A series of mass protests led by students took place at major cities in Indonesia from 23 September 2019, to rally against new legislation that reduces the authority of the

Corruption Eradication Commission Corruption Eradication Commission ( id, Komisi Pemberantasan Korupsi), abbreviated as KPK, is an Indonesian government agency established to prevent and fight corruption in the country. Firli Bahuri, an active police general, is the current cha ...

(KPK), as well as several bills including a new criminal code that penalises

extramarital sex Extramarital sex occurs when a married person engages in sexual activity with someone other than their spouse. The term may be applied to the situation of a single person having sex with a married person. Where extramarital sexual relations do ...

and defamation against the president. The protesters consisted of mostly students from over 300 universities, with no association with any particular political parties or groups. The protests were the most prominent

student movement Student activism or campus activism is work by students to cause political, environmental, economic, or social change. Although often focused on schools, curriculum, and educational funding, student groups have influenced greater political e ...

in Indonesia since the 1998 riots that brought down the Suharto regime. In several cities including Jakarta,

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth mos ...

and

Padang Padang () is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of West Sumatra. With a Census population of 1,015,000 as of 2022, it is the 16th most populous city in Indonesia and the most populous city on the west coast of Sumatra. Th ...

, protesters clashed with the

Indonesian National Police '' , mottotranslated = (Serving the Nation) , formed = , preceding1 = , dissolved = , superseding = , employees = 440,000 (2020) , volunteers = , budget = , nongovernment ...

(Polri), resulting in the riot police firing tear gas and water cannons. In the capital city of Jakarta, the police confirmed that at least 254 students and 39 police officers are injured or being treated in hospitals. In

Kendari Kendari is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Southeast Sulawesi. With a population of 345,107 according to the 2020 census, it is the most populous city in the province, and the fourth most on Sulawesi. The city covers an area of , ...

Southeast Sulawesi Southeast Sulawesi ( id, Sulawesi Tenggara) is a province on the island of Sulawesi, forming the southeastern peninsula of that island, together with a number of substantial offshore islands such as Buton, Muna, Kabaena and Wawonii (formerl ...

, two students died, one of them allegedly being shot during the violent clash. Another three protesters died in Jakarta.

Background

Revision of Corruption Eradication Commission Law (RUU KPK)

The Revisions to Law no.30/2002 on Corruption Eradication Commission (RUU KPK) was ratified by the members of the

People's Representative Council The People's Representative Council of the Republic of Indonesia ( id, Dewan Perwakilan Rakyat Republik Indonesia, DPR-RI), also known as the House of Representatives, is one of two elected chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), ...

(DPR) who serve 2014–2019 term on 17 September 2019. Among the parliament, all parties under the government coalition, Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDIP),

Golkar ) , foundation = , youth = AMPG (Golkar Party Young Force) , women = KPPG (Golkar Party Women's Corps) , newspaper = '' Suara Karya'' (1971–2016) , headquarters = Jakarta , ideology ...

Nasdem Party The Nasdem Party ( id, Partai NasDem) is a political party in Indonesia. It is partly funded by media baron Surya Paloh who founded the similarly named organization, National Democrats ( id, Nasional Demokrat). Despite this, and logo similarity, Na ...

, People's Conscience Party (Hanura),

United Development Party The United Development Party ( id, Partai Persatuan Pembangunan, sometimes translated as Development Unity Party; abbreviated PPP) is an Islam-basedAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2013). ''Partai politik Islam: Teori dan praktik di Indonesia''. Yogyakarta: Gra ...

(PPP),

National Awakening Party The National Awakening Party ( id, Partai Kebangkitan Bangsa), frequently abbreviated to PKB, is an Islam-basedAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2017). ''Moving towards a Normalised Path: Political Islam in Contemporary Indonesia''. JURNAL STUDI PEMERINTAHAN ( ...

(PKB), as well as an opposition party

National Mandate Party The National Mandate Party ( id, Partai Amanat Nasional), frequently abbreviated to PAN, is an Islam-basedAl-Hamdi, Ridho. (2017). ''Moving towards a Normalised Path: Political Islam in Contemporary Indonesia''. JURNAL STUDI PEMERINTAHAN (JOURNAL ...

