TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The Republic Conference Committee member, Jaleswari Pramodhawardhani, observed a tendency for the government to intervene in the University of Indonesia (UI), leading to the sudden prohibition of the National Consolidation Conference of the Republic at the UI Campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
The suspicion arose because UI had previously allowed the campus to be used as the venue for the forum. "I won't speak about that, but the tendency is there because UI was very welcoming at first," she said at the UI Campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
UI suddenly revoked permission for the Republic Conference at the UI Campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. Jaleswari stated that UI's stated reason for the ban was that the committee did not fulfill administrative procedures. "Yet, we have fulfilled the procedure," she said.
On Wednesday, June 24, 2026, UI granted permission for the use of campus facilities in the form of an assignment letter. "We interpreted the letter as accepted," she said.
Three Republic Conference committee members stated that the UI leadership's stance shifted after President Prabowo Subianto delivered a briefing to university rectors at an event titled "Sarasehan Kebangsaan: Strategi Kemandirian Ekonomi dan Kesejahteraan Indonesia" (National Discussion: Strategies for Indonesian Economic Independence and Welfare) at the JCC, Senayan, Jakarta, on Friday, June 26, 2026.
During that event, Prabowo briefed the audience for five hours. However, after 30 minutes of speaking, Prabowo's briefing moved behind closed doors.
Two Republic Conference committee members who knew the reason for the prohibition stated that Prabowo asked the rectors to maintain campus conditions to ensure safety. Jaleswari believed that the public would inevitably link this cancellation to the meeting between Prabowo and the rectors, concluding that there was an order to maintain stability.
"There are restrictions, there are cancellations; whether we like it or not, anyone would think that this is part of that order. In the name of stability, in the name of security, in the name of development," she said.
Pressure from the Palace
Another Republic Conference committee member stated that the UI Rector was contacted by various parties, including the Palace, regarding the event. They reportedly requested UI to reconsider granting permission for the gathering.
A student representative on the University of Indonesia's Board of Trustees, Razaan Bayu Rachman, confirmed that UI was indeed contacted several times by external parties. However, he did not know who those external parties were. He also could not confirm whether those external parties specifically requested the event to be banned.
"Specifically, they did not directly request it, but implicitly. I suspect the external parties were uneasy because it was considered a mass consolidation and had strong political elements," he said at the UI Campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, June 28, 2026.
He admitted to communicating with UI Rector Heri Hermansyah before the event. According to him, Heri did not explicitly prohibit the Republic Conference. "The UI Rector only questioned it because there were many questions from external parties," he said.
However, the UI Rector could not directly oversee the situation because his position required him to travel abroad. Therefore, he suspected that UI was facing external intervention. "So I affirm that there is no intervention from the university, but externally to UI," he said.
Regarding this matter, UI's Director of Public Relations, Media, Government, and International Affairs, Erwin Agustian Panigoro, stated that UI is preparing a response. Meanwhile, State Secretary Minister Prasetyo Hadi has not yet responded to inquiries.
Moving the Forum Online
As previously reported, UI suddenly prohibited the "Konferensi Republik: Jalan Menata Kembali Republik" (Republic Conference: The Road to Rebuilding the Republic) event at the UI Campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday, June 28, 2026. Despite the ban, the committee decided to proceed with the Republic Conference. The committee will start the discussion via Zoom at 1 p.m. WIB.
The General Secretary of the Republic Conference Committee, Yanuar Nugroho, stated that first, the consolidation will discuss the movement's foundation, such as the values, goals, and direction of the Republic Conference movement. Second, the national consolidation will also determine the organization's structure, network, and internal mechanisms.
"Thirdly, it will discuss leadership. Civil networks or coordination still need those who are willing to work in front and behind the scenes to ensure communication and coordination take place without monopolizing," Yanuar said.
This national consolidation is a follow-up to the first Republic Conference held in Yogyakarta on May 30, 2026, and was attended by hundreds of civil society organizations, activists, and academics.
Daniel A. Fajri contributed to this article
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