Tri Angga Kriswaningsih, Jakarta – Students and civil society groups calling themselves the People's Struggle Council Alliance (Aliansi Majelis Perjuangan Rakyat) held a protest action at the National Monument (Monas) in Central Jakarta on Friday July 17.
During the demonstration, the protesters demanded a temporary halt and a complete evaluation of the Free Nutritional Meals (MBG) program.
The protesters began by giving speeches at around 3 pm local time in the Monas area. Initially, they had planned to hold the protest in the nearby Horse Statue area but upon arrival police asked them to protest at the Islamic Research and Training Institute (IRTI) near Monas.
During today's demonstration, the protesters voiced three demands: restore civil society sovereignty, completely dismantle the state system and save Indonesian education.
"Dismantling this state system, this is related to PSNs, national strategic projects which are highly detrimental, for example the MBG and the Kopdes Merah Putih [Red and White Village Cooperatives]", said Jakarta State University (UNJ) Student Executive Council (BEM) movement department head Dwi Ibnu in Jakarta on Friday.
The students believe that the implementation of the government programs have not meet the public's expectations. "The execution on the ground, once again, did not meet the public's expectations", he said.
The protest action was marked by speeches from several participants. In a live broadcast on Kompas TV, one speaker was seen delivering the theme of the rally that afternoon using a loudspeaker from atop a command vehicle.
"Today's demonstration is entitled 'a motion of no confidence in the Prabowo-Gibran regime.' That is certainly a sign, a message to all of us here that there is no more room for negotiation with this incompetent government" the speaker said.
Another speaker also called on the administration of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka to completely re-evaluate Indonesia's state system by returning sovereignty to the people.
"The Prabowo-Gibran cabinet must completely re-evaluate our state system. Return the sovereignty of civil society" they said from the command vehicle.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Massa Gelar Unjuk Rasa di Kawasan Monas, Minta Pemerintah Evaluasi Kebijakan MBG-Kopdes".]