(PAN) unanimously approved the bill. The ratification was made in just 13 days since the initiation. The initiation of the bill was made on 5 September 2019 without any significant interruptions. On 11 September 2019, President Joko Widodo issued a presidential letter to the Ministry of Law and Human Rights to discuss the revision along with the DPR. The administration agreed with the revision on 16 September, and the bill was ratified on the next day. The revision was widely condemned by activists and experts for undermining the efficacy of KPK. Corruption is a significant political issue in Indonesia, and KPK, established in 2002, was a part of the reform demands that followed the overthrow of the authoritarian Suharto regime. Since its establishment, KPK has been known for targeting high-profile politicians and business people. The revision calls to reduce KPK's independent status by making it a governmental body, establishing an oversight council to monitor the commission, requiring KPK investigators official permission to conduct wiretaps, among others. Prior to the ratification, there were already numbers of small-scale protests going on in different cities. In

Bali Bali () is a province of Indonesia and the westernmost of the Lesser Sunda Islands. East of Java and west of Lombok, the province includes the island of Bali and a few smaller neighbouring islands, notably Nusa Penida, Nusa Lembongan, and Nu ...

, hundreds of people gathered on 12 September 2019 to raise concerns over the bill. On the other hand, counter-protest by the pro-revision groups were also held in front of KPK headquarter in Jakarta. Some participants of the counter-protest reportedly admitted of being paid to participate without much knowledge on the issue itself.

Revision of Criminal Code Bill (RKUHP)

On 18 September 2019, the parliament discussed the bill on the revision of criminal code (RKUHP). The new criminal code has been under the creation for the past few decades, intended to replace the Dutch era set of laws. The amendment was previously introduced in 2015 by

Yasonna Laoly Yasonna Hamonangan Laoly (born 27 May 1953) is the current Minister of Law and Human Rights of Indonesia. Since earlier this year, conservative Islamic groups have been pushing again for an overhaul of the criminal code. The latest proposal includes several laws based on conservative religious interpretations, including the ban on premarital sex, living together outside of marriage, performing

black magic Black magic, also known as dark magic, has traditionally referred to the use of supernatural powers or magic for evil and selfish purposes, specifically the seven magical arts prohibited by canon law, as expounded by Johannes Hartlieb in 1 ...

, and

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

without reasons of medical emergency and rape. The vote was scheduled to be held on 24 September 2019, but facing the public outcry, the President announced to postpone the vote on 20 September 2019. However, there were still fears of the parliament pushing for the vote before the end of their term on 24 September 2019.

Demands

A student group by the name of the Alliance of Acting People released what is called as "seven demands" (''7 Tuntutan''). These demands are shared by most of the rallies across the archipelago. The demands consist of the following: # Urge a delay to re-discuss the problematic articles in the RKUHP # Urge the government and the parliament to revise the recently passed KPK Law and reject any weakening of efforts to eradicate corruption in Indonesia # Demand that the state investigates and try the elites responsible for environmental damage in several regions in Indonesia # Reject the problematic articles in the Labour Bill (RUU ''Ketenagakerjaan'') which do not favour workers # Reject the problematic articles in the Land Bill (RUU ''Pertanahan'') which are a form of betrayal of the spirit of agrarian reform # Urging the passing of the Elimination of Sexual Violence Bill (RUU PKS) # Encourage the democratisation process in Indonesia and stop the arrest of activists in various sectors The Executive Body of Students (BEM), a nationwide student organisation, also released what is called as "seven urges" (''7 Desakan''). The student rally in Jakarta on 24 September 2019 put up these demands. The demands consist of the following: # Reject the RKUHP, the Mineral Mining Bill, the Land Bill, the Correctional Procedure Bill, the Labour Bill, revoke the KPK Law and the Natural Resources Law, pass the RUU PKS and the Domestic Workers Protection Bill # Cancel the troubled KPK leaders chosen by both chambers of the People's Consultative Assembly # Deny TNI & Polri officials from occupying civilian positions # Stop militarism in Papua and other regions, release Papuan political prisoners immediately # Stop the criminalisation of activists # Stop burning forests in Kalimantan & Sumatra carried out by corporations, and address corporate forest fires, and revoke permits # Resolve human rights violations and prosecute human rights criminals, including those sitting in power circles. Restore the rights of the victims immediately.

Protests

While small-scale demonstrations were already held sporadically, mass protests took place on 23 and 24 September, the last two days before the term end of the incumbent parliament members. The protest spread nationwide, including Jakarta, Bandung,

Yogyakarta Yogyakarta (; jv, ꦔꦪꦺꦴꦒꦾꦏꦂꦠ ; pey, Jogjakarta) is the capital city of Special Region of Yogyakarta in Indonesia, in the south-central part of the island of Java. As the only Indonesian royal city still ruled by a monarchy, ...

Surabaya Surabaya ( jv, ꦱꦸꦫꦧꦪ or jv, ꦯꦹꦫꦨꦪ; ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Java and the second-largest city in Indonesia, after Jakarta. Located on the northeastern border of Java island, on the Mad ...

