August 18, 2026 | 05:15 pm
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – University of Indonesia (UI) students took to the streets on Tuesday, August 18, 2026, a day after Indonesia marked its 81st Independence Day, marching toward the Hotel Indonesia (HI) Roundabout in Central Jakarta with eight demands. Their march was halted by a police barricade in the Dukuh Atas area.
BEM UI 2026 Chair Yatalathof Ma’shum Imawan held negotiations with security personnel at the scene. Police subsequently allowed the protesters to move slowly toward the HI Roundabout. However, the students remained blocked as they advanced only a few steps at a time.
“United people cannot be defeated,” the protesters chanted from within the crowd. The chant was followed by a coordinated call: “Open, open the way. Open the way now!” The protesters repeated the call as they faced the line of police officers.
Tempo observed police officers retreat five steps on the orders of the field commander, with the students advancing in response. A tall metal barricade had been installed ahead of the protesters, blocking access from Jalan Jenderal Sudirman to the HI Roundabout.
In their speeches, the students described the demonstration as an effort to “reclaim independence,” which they said had been eroded by the state. They directed criticism at the police, the Indonesian Military (TNI), and government officials.
The protesters also sang mocking songs aimed at President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka, accusing the two leaders of failing to govern the country.
Eight demands
The eight demands formed the basis of the UI students’ protest. They called for an end to what they described as “state colonization of its own people” and demanded the eradication of corruption, collusion, and nepotism.
The students also called for agrarian reform, lower prices for basic necessities and fuel, a comprehensive review of the National Strategic Projects, and an end to the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and the Red and White Village Cooperatives program.
They also rejected the concentration of political power and cuts to regional transfers, while calling for the restoration of regional autonomy.
The students urged the government to declare a national disaster in parts of Sumatra and Flores and accelerate recovery efforts in affected areas.
Their final demand focused on the security forces. The students called for an end to what they described as repressive actions and TNI-Police intervention in civilian affairs, as well as the dissolution of the Territorial Development Infantry Battalions (Yonif Teritorial Pembangunan, or YON-TP).
The eight demands reflect the broad range of issues raised by the UI students, spanning the cost of basic necessities, corruption, agrarian reform, government policies, and the role of security forces in civilian affairs.
In Dukuh Atas, those demands met a police barricade before the protesters could reach the HI Roundabout.
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