Students Protest in Bandung, Criticize Rupiah and Fuel Prices

Students in Bandung, West Java, took to the streets on Thursday to protest against the policies of the Prabowo Subianto-Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration. Demonstrators gathered in front of the West Java Regional People's Representative Council building, carrying banners and posters criticizing economic issues and the recently passed police law. Key concerns included the weakening Rupiah exchange rate, the "free nutritious food" program, and the extension of the police chief's term and retirement age. The students also called for the immediate implementation of genuine agrarian reform and national industrialization. "We want to urge the state to realize true agrarian reform and national industrialization as a way out of the many oppressions we experience," said Ainul Mardhyah, Coordinator of the National Student Front (FMN) Bandung Raya. Mardhyah specifically criticized the free nutritious food program as a waste of state funds and a potential health hazard, citing instances of poisoning. The protest also demanded a reduction in fuel prices, arguing that Indonesians deserve affordable transportation, especially amid rising costs of essential goods. The government recently increased prices for non-subsidized fuels, though subsidized Pertalite and Biosolar remain unchanged. BEM UPI Chairman Khallid Syhaeful stated the protest stemmed from widespread student concern over the nation's serious problems, emphasizing that their anxieties are shared by many segments of society.

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We want to urge the state to realize true agrarian reform and national industrialization as a way out of the many oppressions we experience, including from several branches of our demands. We hope, first, to stop the free nutritious food program, stop it completely! Because it is clear this is consuming a lot of the budget already spent by the state.