Bandung – Hundreds of students held a demonstration in front of the West Java Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building located on Jalan Diponegoro in Bandung City on Monday February 17.
The arrival of the mass of students from various universities in West Java was part of a joint action in response to the call for "Dark Indonesia" (Indonesia Gelap) demonstrations that is circulating on social media.
Acting Chairperson of the Padjadjaran University (Unpad) Student Executive Council (BEM) Rhido Anwari Aripin said that they held action so that the government would open itself to hearing criticisms of policies that are seen as not being pro-people.
"We are declaring a firm stance and demanding that the government be aware of and fix existing problems through the points in our demands", said Aripin at the location of the action.
During the action, the students, who came from several different campuses, demanded that the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka changes budget cut or efficiency policies, especially in the education sector.
There were several other demands conveyed at the action, including among others, demanding an increase in the education budget, cancelling all cuts, revoking Presidential Instruction Number 1/2025, returning the education budget to the initial quota then increasing the education budget, especially operational funds for Tertiary Education Institution Legal Entities (PTN-BH), Private Tertiary Education Institutions (PTS) and scholarships.
In addition, they demanded the expansion of access to higher education for children from the working class and farmers who have so far been hampered by high education costs. Then demanding the provision of quality educational facilities and infrastructure, open up the widest possible democratic space and resolve the problem of sexual violence in the world of education.
Then diverting the education efficiency measures by cutting the allowances of government officials, then paying outstanding budget performance allowances for teachers and lecturers and guaranteeing the welfare of teachers, lecturers and education personnel through decent wages and allowances.
Then stop the deliberations on the Draft National Education System Law (RUU Sisdiknas), stop the transformation of Tertiary Education Public Service Institutions (PTN-BLU) into PTN-BH, revoke Education, Culture, Research and Technology Minister Regulation (Permendikbud Ristek) Number 2/2024 and all derivative regulations that perpetuate the liberalisation and privatisation of education, realise education that is scientific, democratic and which serves the people and produce policies based on agrarian reform and national industrialisation.
And, demanding a reconsideration of making the education and health sectors supporting priorities rather than the main priorities of the Prabowo administration. They also demanded that Prabowo streamline and completely overhaul his Red and White Cabinet structurally and technically.
They also demanded that the government remember the things promised to its people, then rejecting giving mining business permits to universities under the recently revised Mineral and Coal Mining Law (UU Minerba) and rejecting the mobilisation of students and lecturers as cheap labour for pro-imperialist and pro-feudal industries.
The action also demanded the government stop the involvement of the armed forces (TNI) in civilian affairs. They rejected militarisation through the construction of new Regional Military Commands (Kodam) and the increase in the police and TNI budget which will be used to launch land grabs and repression as well as rejecting dwi-fungsi (the dual socio-political function) of the TNI.
The action also demanded the restitution of the Ministry of Health's right to ensure the efficiency of health services, the development of health service human resources, health service infrastructure and other matters under the Ministry of Health, then demands regarding the efficiency of funds in the infrastructure sector and demands to revoke the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (UU Ciptaker) and its derivative regulations.
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.
In addition to Bandung, similar actions have also taken place in Jakarta, namely near the Presidential Palace – which was blocked by police at the nearby Horse Statue, in the East Java provincial capital of Surabaya and in Denpasar, Bali. (csr/kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Ratusan Mahasiswa Geruduk Kantor DPRD Jabar, Demo Indonesia Gelap".]
