Taufiq Syarifudin, Jakarta – Student representatives from Bung Karno University (UBK) and MH Thamrin University who were demonstrating at the Horse Statue in Central Jakarta, have been able to meet with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. They conveyed their demands for action directly to Gibran.
"Student comrades also conveyed their aspirations, be it their complaints from the regions, be it complaints on a national scale, they conveyed them constitutionally in front of the vice president", said action coordinator Muhammad Abdi Maludin after the meeting at the Vice President's Palace on Jalan Medan Merdeka Selatan in Central Jakarta on Monday June 15.
Maludin said the demands submitted were related to the fiscal and education cluster, namely asking for a temporary suspension of the implementation of the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program and food sovereignty policies in the regions to be audited for transparency. Then, divert budget efficiency to subsidise the operational costs of higher education in order to make education affordable.
"Third point; law and civil supremacy cluster. I may just keep this short because our comrades are there. Sending an official recommendation on behalf of the regional government to the DPR RI [national Regional House of Representees] to carry out a legislative review of the National Police Law which was passed just a few weeks ago", he said.
Then, the cluster of monetary and energy crisis demands. He urged the central monetary authority to intervene in the stability of the rupiah and cancel the policy of increasing Pertamax fuel prices (BBM) because it has destroyed people's domestic purchasing power.
"If within 5 x 24 hours no later than Friday, July 19, 2024 [sic] the second party violates, ignores, or does not show progressive evidence of the realisation of this memorandum. Then the first party has the right to say that the second party has lacked moral legitimacy and betrayed our agreement", he said.
Meanwhile, Acting Secretary to the Vice President Al Muktabar said that Gibran welcomed and accepted what had been conveyed in the form of an interactive dialogue. Moreover, he said, there were students who conveyed issues in the regions that reached the national level.
"Now, this will be material for consideration to be forwarded by the Bapak [Mr] Vice President on matters that require follow-up, of course within the limits of authority in accordance with statutory regulations", he said.
He said that Gibran would bring the results of this student study to President Prabowo Subianto. According to Muktabar, Gibran will forward the students' demands to Prabowo through a certain mechanism.
"Oh yes, of course both of them, the Bapak Vice President and Bapak President of course have a working mechanism which will be conveyed at certain occasions according to the time available", he added. (tsy/fas)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Perwakilan Mahasiswa Diterima Wapres Gibran, Ini yang Disampaikan".]
