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View all search resultsStudent unions dissociate from BEM Bersatu after political ‘infiltration’ allegations
A rift seems to have appeared in the ongoing student movement against excessive budgetary spending and rising fuel prices after BEM Bersatu alleged that certain student unions may have been swayed by political influence, which elicited prompt denial from its peers as well as the PDI-P.
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A woman uses a megaphone before a police line on June 12, 2026, during a student-led protest in Jakarta against the steep rise in nonsubsidized fuel prices and wasteful government spending, urging a halt to the costly free nutritious meal program. (AFP/Aditya Irawan)
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everal student unions have denied involvement in the United Student Executive Bodies (BEM Bersatu) after the alliance criticized recent student-led protests during a media event on Tuesday, alleging they were influenced by political interests linked to a former presidential candidate.
BEM Bersatu made the allegations at a press conference in East Jakarta, saying it rejected the use of political intervention, funding or facilities to influence student movements, including the protests held over the past few days in multiple cities.
“We believe that some recent student protests have started to lose direction, marked by limited studies, weak arguments and unclear substance in their demands,” alliance member Rahmat Djimbula told the press conference, as quoted by state news agency Antara.
“This raises questions over whether the [student] movement still represents the public interest or has been infiltrated by certain agendas,” he added.
BEM Bersatu has alleged that Tiyo Ardianto, a former leader of Gadjah Mada University’s student union who helped organize the protests in Yogyakarta, is connected to figures linked to the Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) and its unsuccessful 2024 presidential candidate Ganjar Pranowo.
According to the alliance, a vehicle that Tiyo used during the protests was registered to Siti Nuraeni, who the group claims is the younger sister of retired Army general Setyo Sularso.
Setyo’s daughter is married to a son of former Indonesian Military (TNI) chief Andika Perkasa, a PDI-P politician who was a member of Ganjar’s 2024 campaign team.