, Malang,

Palembang Palembang () is the capital city of the Indonesian province of South Sumatra. The city proper covers on both banks of the Musi River on the eastern lowland of southern Sumatra. It had a population of 1,668,848 at the 2020 Census. Palemban ...

Medan Medan (; English: ) is the capital and largest city of the Indonesian province of North Sumatra, as well as a regional hub and financial centre of Sumatra. According to the National Development Planning Agency, Medan is one of the four ma ...

, Padang,

Semarang Semarang ( jv, ꦏꦸꦛꦯꦼꦩꦫꦁ , Pegon: سماراڠ) is the capital and largest city of Central Java province in Indonesia. It was a major port during the Dutch colonial era, and is still an important regional center and port today. ...

Surakarta Surakarta ( jv, ꦯꦸꦫꦏꦂꦠ), known colloquially as Solo ( jv, ꦱꦭ; ), is a city in Central Java, Indonesia. The 44 km2 (16.2 sq mi) city adjoins Karanganyar Regency and Boyolali Regency to the north, Karanganyar Regency and ...

Lampung Lampung ( Lampung: ), officially the Province of Lampung ( id, Provinsi Lampung) is a province of Indonesia. It is located on the southern tip of the island of Sumatra. It has a short border with the province of Bengkulu to the northwest, an ...

Aceh Aceh ( ), officially the Aceh Province ( ace, Nanggroë Acèh; id, Provinsi Aceh) is the westernmost province of Indonesia. It is located on the northernmost of Sumatra island, with Banda Aceh being its capital and largest city. Granted a s ...

Palu Palu, which is officially known as the City of Palu (Indonesian: ''Kota Palu''), is the capital and largest city of Central Sulawesi. Palu is located on the northwestern coast of Sulawesi and borders Donggala Regency to the north and west, P ...

Bogor Bogor ( su, , nl, Buitenzorg) is a city in the West Java province, Indonesia. Located around south of the national capital of Jakarta, Bogor is the 6th largest city in the Jakarta metropolitan area and the 14th overall nationwide.Denpasar Denpasar (; Balinese: ᬤᬾᬦ᭄ᬧᬲᬃ) is the capital of Bali and the main gateway to the island. The city is also a hub for other cities in the Lesser Sunda Islands. With the rapid growth of the tourism industry in Bali, Denpasar has e ...

Makassar Makassar (, mak, ᨆᨀᨔᨑ, Mangkasara’, ) is the capital of the Indonesian province of South Sulawesi. It is the largest city in the region of Eastern Indonesia and the country's fifth-largest urban center after Jakarta, Surabaya, ...

Balikpapan Balikpapan is a seaport city in East Kalimantan, Indonesia. Located on the east coast of the island of Borneo, the city is the financial center of Kalimantan. Balikpapan is the city with the largest economy in Kalimantan with an estimated ...

Samarinda Samarinda is the capital city of the Indonesian province of East Kalimantan on the island of Borneo. The city lies on the banks of the Mahakam River with a land area of . Samarinda ranks first on East Kalimantan Human Development Index and it ...

Purwokerto Purwokerto is a large but non-autonomous town on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is the capital of Banyumas Regency, Central Java province. The population of the four districts which comprise the town at the 2010 census was 233,951 and 229, ...

Tasikmalaya en, Neaty City , nickname = nl, Delhi Van Java en, Delhi of Java , image_skyline = , imagesize = , image_caption = Clockwise from the top: Great Mosque of Tasi ...

Kediri Kediri can refer to: * Kediri (historical kingdom), a medieval kingdom occupying territory in present-day Indonesia * Kediri (city), a modern-day city in East Java, Indonesia ** The Kediri meteorite of c. 1940, which fell in East Java, Indonesia ( ...

Tanjungpinang Tanjungpinang, also written as Tanjung Pinang, is the capital city of the Indonesian province of Riau Islands. It covers a land area of 144.56 km2, mainly on the southern Bintan Island, as well as other smaller islands such as Dompak Island ...

Cirebon Cirebon (, formerly rendered Cheribon or Chirebon in English) is a port city on the northern coast of the Indonesian island of Java. It is the only coastal city of West Java, located about 40 km west of the provincial border with Central Ja ...

, Jombang, and others.

