Surabaya – Hundreds of students from various campuses in Surabaya held another demonstration in front of the East Java Regional House of Representative (DPRD) building on Tuesday August 19. During the rally they flew the Jolly Roger flag from the Japanese anime One Piece and called themselves the Nakama Action Movement.
Action Coordinator M Rizqi Senja Virawan, who is also the University of Airlangga Student Executive Council (BEM) Coordinating Minister for the Movement, said that during the action the students brought up several major issues related to Indonesian democracy and the President Prabowo Subianto administration.
"Yeah, from this action, we are indeed bringing up the grand issues of 'Deadmokrasi' Indonesia [Dead Democracy] and 'Indonesia Sold Out'. As the name of our movement, we are using the name Nakama Movement", said Virawan on the sidelines of the action.
Virawan explained that the issues raised by the East Java chapter of the All-Indonesia Student Executive Council (BEM SI) stemmed from a long process of consolidation among various student groups in East Java. They brought at least 30 demands to the action.
Actually, these issues or this action stems from the issues we have collected together, from all the bad news from the country that we have collected. Because it turns out that after we consolidated it many times, we finally came up with 30 issues which we recorded , he said.
Of the dozens of issues, the students specifically highlighted the Draft Criminal Procedure Code (RKUHAP) and the government's history rewriting project.
"As we know, the RKUHAP is full of problems, both material and formal. Rewriting history, it turns out, is full of controversy", he said.
In addition, the students also criticised Finance Minister Sri Mulyani's statement on teacher and lecturer salaries. "It's contradictory, for example, when we want to improve the life of the nation, but the Finance Minister herself considers it a burden when discussing teacher and lecturer salaries", said Virawan.
The students also highlighted the allocation of the education budget and a re-evaluation of the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
"It's not just the education budget, actually, Mas [Brother]. But the implementation in the regions. So many students are being poisoned [by the MBG program] and so on. But to this day, the president treats it as just a statistic. Now, that's the problem", he stressed.
Virawan said the students are urging the East Java DPRD leadership to meet with them and support their aspirations. "We're trying to encourage and persuade the DPRD members to come out. So, as representatives of the people of East Java, the DPRD will work with our fellow students across East Java to oversee these 30 issues", he explained.
The Nakama Movement name, Virawan continued, was taken from the spirit of solidarity inspired by the Japanese anime One Piece. The protesters reportedly numbered around 300 student who came from various different campuses.
"Nakama can actually be more or less interpreted as comrades or comrades in arms. So that represents why our movement was ultimately named the Nakama Movement", he said.
Despite the heavy rain pouring down on the East Java DPRD area on Tuesday afternoon, the students remained in front of the DPRD Building while waiting for a response from the people's representatives.
The following are the Nakama Action Movement's demands:
- Review the RKUHAP
- Reject the rewriting of history
- Realise freedom of expression
- Review the Red and White Village Cooperatives Program
- Review the People's School Program
- Guarantee decent wages for teachers and lecturers
- End repression by the state apparatus
- Review the MBG program
- Reject illegal mining
- Reject the duplication of deputy minister positions
- Realise National Police (Polri) reforms
- Oversee the new National Capital City (IKN) development
- Review Culture Day coinciding with President Prabowo's birthday
- Revoke the Indonesian Military (TNI) Law
- Reject the title of national hero for former president Suharto
- Oversee the realisation of 19 million new jobs promised by Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka
- Reject the military entering campuses
- Revoke Presidential Regulation Number 66/2025 on State Protection for Prosecutors
- Reject the 15 percent Value Added Tax (PPN) upper limit
- Reject the authorities' arrogant attitude
- End the criminalisation of activists
- Release all of our comrades
- Reject soaring regional taxes
- Reject the House of Representatives (DPR) wage increase
- Enact the Draft Law on Asset Confiscation (RUU Perampasan Aset)
- End the theft of indigenous land
- Improve the equity of education and road Infrastructure in the regions
- End and prosecute the perpetrators of intolerance and racism in Indonesia
- Realise Indonesian foreign policies that are rational
- Fully investigate and try perpetrators of human rights violations in Indonesia
(frd/dal)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Mahasiswa Surabaya Kibarkan One Piece di DPRD Jatim: Nakama Bergerak".]
