UGM Discussion Descends into Chaos as Students Protest Officials

A public discussion on Pancasila at Gadjah Mada University (UGM) in Yogyakarta descended into chaos on Monday night, June 15, 2026. The event, titled "Kopdar Bareng Mas Dar" and organized by Total Politik, featured officials including the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning, Nusron Wahid, and the Head of the Poverty Alleviation Acceleration Agency, Budiman Sudjatmiko.

The forum, initially calm, turned heated after the speakers concluded their presentations. Budiman Sudjatmiko had invited participants to voice their criticisms directly, stating, "Please criticize us here, not on social media." However, the situation escalated when students sharply criticized the officials' suitability to discuss Pancasila amidst unresolved national issues.

Protests intensified as dozens of students stormed the stage, unfurling banners with slogans like "UGM Rejects Reform Traitors" and "UGM Rejects Regime Flatterers." The disruption escalated to the point where water bottles were thrown at the speakers, forcing the immediate halt of the discussion. Security and organizers attempted to escort the officials out, but their evacuation was blocked by hundreds of students surrounding the building.

During a subsequent open dialogue, a student questioned Nusron Wahid about his ministry's policies regarding the reallocation of hundreds of thousands of hectares of land in Papua, which allegedly displaced indigenous communities. The minister's response, suggesting the student visit Papua to see the facts on the ground, was perceived as dismissive and failed to address the core issue, further fueling student disappointment.