23 September

Students of various universities in the

Jakarta metropolitan area The Jakarta metropolitan area or Greater Jakarta, known locally as Jabodetabek (an acronym of Jakarta–Bogor– Depok–Tangerang–Bekasi), and sometimes extended to Jabodetabekjur (with the acronym extended to include part of Cianjur Regen ...

responded to calls on social media to gather in front of the National Parliament Building in Jakarta. There was also a small presence of a student organisation, the Progressive Student for Anti-Corruption (MAPAK). On this day, both sides of the pro and anti-bill camps were present at the place. Anti-bill camp increased its number as time progresses, blocking the Gatot Subroto Avenue on the way to Slipi. Large numbers of farmers also joined the event from the afternoon to protest against the Land Bill, marching down from the

Merdeka Palace The Merdeka Palace (; also known in Indonesian as ''Istana Gambir'' and during the Dutch colonial times as ''Paleis te Koningsplein''), is one of six presidential palaces in Indonesia. It is located on the north side of the Merdeka Square in Cen ...

. While there were attempts to block the Jakarta Inner Ring Road, the rally ended without significant altercation. Protesters shout slogans such as "DPR are fascist and anti-democratic". The protest in Jakarta was

crowd-funded Crowdfunding is the practice of funding a project or venture by raising money from a large number of people, typically via the internet. Crowdfunding is a form of crowdsourcing and alternative finance. In 2015, over was raised worldwide by crow ...

through KitaBisa. The number of protesters reached two thousand. Rallies were also held peacefully in other cities, including Yogyakarta, Bandung, Malang, Balikpapan, Samarinda and Purwokerto. Rallies in Yogyakarta, Bandung, and Malang gathered more than a thousand participants.

24 September

Greater Jakarta Metropolitan Regional Police received an announcement for another rally scheduled on 24 September 2019. In anticipation of the event, a total of 18,000 personnel was deployed around the parliament building. Another 252 police officers were dispatched for traffic control. On this day, students from the remote area including Bandung and Yogyakarta participated in the demonstration in Jakarta. At 16:00, the crowd was already occupying the Gatot Subroto Avenue in front of the parliament building. Student representatives demanded a meeting with the House leaders, which was rejected by the police. This prompted protesters to throw rocks and bottles into the building, and eventually, attempt to intrude into the site by breaking the fence. The police responded by launching water cannon into the protesters and firing tear gas to disperse the crowd. The clash continued until midnight. There was a reported case of police beating up a limp protester at the

Jakarta Convention Center Jakarta Convention Center or JCC ( id, Balai Sidang Jakarta) is a convention center located in Gelora Bung Karno Sports Complex, Jakarta, Indonesia. It is one of earliest as well as popular convention center in Jakarta. Since its inauguration i ...

. The police acknowledged the destruction of three police and military vehicles as well as three police outposts. They also confirmed the arrest of 94 protesters, injury of 254 protesters and 39 police officers. Among them, eleven are reportedly hospitalised, and three are critically injured. The number of participants in the Jakarta protest reached tens of thousands. In Padang, thousands of protesters clashed with the police and security forces armed with water cannons. Protesters eventually overwhelmed the police and entered into the governor's office. Rallies were held peacefully in other cities, including Palembang, Semarang, Surakarta, Medan, Lampung, Aceh, and Makassar. Rallies in Palembang, Lampung, and Makassar gathered more than a thousand participants.

25 September

Vocational school A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the task ...

students from various parts of the Jakarta metropolitan area continued the rioting in front of the parliament building. On one occasion, a

molotov cocktail A Molotov cocktail (among several other names – ''see other names'') is a hand thrown incendiary weapon constructed from a frangible container filled with flammable substances equipped with a fuse (typically a glass bottle filled with fl ...

was thrown towards police barricades. The police apprehended 17 protesters, mostly underage students. The police reported that some of the protesters do not recognise the content of the bill, they admitted that they was paid and persuaded by KPK officials who affiliated with Taliban and some elites. The police have confirmed the deaths of two protesters. One is a high school student who died in a traffic accident on the way to the demonstration in Jakarta. The other one, neither a high school nor university student, likely died due to suffocation. In Surabaya, the head of provincial legislative council Kusnadi reached out to protesters, explained that he has no authority to overturn the controversial bills and he also disagreed personally to the decisions made by the national parliament.

26 September

, two students died after a violent clash between the protesters and police in front of the provincial legislative council (DPRD) building. A student was allegedly shot, and the Indonesian Ombudsman has launched an investigation into the origin of the bullet. Southeast Sulawesi police chief denied the use of live rounds nor rubber bullets by the police force. Later that evening, another student succumbed to blunt force injuries to the skull, after attempts to operate on his injuries failed to improve his condition. Usman Hamid of Amnesty International demanded the authority for an immediate investigation and accountability. A board chairman of the Muhammadiyah Student League (IMM), to which the victims belong, demanded the removal of the Southeast Sulawesi police chief from its position. Solidarity rallies for the victims were held throughout the country. Rallies were continuously held nationwide, including in Surabaya,

Magelang Magelang () is one of six cities in Central Java that are administratively independent of the regencies in which they lie geographically. Each of these cities is governed by a mayor rather than a ''bupati''. Magelang city covers an area of 18. ...

