TEMPO.CO, Jakarta – Indonesia's Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka did not reach any agreement with student representatives from the University of Bung Karno (UBK) Student Executive Board (BEM) during a meeting at the Vice President's Palace on Monday, June 15, 2026, according to Vice Presidential Special Staff member Nico Harjono.
The meeting followed a student demonstration under the banner "Restructuring Indonesia," during which protesters submitted a memorandum outlining a series of policy demands to the government.
"There was no agreement. The Vice President only listened," Nico told reporters at the Vice President's Palace in Central Jakarta on Monday.
Nico said Gibran received and reviewed the memorandum presented by the students, which contained proposals and criticisms on a range of issues, including the government's Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program.
One of the key demands raised by the students was a moratorium on the nationwide school meal program. According to Nico, Gibran responded by emphasizing the importance of the initiative, particularly for communities in Indonesia's disadvantaged, frontier, and outermost regions, known locally as 3T areas.
He said the Vice President was open to evaluating the implementation and management of the program, especially in remote regions, while maintaining its broader objectives.
"This is a government program that provides significant benefits to recipients, especially vulnerable groups such as the elderly and pregnant women in 3T areas," Nico said.
Acting Secretary to the Vice President Al Muktabar said all concerns and proposals raised by the students would be reviewed for possible follow-up.
"Of course, any follow-up will be carried out within the limits of the Vice President's authority and in accordance with prevailing laws and regulations," Al said.
The memorandum submitted by the students was the result of an internal policy review and consisted of four main clusters of demands.
In the fiscal and education cluster, the students called for a moratorium and transparent audit of the MBG program. They also urged the government to redirect part of the program's budget toward tuition assistance and higher education operational funding to support more accessible and affordable education.
Under the legal and civil supremacy cluster, the students demanded that regional governments submit formal recommendations to the House of Representatives (DPR) urging a legislative review of the recently enacted Police Law.
Meanwhile, in the monetary and energy cluster, the students called on the government to take stronger measures to stabilize the rupiah and prevent further currency volatility.
They also opposed any increase in non-subsidized fuel prices, arguing that higher energy costs would weaken public purchasing power.
"We also demand that the government immediately cancel any increase in non-subsidized fuel prices because it would undermine people's purchasing power," said Muhammad Abdi Maludin, chairman of the UBK Faculty of Law Student Executive Board, who represented the students during the meeting.
Based on Tempo's observation, the student representatives entered the Vice President's Palace at around 05:25 PM local time and left approximately an hour later at 06:30 PM.
Read: Jakarta Protest: Student Representatives Mediate with VP Gibran
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