Us taking to the streets is a form of democracy, we don’t have other ways to voice the people’s concerns. In fact this is the best way to voice the people’s concerns.
Editor – Southeast Asia Analyst.
Following the protest on Friday June 12th, Indonesians took to the streets near the presidential palace, parliamentary building and along Sudirman street where they were yet again barred from entering Bundaran HI (Hotel International Roundabout) in peaceful protest amidst crashing exchange rates, rising fuel prices and other economic strains on Monday June 15th. The crowd mainly consisted of students from Universities in and around Jakarta supported by the public and other civil society organizations.
Southeast Asia Analyst joined the crowd in front of Bundaran HI to interview protestors on what they hope to achieve through protest, what issue they think deserves most immediate attention, if there could be different ways to convince the government to tend to their demands. Following are the translated transcripts from the interviews.
Protest in Sudirman road on 12 June 2026. Source : Photographer/ Rivaldo Belekubun
What do you hope to achieve from partaking in today’s protest
“What I want is for Prabowo to immediately to listen to our demands, first of all stop going abroad, listen to what the people are saying.”
-Fresh university graduate
“Speaking of hopes, it is difficult to talk about hope when speaking of the government or parliament. But what we are trying to do is to communicate to the public to the people who are going back home from work, those who are restless, those who are angry and affected from the rising basic goods and fuel prices, nonsensical policies, such as red and white cooperatives and free lunch programs. We are in this together so if we don’t make noise, If we don’t protest, if we don’t ask for change, until when are we going to be stuck in this situation. Not until none of us can eat right?”
-Student from Universitas Indonesia
“We are here for a fundamental reason: the autocratic government is not capable of addressing the national problems we face. Secondly the rise of fuel prices which will affect the Indonesian people. Thirdly, free lunch programs and red and white cooperatives are wasting the state budget, in fact the education budget is reduced just because of the mismanaged free lunch program.”
-Student from Universitas Nasional
“We are here not only as a symbolic move but also to push the voice of the oppressed people. To state that Prabowo and Gibran’s government no longer sides with the people. He (Prabowo) is supposed to be a leader but in reality he is only a power grabber.”
-Student from Universitas Nasional
Among the demands from the people, which would you say is most urgent?
“Stop the free lunch program, increase the value of our currency, it’s too low. So automatically the government needs to tend to it now. So stop thinking of going abroad all the time, things are not just fine right now. Regarding education, teacher’s wages are way too low.
-Fresh University graduate
Protest in Sudirman road on 15th June 2026. Source : Southeast Asia Analyst
“I can’t pick and choose on which demands are most important, all I can ask is, every person who is politically aware starts convening and discussing with friends, neighbours or literally anyone. So it’s us saying ‘we want demand no.5, it should be so and so things.’ When people become aware at their own pace they should be able to ask for what they want by themselves in a decentralized manner.”
-Student from Universitas Indonesia
“Today the most urgent issue is to do with rising fuel prices which we think will be difficult for lower income citizens. Additionally the weakening Indonesia Rupiah against the US Dollar has the potential to raise basic prices in the Indonesian market because Indonesia still depends on imports. I hope these issues will be handled seriously by the government in power.”
-Student from Universitas Nasional
“We also need to address how the military is entering the civilian realm. Address how the Prabowo Gibran administration passed the revised military and police bill, that’s still a concern to the civil societies”
-Student from Universitas Nasional
Are there other ways to convince the Prabowo – Gibran administration besides peaceful protest such as this
“I honestly don’t think so, I think this is the only way. I don’t think Prabowo himself has the willingness to listen, I don’t get what his advisors are telling him, I don’t understand. I think Prabow is closing his eyes and I think this is the way to get him to try and listen”
-Fresh university graduate
“It’s not just us students, all elements of society must be noisy at the same time. I think those in power will be more scared when the anger is large and in many sectors and decentralized. If effort is centralized it can be disbanded, but if the protests are everywhere even in far away regions and not just one societal group, it is going to be hard to be severed.”
-Student from Universitas Indonesia
Protest in Sudirman road on 15th June 2026. Source : Southeast Asia Analyst
“If we look at past years in the Prabowo and Gibran administration, they are not capable of listening to the people’s aspirations, that is the first point. Secondly, it’s useless if we try different ways but they won’t listen to us anyway. To this day there was no way to accommodate or realise the people’s aspirations”
-Student from Universitas Nasional
“Us taking to the streets is a form of democracy, we don’t have other ways to voice the people’s concerns. In fact this is the best way to voice the people’s concerns.”
-Student from Universitas Nasional
Han Kyeol Kim is an editor in Southeast Asia Analyst