, and Ciamis. In Magelang, an employee of the

Ministry of Transportation A ministry of transport or transportation is a ministry responsible for transportation within a country. It usually is administered by the ''minister for transport''. The term is also sometimes applied to the departments or other government a ...

was injured during the evacuation from the riot.

27 September

Hundreds of students from the Muslim Students Association (HMI) held a protest and burned tires in front of the parliament building in Jakarta and elsewhere, demanding accountability for the two victims in South Sulawesi. A clash occurred between the protesters and riot police in Makassar, and one protester was hit by a riot control vehicle.

30 September

As the last parliament session was being held, protests are again being held in several cities. In Jakarta, protesters were blocked from protesting in front of the parliament building as it was barricaded by the police. Protests were held peacefully in Mataram,

Pekanbaru Pekanbaru is the capital of Indonesian province of Riau, and a major economic center on the eastern part of Sumatra Island. Its name is derived from the Malay words for 'new market' ('pekan' is market and 'baru' is new). It has an area of , w ...

, Yogyakarta and Kendari.

Reactions

President Joko Widodo denied the possibility of vetoing the ratification of RUU KPK. The Minister of Law and Human Rights Yasonna Laoly also assured that the President would not issue a presidential decree to repeal the revision. Widodo and Laoly both stated that the issue should be settled through the constitutional procedure by filing to the

Constitutional Court A constitutional court is a high court that deals primarily with constitutional law. Its main authority is to rule on whether laws that are challenged are in fact unconstitutional, i.e. whether they conflict with constitutionally established ...

. Laoly criticised the demonstration and urged not to normalise the forceful amendment of the legislation, citing the risk of legitimising governmental institutions. The Minister of Research, Technology and Higher Education Mohamad Nasir stated that the President warned university lecturers against student mobilisations. He stated that lecturers, who called upon their students to join the protest or lecturers whose students are found joining the protest would be sanctioned by the government. Oce Madril, the head of an anti-corruption study centre in Gajah Mada University, criticised the President's response, stating that he had failed to respond to the public resentment toward RUU KPK. He contrasted with the RKUHP, which was postponed, arguing that the President's lack of willingness to accommodate the voice of people would strengthen the allegations that there is corruptive power behind the legislation, and the President himself is a part of the corruption. Oce also stated that this event had devastated public trust toward President's commitment to eradicating corruption. The government of the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 U.S. state, states, a Washington, D.C., federal district, five ma ...

, the

United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the European mainland, continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotlan ...

, and Australia have issued travel warnings to citizens who wish to visit Indonesia.

Criticism on foreign media coverage

The student protests made headlines not only in the national media but also in international news outlets. However, many international news outlets focused only on the contentious Criminal Code (RKUHP) bill, in which one of its articles criminalises premarital sex. This includes the

BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...

, Deutsche Welle, ''

The Japan Times ''The Japan Times'' is Japan's largest and oldest English-language daily newspaper. It is published by , a subsidiary of News2u Holdings, Inc.. It is headquartered in the in Kioicho, Chiyoda, Tokyo. History ''The Japan Times'' was launched b ...

'',

Al Jazeera Al Jazeera ( ar, الجزيرة, translit-std=DIN, translit=al-jazīrah, , "The Island") is a state-owned Arabic-language international radio and TV broadcaster of Qatar. It is based in Doha and operated by the media conglomerate Al Jazee ...

Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters Corporation. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency was est ...

, ''

The Sydney Morning Herald ''The Sydney Morning Herald'' (''SMH'') is a daily compact newspaper published in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia, and owned by Nine. Founded in 1831 as the ''Sydney Herald'', the ''Herald'' is the oldest continuously published newspaper ...

'', and CNN. These outlets published articles implying that Indonesians were only protesting about "sex before marriage" bill or "sex ban law", dubbed by ''The BBC'' and ''The Japan Times'' respectively. This was criticised by the Indonesian media and activists, as the revision of the RKUHP is only one among several problematic bills that the students are protesting. The students have seven demands in total, encompassing several issues.

References

{{Reflist, 30em 2019 protests 2010s in Jakarta Protests in Indonesia Riots and civil disorder in Indonesia September 2019 events in Indonesia Student protests in Indonesia