Bandung, IndonesiaSentinel.com — Seeing the crisis of democracy in Indonesia, hundreds of students and faculty members from Gadjah Mada University (UGM) expressed their concern by holding a candlelight vigil. The event took place on Monday night, August 26, under the Bodhi tree at UGM’s Balairung complex in Sleman, Yogyakarta.
Students from various faculties participated in the vigil, including Mathematics and Natural Sciences (FMIPA), Psychology, and Law. The event’s coordinator, Monica Ratna Theodora, explained that the protest was driven by the controversy surrounding the House of Representatives’ (DPR) plan to revise the Regional Elections Law (RUU Pilkada), which could potentially overturn the candidacy requirements set by the Constitutional Court.
“Our protest is also a response to the DPR attempt to manipulate the election law for the upcoming elections,” Monica said at Balairung, UGM, on Monday night.
The participants criticized the revisions to the Regional Elections Law, claiming that they were clearly intended to benefit certain groups. Monica noted that the choice to hold the candelight vigil under the Bodhi tree, a symbol of enlightenment in Buddhism, was deliberate.
“We chose candles as our source of light because they symbolize illumination, shedding light on the tree of knowledge that has long been shrouded in darkness. We use this light to spark our spirit,” she explained.
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Through this candlelight vigil, the students held discussions and organized themselves for future street protests to address the current state of democracy.
Ricardo Simarmata, a lecturer at UGM’s Faculty of Law, was one of the faculty members who joined the event. He emphasized that both students and faculty are united by their common sense in responding to the current democratic situation.
“We no longer see ourselves as just students or lecturers, we are all using the same common sense,” Ricardo said.
“As members of the Faculty of Law, we feel it is important to support the students so that they don’t feel afraid or concerned about missing exams or facing sanctions. We ensure the student can participate in this movement without worries,” he added.
(Raidi/Agung)
