Surabaya Protest: Civil Alliance Lists Nine Failures of Prabowo-Gibran Government

Hundreds of Indonesian civil society members, including students, academics, and workers, gathered in Surabaya to protest the Prabowo-Gibran administration. Under the banner of the "Alliance of Surabaya People Suing," they marched to the East Java Governor's office, voicing nine points of alleged government failure, which they have dubbed 'Nawa Nestapa' or 'Nine Calamities.'

The protest began with a march from the Bambu Runcing Monument and continued to the Gedung Negara Grahadi. Participants carried banners with slogans like "Reformasi Indonesia" and "Intellectuals without the desire for rebellion are merely extensions of the state." The latter was displayed on a pedestrian bridge, serving as a call to action for academics.

Raditya Ananta Widyawardana, the protest coordinator, explained that the alliance intentionally merged various civil elements to prevent fragmentation, ensuring a unified voice. "We don't want the movement in Surabaya to be fragmented like previous movements. So, today we try to merge," he stated.

Miftakhur Rohmah, a spokesperson and academic from FH Unair, detailed the nine systemic failures forming the basis of their demands. "Prabowo Subianto has failed constitutionally, ethically, and logically. He cannot be allowed to continue," she asserted. Rohmah specifically criticized the weakening of the rule of law, claiming it has been replaced by "rule by law" that benefits only oligarchs and a select few. "Rule of law is gone now, now there is rule by law. Laws made by Prabowo Gibran. Laws made only for their pleasure, only for their power," she said.