Denpasar – A number of student groups, including those affiliated with the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) Alliance, are holding a marathon of simultaneous actions in a number of regions in Indonesia between Monday February 17 and Wednesday February 19.
The theme of the demonstrations is "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap). One of the student protests that was held early this week was in Denpasar, Bali. The students, who are members of the "Bali Won't Stay Silent Alliance", held a demonstration and went to Balinese Regional House of Representatives (DPR) offices on Monday.
During the action, the students brought several banners reading "Education Cuts to the Core, Hope Fades", "Thrift is the Root of Wealth, Efficiency is the Root of Stupidity" and "Dark Indonesia Education Emergency".
One of the action coordinators who is also the vice president of BEM at the Udayana University (Unud) in Bali, Ketut Indra Adiyasa, said that the students' arrival on the Island of the Gods at the people's representative building was to protest the education budget cuts being carried out by the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.
"Our focus is on education budget cuts. As we know, several days ago there was Presidential Instruction (Inpres), Number 1/2025 which stipulated cutting the education budget or making it more efficient", said Adiyasa in front of the DPRD.
The students believe that budget efficiency or cuts to education will have an impact on several education sectors in the future.
"Like the cutting of KIP (Smart Indonesia Card), the cutting of recovery funds at tertiary education institutions, of course this also affects us and includes ormawa (student organisations). And it affects our work programs being limited by the chancelleries", he said.
In addition to this, according to Adiyasa, the Indonesian government should prioritise education and health programs, not instead of making these two sectors the main supporting priority of the Prabowo-Gibran administration.
"Education and health, which should be the main priority, have instead become supporting priorities. That is our focus, why is it not the main priority", he said.
During the action in front of the Bali DPRD gates, several student representatives were received for an audience with the Bali DPRD members.
And, the following are the five demands by the Bali students at the action in front of the DPRD today.
1. Demanding that all government parties, including the President of Indonesia and the Minister of Finance, revoke Presidential Instruction (Inpres) Number 1/2025 and Minister of Finance Decree Number S/37/MK.02/2025.
2. Urging the government to immediately review the free nutritious meals (MBG) program and make the education and health sectors the top priority.
3. Urging the government to immediately pay and allocate a budget for lecturer performance allowances or tukin that have not yet been paid as a form of responsibility to and the right of lecturers based on Law Number 5/2014 on State Civil Servants (ASN) and Law Number 14/2025 on Teachers and Lecturers.
4. Reject universities managing mining permits as stipulated in the recent revisions to the Mineral and Coal Mining Law (UU Minerba).
5. Demanding that the President of Indonesia, Bapak (Mr) Prabowo Subianto, ensure an even distribution of education through access to higher education institutions for all Indonesian people and for the sake of realising the intellectual development of the nation's life. (kdf/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Mahasiswa Bali Geruduk DPRD, Tolak Pemotongan Anggaran Pendidikan".]
