Vebyana Putri Amanda, Lorencia Sariani Tondang, Beritasatu Team, Jakarta – Students and civil society groups staged protests in Jakarta and several other Indonesian cities on Wednesday, demanding action on forest fires, state spending, education, and civil liberties as they marked Youth Pledge Day.
In Jakarta, tensions escalated at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout in the evening, with police firing tear gas and deploying water cannons to disperse crowds. Some demonstrators set off flares, climbed a traffic police post, and burned tires and plastic barriers along Jalan Jenderal Sudirman.
There were no official reports of deaths related to the demonstration around the roundabout and Jalan Jenderal Sudirman in Central Jakarta on Wednesday.
Some protesters experienced breathing difficulties after exposure to tear gas, while others sustained minor injuries during scuffles with police near the UOB building and the Deutsche Bank intersection. Emergency medical teams provided first aid and referred several people to nearby health facilities.
Police detained 19 people at the protest site for allegedly carrying firecrackers, bladed weapons and coloring materials suspected of being intended for vandalism. One of those detained was a minor.
The situation had returned to normal by Wednesday night, with protesters leaving the area and traffic flowing along the Sudirman-Thamrin corridor.
The Jakarta demonstration was organized under the banner of the Committee to Save the People's Sovereignty (SADAR), a coalition initiated by student groups from several universities and civil society organizations. The University of Indonesia's student executive body, BEM UI, was among the main groups involved in coordinating the protest.
The coalition brought together students from different campuses under the slogan #IndonesiaSadar and presented five demands covering forest and land fires, state budget transparency, equal access to education and basic services, law enforcement, and freedom of expression and human rights.
Students called for forest and land fires to be declared a national disaster and for action against companies responsible for the fires. They also questioned government spending priorities, including allocations for the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and the Merah Putih Village Cooperatives initiative.
Other banners criticized the government's performance during its first two years in office and called for stronger environmental protection and more affordable living costs.
Razzaq, a student from Padjadjaran University, said students from different campuses had coordinated their participation since early October, with delegates representing their respective universities.
The protest also drew members of the Indonesian Mothers' Alliance, who distributed food, drinks, fruit and other supplies to demonstrators. The group called for stronger action against forest destruction and an evaluation of the MBG program, which it has criticized through its MBG Watch initiative.
"All mothers in the world have children. We certainly want the legacy we leave for our children to be something they truly deserve. However, as we see it now, the state can no longer guarantee that for us," said Naraya, one of the protesters.
In Yogyakarta, a demonstration outside the provincial legislative council building also saw clashes between police and a crowd of students and civil society members. Protesters threw stones and firecrackers at officers, while some burned objects and threw them into the legislative complex. The unrest spread to the Malioboro area, prompting several businesses to close their shops as a precaution.
In Tasikmalaya, West Java, hundreds of students marched to the city legislative council building to demand an evaluation of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka's first two years in office.
Tensions rose when protesters attempted to enter the building, leading to clashes with police and the collapse of a fence. Demonstrators raised concerns over forest fires, state spending, food and fuel prices, and inadequate street lighting.
The situation later calmed after local legislative and city administration representatives met with the students. Officials signed documents containing the protesters' demands and pledged to forward them to the central government.
Source: https://jakartaglobe.id/news/students-stage-youth-pledge-day-protests-over-government-policie