UGM Student Board Condemns Agriculture Minister Amran Sulaiman's Lawsuit Against Tempo

November 6, 2025 | 10:45 am

TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Executive Board of the Student Family of Gadjah Mada University (BEM KM UGM) strongly condemns the lawsuit filed by the Indonesian Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman against Tempo amounting to Rp200 billion.

Chair of BEM KM UGM, Tiyo Ardianto, considers Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman's lawsuit to be careless and a form of betrayal of the reformation. According to him, the lawsuit is not a legal step for justice, but a form of suppression of press freedom. "Reflecting the anti-critical nature of power and an allergy to democracy," said Tiyo when contacted on Wednesday, November 5, 2025.

Tiyo stated that BEM KM UGM stands tall with Tempo and all journalists who dare to speak out in the midst of the Prabowo Subianto regime that revives the New Order with a new style of press suppression.

In addition to providing a statement of support, BEM KM UGM and its officials also posted support for Tempo through social media such as Instagram. Deputy Chair of the Movement Division of BEM KM UGM, Asa Qurrota Aina, posted a poster stating "sue for Rp200 billion = bankrupt media = new style of suppression. #savetempo".

Asa posted the poster a day before a demonstration supporting Tempo involving the Alliance of Independent Journalists of Indonesia, AJI Jakarta, the Committee for the Safety of Indonesian Journalists, Amnesty International, Tempo journalists, and civil society in front of the South Jakarta District Court on November 3, 2025. The BEM KM UGM Instagram account also posted the demonstration as a form of solidarity. "We support journalists against the new style of press suppression," said Asa.

Previously, BEM UGM held a national symposium entitled Preparing for Revolution. The event, which involved academics and activists, also discussed criticisms of the one-year performance of President Prabowo Subianto's government and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming. In an event involving representatives of dozens of BEMs throughout Indonesia, BEM UGM played the Tukang Kupas Perkara podcast on YouTube entitled “Amran Sulaiman Menggugat Tempo Rp200 Miliar" (Amran Sulaiman Sues Tempo for Rp200 Billion).

Tiyo said that the poster for the national symposium had disappeared when it was posted on social media by the event committee. They posted the poster through a special account just before the event. He said that the BEM officials strategized by not including the event location address on the poster. "Now we have to be more vigilant," said Tiyo.

In addition to the alleged cyber-attack, BEM UGM, he said, also suddenly received offers from politicians to become speakers at the event. However, Tiyo never announced the event before publishing the poster. BEM UGM rejected the offer.

Previously, Minister of Agriculture Amran Sulaiman filed a Rp200 billion lawsuit against Tempo. The lawsuit against Tempo stemmed from the news poster edition of May 16, 2025, entitled "Poles-poles Beras Busuk" (Polishing Rotten Rice). This poster served as an introduction to the article "Risiko Bulog Setelah Cetak Rekor Cadangan Beras Sepanjang Sejarah" (Risks of the National Logistics Agency After Setting a Record for Rice Reserves in History).

Tempo's coverage entitled "Poles-Poles Beras Busuk" (Polishing Rotten Rice) and the poster on social media sparked a reaction from the Minister of Agriculture. The Press Council has handled complaints regarding the coverage and provided recommendations that have been followed by Tempo. Tempo has complied with the settlement mechanism through the Press Council. This mechanism is regulated in Law Number 40 of 1999 concerning the Press.

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