TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - Student executive board (BEM) of State University Jakarta (UNJ) stated that students were reluctant to President Joko Widodo or Jokowi if the meeting takes place at the State Palace.

“We can't go if we're invited to the palace, we can't go there,” said BEM UNJ head, Muhamad Abdul Basit, when contacted on Thursday, September 26.

Basit said the students hoped the president would hold an open dialogue before the other students too. "We expect the president to be present among the students to say what he wanted to say."

Joko Widodo previously said he wanted to invite students’ representatives – who attend the students rally rejecting problematic bills and the amended KPK Law, on Friday, September 27.

The president appreciated students' initiative in staging the demonstration, saying he would consider students' input to improve Indonesia. However, he was reluctant to name the location of the meeting.

“Tomorrow. We'll meet with the students, especially from BEM, tomorrow,” Jokowi said at the State Palace, Jakarta, Thursday, September 26.

However, Basit said BEM UNJ – as well as some other BEMs across the country, had not received an official invitation for the meeting with the president.

He said it was only conveyed orally by presidential chief of staff Moeldoko when the students attended a talk show on TV.

Avit Hidayat | Ahmad Faiz | M Rosseno Aji