Reza Agustian, Jakarta – Protesters from the All Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) Alliance came to the Arjuna Wijaya or Horse Statue in Central Jakarta on Friday October 28 to hold a protest action.
The demonstrators, who began arriving at around 3.30 pm, began the action with a march from the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) at the National Monument (Monas) to the Horse Statue traffic circle.
During the action, students could be seen from a number of different universities such as the Bogor Institute of Agriculture (IPB), the Jenderal Soedirman University, the Jakarta State Polytechnic (PNJ) and other campuses.
Upon arriving in front of the Horse Statue, the students immediately closed ranks in order to give speeches articulating the demands that they had brought to the action today, which was held under the theme "8 Years of Jokowi's Failures" (#8TAHUNKEGAGALANJOKOWI).
BEM SI Alliance media coordinator Ragner Angga said that they were making at least 19 demands at the action.
"[We] demand and urge the government to revoke the decision to increase fuel (BBM) prices and to instead firmly apply the regulations on the use of subsidised BBM", explained Angga on Friday.
The students also asked the government to fully investigate the fatal stampede at the Kanjuruhan Stadium on October 1 in Malang, East Java, and to realise legal supremacy that does not discriminate.
"Internal reform of the Indonesian police and realizing the broadest possible civil freedoms in accordance with the mandate of the Constitution and guaranteeing the safety of everyone to express a view in expressing opinions and presenting evaluations", he said.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Massa BEM SI Tiba di Patung Kuda, Angkat Isu 8 Tahun Kegagalan Jokowi".]