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View all search resultsStudents to rally against Prabowo amid economic pressures
Student groups are set to return to the streets on Friday, demanding an end to President Prabowo Subianto’s costly flagship programs as economic pressures mount and the rupiah sinks to a record low.
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A university student holds a poster reading 'police are killers' during a protest in front of the Jakarta Police headquarters on Aug. 29, 2025, against police brutality following the death of Affan Kurniawan, an 'ojol' (online motorcycle transportation) driver who was run over by an armored Jakarta Police's Mobile Brigade (Brimob) vehicle the night before. Protests erupted across several Indonesian cities on Aug. 29 in anger at Affan's death as officers responded with tear gas and President Prabowo Subianto called for calm. (AFP/Aditya Irawan)
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ess than a year after nationwide unrest shook Indonesia in August 2025, student groups are set to return to the streets on Friday, demanding an end to President Prabowo Subianto’s costly flagship programs as economic pressures mount and the rupiah sinks to a record low.
The University of Indonesia’s Student Executive Body (BEM UI) had announced that it would stage a protest at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta, calling on students and members of the public to join the demonstration.
“Nearly two years [this administration] has been wrecking the country. The weakening rupiah is shrugged off, human rights are ignored and questionable programs continue,” BEM UI wrote in its Instagram post on Wednesday. “Let us take to the streets and exercise our rights as citizens.”
Albani Ilmi, head of BEM UI’s action and propaganda department, told The Jakarta Post that Friday’s protest would involve a broad coalition of student bodies from Jakarta and the surrounding areas, including those from IPB University, Jakarta State Polytechnic, Pancasila University and Gunadarma University.
The planned rally follows a “national consolidation” meeting held at UI on Wednesday evening, where students and activists gathered to discuss growing concerns over the country’s economic trajectory.
Read also: From tragedy to reform: Rethinking democracy and public ethics in Indonesia
The rupiah has emerged as Asia’s worst-performing currency this year, hitting a historic low on June 8 after falling beyond Rp 18,000 per United States dollar and extending its losses to more than 7 percent since the start of 2026.
