Indonesian Parliament Pledges to Revoke Student Suspect Status After Protest

Lawmakers at Indonesia's parliament have pledged to address student demands following a demonstration on Friday. Representatives from Trisakti University, Esa Unggul University, Mercu Buana University, and the Islamic Student Association (HMI) met with parliamentary leaders for about 90 minutes.

Key commitments included the revocation of suspect status for 16 Trisakti University students involved in a previous protest. The students had been named suspects after an event commemorating the 27th anniversary of the Trisakti Tragedy in May 2025. A member of parliament stated that the head of Commission III had communicated with the police, and the suspect status would be lifted within a week. Additionally, parliament is working to secure the release of two Mercu Buana University students arrested before the demonstration for carrying gasoline.

The students also raised concerns about the government's free nutritious meal program (MBG) and the scarcity and rising prices of subsidized fuel. During the meeting, a parliament leader telephoned the head of the National Nutrition Agency (BGN) to convey the students' request for an evaluation and temporary suspension of the MBG program. The BGN reportedly stated that budget reviews were underway, potentially saving around 70 trillion rupiah from inefficient aspects of the program. The Minister of Energy and Mineral Resources was also contacted regarding fuel issues, with promises to resolve the problems soon.

Parliament offered to facilitate further discussions between students and the BGN if more clarification was needed on the meal program. The meeting concluded with these commitments, aiming to de-escalate tensions following the student protests.