Tiyo Ardianto urges President Prabowo to open dialogue with the public

Yogyakarta, Thekabarnews.com—The BEM KM UGM chair, Tiyo Ardianto, strongly criticized the governments of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka. He encouraged leaders to stay humble and put the needs of the people first while making decisions.

Tiyo said in a public statement that criticism from students isn’t an attack on him personally. Instead, he said it was his moral duty to protect the trajectory of national growth.

He talked about what he called an “irony of budget priorities.” He pointed to stories of a sad example in East Nusa Tenggara (NTT), where a child apparently killed himself because he could not afford school materials. 

Tiyo also pointed out that the government has set aside a lot of money for the free meals program (MBG). Tiyo asserts that the disparity underscores significant issues with the allocation of the state budget. In particular, he highlighted concerns in the realm of education. 

He asked lawmakers to pay more attention to the concerns of the people in their communities.

“Do not ever think that this nation is yours or your family’s. This republic belongs to 280 million Indonesians,” Tiyo added, as heard on the YouTube channel of Forum Keadilan TV, February 18.

He went on to say that even if many people appear quiet, they are nevertheless watching. They are also feeling the effects of government actions in their daily lives.

Tiyo also told President Prabowo to talk to other groups in society, such as college students. He hoped that open lines of communication would make it easier for people to participate in democracy. In addition, he wanted to make sure that public policies really met their demands.

BEM KM UGM stated that it will closely monitor government initiatives to ensure their compliance with the law. The students emphasized the continued importance of social supervision within Indonesia’s democratic system.

Political analysts say that student activism has always been a big part of shaping public debate in Indonesia. As the discussion over the national budget heats up, appeals for openness and conversation that include everyone are likely to stay important. This is especially so in the public realm.