House leaders in Indonesia meet student protesters in rally against fuel prices, free meals

Leaders of Indonesia's House of Representatives engaged in discussions with university students who have been protesting President Prabowo Subianto's administration over spending priorities and key programs. The meeting occurred on June 19, following a week of demonstrations.

House Deputy Speakers Sufmi Dasco Ahmad and Saan Mustopa met with student representatives inside the legislative complex. They acknowledged the productive, though brief, communication and pledged to increase engagement. The student representatives voiced concerns about the government's "free nutritious meal programme" and the rising cost of fuel.

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Today, we have had good communication and interaction, although the time was limited. Going forward, we will increase engagement with student representatives.

Relevant agency heads and ministers joined the discussion remotely, addressing some of the students' key issues. The House leaders committed to arranging further dialogue between the students and government officials to address the protesters' demands. These demands, under the slogan "Indonesia in a State of Emergency: Citizens United Challenging the Government," include calls for economic relief measures and a review of government programs and officials' performance.

More than 1,000 students, largely led by Trisakti University, participated in the rally. They criticized what they termed "wasteful state spending" and called for the suspension of costly initiatives like the multi-trillion-rupiah free meals program. Rifky Aditya Pratama, a student from Mercu Buana University, expressed disappointment, stating the government seems to prioritize less urgent programs like free meals over creating job opportunities for young Indonesians. The protests highlight growing public scrutiny over the administration's budget allocation, particularly the significant funding designated for the free meals initiative, which is budgeted at 268 trillion rupiah for 2026.

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Unfortunately, we feel the government is not prioritizing this, and is instead focusing on programmes we consider less urgent, such as the free meals.