Lessons Learned from Students’ Protests

KOMPAS/RIZA FATHONI

Members of the TNI are greeted by students shaking hands in front of the Parliament Building Complex, Senayan, Jakarta, Monday (11/4/2022).

JAKARTA, KOMPAS - The waves of street demonstrations in a number of regions in the country on Monday (11/4/2022) to protest the proposed postponement of the 2024 general elections and extension of the presidential term, should be a lesson for all segments of the nation. Political elites need to be more sensitive to reading the "mood" of society and avoid mentioning or entertaining unconstitutional ideas.

On the other hand, the violence which occurred during the demonstrations cannot be justified. Law enforcement against those responsible must be carried out.

Also read:

The demonstration in Central Jakarta, West Java, took place in front of the House of Representatives (DPR), instead of the State Place as originally planned by the All-Indonesian Student Executive Board. The location change was made on the grounds that President Joko “Jokowi” Widodo had reaffirmed the general election would still be held in 2024 as originally scheduled.

Also read:

Students and New Jobs

Previously, a number of ministers and political party leaders mooted the possibility of extending Jokowi's term of office to a third term. Additionally, in his address during a meeting on the preparation of the 2024 general election and simultaneous regional head elections on Sunday (10/4), the President warned ministers not to create speculation that the government was pushing for a postponement of the election or an extension of the terms of office of the President and Vice President to three terms. The President emphasized that the 2024 general election will be held on Feb. 14, 2024 (Kompas, 11/4).

Protesters gave speeches regarding the rejection of the extension of the presidential term, the postponement of elections, the development of a new capital city and the increase in the price of basic necessities.

During a demonstration in Central Jakarta, students carried banners and cardboard that read, among other slogans, “Terms of office are not like food prices that continue to increase”, “Recover soon Indonesia”, “Onlyfans are fast, Oil Mafia is slow”, and “People are Rising Against”. Protesters gave speeches regarding the rejection of the extension of the presidential term, the postponement of elections, the development of a new capital city and the increase in the price of basic necessities.

KOMPAS/ERIKA KURNIA

Mass without alma mater following a demonstration by students of the All-Indonesian Student Executive Board alliance in front of the Parliament Building, Jalan Gatot Subroto, Central Jakarta, Monday (11/4/2022) afternoon.

Demonstrations with a similar message also took place in a number of regions, such as in Bandung, West Java; Padang, West Sumatra; Jambi, Jambi; Makassar, South Sulawesi; Balik Papan, Kaltim; and Palu, Sultra. The demonstrations were generally peaceful, but clashes occurred in some areas.

Several demonstrators were disquieted by the unconstitutional discourse of a number of political elites, which eventually caused a commotion. "They should apologize publicly for what they talked about," said Daeng, a protester in Palu.

In Central Jakarta, the demonstrators were met by the deputy speaker of the House of Representatives (DPR), Sufmi Dasco Ahmad, and two other members of the DPR leadership, namely Rachmat Gobel and Lodewijk F Paulus. They boarded the command car, along with the National Police Chief General (Pol) Listyo Sigit Prabowo.

Dasco said the students’ wishes had been accepted and would soon be submitted to the government. Regarding the postponement of the 2024 election and the extension of the presidential term, he said that none of them were part of the political agenda of the DPR.

The chairman of the DPR, Puan Maharani, in a written statement said that she had repeatedly rejected the idea of postponing the election or extending the term of office of the president.

Be careful

Meanwhile, Azyumardi Azra, a professor at Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, noted that the demonstrations which took place in a number of regions in Indonesia marked the peak of the escalation of social and political unrest. The unrest was triggered by concerns related to the postponement of the general elections and the extension of the term of office of the president to three terms. Such issues emerged at a time when people were faced with a heavier economic burden following the increase in prices of basic commodities, he said.

However, he objected to the beating of Ade Armando, an activist and a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, by non-student protesters.

Senior researcher of the Political Research Center of the National Research and Innovation Agency, Firman Noor, said that student demonstrations in a number of areas were a warning to all parties to be careful not to entertain or mention unconstitutional views. However, he objected to the beating of Ade Armando, an activist and a lecturer at the University of Indonesia, by non-student protesters. He hoped the police would soon find the culprit.

Not a student

In Central Jakarta, riots occurred after the students ended the demonstration, after being met by some leaders of the DPR and the chief of the National Police. Based on observations, apart from students, the demonstrations, especially in the area around the DPR building, were also joined by groups of middle-aged women and other groups without alma mater jackets, which mostly consisted of men. The atmosphere, filled with various groups of people with different interests, is suspected to have caused chaos.

There was also an eruption of violence in the beating of Ade Armando, who had joined the students’ rally since morning. Protesters without an alma mater jacket suddenly surrounded Ade and beat him. Several other people also attacked Ade.

ISTIMEWA

Screenshot of the beating of Ade Armando.

The Jakarta Police chief, Fadil Imran, confirmed that Ade Armando's attackers were not students. Six police officers who helped Ade were also injured. The Police has identified the perpetrators. Fadil stated that unfortunately, there was a group of people in the street rallies who did not intend to express concerns and aspirations, but to create a riot. The police will investigate, including seeking the mastermind. The mob also set fire to the police post in Pejompongan, East Jakarta, Tanah Abang. (BOW/REK/ERK/DAN/JA L/JOL/ITA / VDL/ NS A / IDO/NCA/ZAK/RTG/REN/CIP/HRS/COK)

(This article was translated by Hendarsyah Tarmizi)