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View all search resultsAcademics rally behind student protests, reject politicization
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University students take part in a protest on June 12 against government policies, including state budget spending, fuel price hikes, the free nutritious meal program and expanded military roles in civilian affairs, in Jakarta. (Reuters/Ajeng Dinar Ulfiana)
A
coalition of professors, academics, rights advocates and public figures has thrown its support behind recent student protests, warning that growing attempts to intimidate and politicize the movement threaten Indonesia’s democracy and civil liberties.
In a joint statement issued on Saturday, the coalition of 64 members expressed concern over what they described as growing attempts to weaken the student movement through intimidation, suppression and the co-optation of critical voices.
The group warned that such efforts surrounding the recent protests “threaten democracy and civil liberties”, describing student activism as a vital pillar of Indonesia’s democratic development.
“We strongly condemn all forms of efforts to weaken and intimidate students. Freedom of expression and association are constitutional rights,” the statement said.
“Today, when economic inequality, environmental destruction and the weakening of critical voices are ignored, students represent hope for people whose voices go unheard,” it added.
The statement came after weeks of continuing demonstrations in Jakarta and other cities over what students described as President Prabowo Subianto’s “misplaced” spending priorities, particularly the multi-trillion-rupiah free nutritious meal program, as Indonesians grapple with rising living costs, higher fuel prices and a weakening rupiah.
Read also: Prabowo shrugs off criticism for key policies
