TEMPO.CO, Yogyakarta - Activists and students in Yogyakarta are ready to take to the streets in a protest action titled "Jogja Memanggil" (Yogyakarta is Calling) today, August 22, 2024.

The action, planned to be centered at the Abu Bakar Ali Parking Lot in Yogyakarta City, is a public response to the House of Representatives (DPR) Legislative Body's (Baleg) decision to nullify the Constitutional Court's ruling on regional election requirements. The DPR Baleg is pushing to pass Law Number 10 of 2016 concerning the Election of Governors, Regents, and Mayors in today's plenary meeting.

Various groups, including the Cik Di Tiro Forum of the Islamic University of Indonesia (UII) Yogyakarta, the Faculty of Law of Gadjah Mada University (UGM), the student forum of the National Development University (UPN) Veteran Yogyakarta, and activists of the Yogyakarta Anti-Corruption Movement, are expected to participate in the street action.

Activists participating in the protest will highlight the DPR Baleg's maneuver to annul the MK's decision on regional head age requirements as a sign of a deteriorating democratic landscape. They accuse the DPR's move of being orchestrated by President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo to facilitate his youngest son Kaesang Pangarep's candidacy in the 2024 Regional Head Elections.

The protest's narrative also addresses the issue titled "Jokowi: The Great Politician with 1000 Slippery Manipulator Intrigues," criticizing Jokowi's alleged manipulation of the legislative and judiciary branches, ministers, and officials, as well as his perceived disregard for the people's interests.

Additionally, the activists will highlight that the nation's integrity and morality are declining due to the elite's greed for power and their fear of losing their "legacy," leading them to resort to cunning schemes to secure government positions.

Moreover, the protest highlights the dying state of democracy in Indonesia, asserting that the people's freedoms and rights are being trampled upon to satisfy the elite's insatiable lust for power.

The message calls for resistance against the oligarchic regime, emphasizing that “Silence means submission, resistance means freedom! Rise, unite your strength, and destroy this oligarchic regime before they destroy us all! Resistance is the only choice!”

The protest message is accompanied by hashtags such as #GejayanMemanggil, #JogjaMemanggil, and #JegalOligarki.

On Wednesday evening, a group of academics, students, members of the public, and activists from the Cik Di Tiro Forum raised the flag at half-mast on the UII campus in Yogyakarta City as a symbolic gesture of the death of democracy.

“The action will continue until the DPR’s plenary decision aligns with the people's aspirations,” said the Initiator of the Cik Di Tiro Forum, Masduki, on Wednesday, August 21, 2024.

PRIBADI WICAKSONO (CONTRIBUTOR)

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