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View all search resultsEmpowering the future, strengthening youth engagement
As we look toward the Youth Pledge centennial in 2028, the government has an opportunity to reverse the current trend of clamping down on dissent and instead embrace youth voice through policies that engage the younger generation in active nation building.
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Students and civil society groups take part in a demonstration outside the Senayan Legislative Complex in Central Jakarta on March 6, 2026, to condemn the United States-Israeli attacks on Iran and to urge a review of Indonesia’s joining US President Donald Trump’s Board of Peace. (JP/Iqro Rinaldi)
I
ndonesia has emerged from the holy month of Ramadan into an increasingly grim world. Facing multiple political, economic and environmental crises both at home and abroad, the nation must urgently embrace the potential of the younger generation. Their energy is needed not only to solve the immediate problems of today but also to secure a stable and prosperous long-term future for the country.
Youth engagement in Indonesia has been under pressure due to changes in the education budget, rising unemployment and clogged channels for young people’s participation in public life.
To make matters worse, ever since youths took to the streets in August last year to express their grievances, there has been an overly repressive response from the government. The recent acid attack on a human rights activist was a particularly low point, especially after it was acknowledged that members of the Indonesian Military (TNI) had initiated the attack.
Five steps can be taken to improve the situation.
First, the government should fundamentally reverse its increasingly repressive track record in suppressing youth voices and civil society activism. To date, approximately 700 people are still subject to legal proceedings over their presumed involvement in the August 2025 riots. These proceedings should end and the remaining complaints withdrawn as soon as possible.
The Central Jakarta District Court set a positive precedent last month with its acquittal of four activists who were alleged to have organized the riots.
Regarding the acid attack, while appreciating the strong condemnation by the President and the resignation of the head of the military’s Strategic Intelligence Agency (BAIS), there remains a need for a transparent, independent investigation in this case to establish clear accountability and support justice for the victim.
