The Indonesian authorities have decided to deploy thousands of police and military personnel on Friday, June 12, 2026, to prepare for a planned large-scale demonstration by student groups. The students are outraged over the soaring cost of living and are demanding that President Prabowo Subianto cut wasteful spending on mega-projects and pivot toward reviving the national economy.
Indonesian authorities deploy over 4,000 joint security forces in Jakarta to counter student protests
Budi Hermanto, the spokesperson for the Jakarta Metropolitan Police, stated that a joint security force of 4,151 personnel—including 500 soldiers—will be deployed to help control the demonstration. He appealed to all participants to refrain from destroying public property and strictly prohibited the carrying of weapons.
Although civil society groups and labor unions have not yet joined this specific protest, the massive mobilization reflects the government's deep anxiety. In 2025, violent protests over the cost of living forced President Prabowo to dismiss the Minister of Finance.
Mobilization and Economic Criticisms
Student groups from various universities around the capital, Jakarta, plan to gather this afternoon near the Plaza Indonesia roundabout, located about 3 kilometers from the Presidential Palace.
According to the Student Executive Board of the University of Indonesia (BEM UI), the country's economy is deteriorating sharply, driving foreign investors to pull out capital, causing the stock market to crash, and turning the Rupiah into Asia's worst-performing currency in 2026. Furthermore, the students directly criticized the government for worsening the situation through wasteful national spending and compromising the central bank's independence.
The Protesters' 5 Core Demands:
- 1st: Demand the government "stop destroying" the national budget.
- 2nd: Lower the prices of daily consumer goods.
- 3rd: Reduce fuel prices (following price hikes this week triggered by the impact of the war on Iran).
- 4th: Cancel the controversial free meals program, a signature project of President Prabowo.
- 5th: Demand transparency following a recent corruption scandal that led to the dismissal of the project's implementation chief.
