UI Students Declare 'Reform Is Dead' in Symbolic Protest

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM UI) staged a symbolic demonstration at Tugu Makara on the Depok Campus on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. During the rally, the student body officially declared that reformasi, the country's era of democratic reform, is dead.

Beginning around 5 p.m., a crowd of students gathered around the iconic Tugu Makara landmark. They carried banners bearing sharp political slogans, including "Reformasi Mati, Prabowo Happy" (reform is dead, Prabowo is happy) and "Adili Prabowo dan Kroninya" (Hold Prabowo and his cronies accountable). The demonstrators also prepared a mock grave complete with a tombstone reading "RIP Reformasi."

Dressed in all black as a symbol of mourning, the students proceeded to drape Tugu Makara in a white cloth. The demonstration formed part of a symbolic sequence they termed the "burial of reformasi."

Hafidz Haernanda, the rally's coordinator, stated that the gathering was a declaration of the student body's stance on the current state of national democracy. "We declare that the reformasi we have fought for all this time is now dead," Hafidz said at the scene.

According to him, the "death" of this democratic era is clearly mirrored in the failure to fulfill demands championed by students and civil society. "We are witnessing the end of the reformasi agenda," he remarked.

Hafidz warned that the demise of the reform era could pave the way for a much more repressive political phase. He noted that the current domestic climate shares troubling similarities with the New Order regime.

Nevertheless, he emphasized that the demonstration was not intended to dismiss the historic struggles of students and citizens back in 1998. Instead, he argued, the rally serves as a reminder that the resistance can be revitalized. "We have fought before, and we can fight again in the future," he asserted.

He also criticized the rampant practices of corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN), which he argued persist today and have even eclipsed past levels. Furthermore, he highlighted a trend toward the re-centralization of authority, a trajectory seen as violating the spirit of regional autonomy.

Hafidz went on to criticize recent government decisions, including the move to confer the title of national hero upon Indonesia's second president, Suharto. In his view, such an accolade contradicts the spirit of reform, which rose to dismantle the New Order administration.

To conclude the rally, the students performed a simulated burial ceremony for the reformation era. The white cloth draped over Tugu Makara was meant to symbolize the beginnings of reform. "The white cloth has become stained and ruined over time; in our upcoming procession, we will replace it with black," he said.

Read: 60 Years After Indonesia's Killings: Is the Cold War Back?

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