Alliance member, Andreas, stated that the decision to protest is the result of the consolidation carried out by all UNJ student organizations on Wednesday, June 10, 2026.

UNJ Against Alliance Demands

The consolidation result also stipulated two demands for the Prabowo Subianto government and the UNJ rectorate. The demands for the government consist of 10 points, including improving the value of the rupiah; lowering the prices of necessities and fuel; realizing teacher welfare; allocating 20 percent of the state budget for education; stopping the free nutritious meal program and the red and white cooperatives; and demanding the military return to their barracks.

Additionally, the alliance also demands that the government cease the criminalization of young people and release all political prisoners; halt the PTN-BH (state universities-business entity) scheme; realize free and democratic universities; create a safe educational environment free from sexual violence; and stop national strategic projects that harm the environment.

Meanwhile, the demands for the UNJ rectorate include expediting the construction of the Saudi Fund for Development (SFD) building, which remians stagnant to date, and adjusting single tuition fees to suit students' economic conditions.