May 22, 2026 | 09:09 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The 908th Kamisan Movement took place during the commemorative moment of the 1998 Reform on Thursday, May 21, 2026. Several participants considered the current government no different from the regime of former President Soeharto who resigned exactly 28 years ago.Muhammad Rizaldy, a participant of the Kamisan Movement who is also the General Chair of the National Student Front (FMN), stated that the regime of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka had betrayed the banners of Reform. "Apparently, the Prabowo-Gibran regime is no different from the fascist regime of Soeharto back then," he said at the Kamisan Movement location, in front of Merdeka Palace, Jakarta.According to Rizaldy, Soeharto's 32-year rule was militaristic and authoritarian. He assessed that the same pattern has reappeared and grown stronger in the administration of Prabowo, Soeharto's former son-in-law, who now leads Indonesia.He highlighted Prabowo's policies that involve the military and police in government programs. Furthermore, Rizaldy stated that intimidation of activists is becoming more rampant.The 908th Kamisan Movement was enlivened by a row of black umbrellas, which became the symbol of the demonstration. The protesters carried various banners containing demands and criticisms of the government. The protest was also accompanied by musical performances, poetry, theater, and alternating speeches.In addition to banners and black umbrellas, the protesters carried attributes that depicted their stance. Among them were mounds of earth that resembled graves, each with a gravestone inscribed with the word "Reform."The Chair of the Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMID) Jakarta, Damar Setyaji, said that the protesters created the grave. "Indeed, friends see that this Reformation has died," said Damar.Like other demonstrators, Damar believed that the ideals of the 1998 Reformation had still not been realized even after 28 years. He said that the values of the current Reformation seem to have already died. However, he said, civil society will continue to fight for a more democratic Indonesia. "We want to dig up that grave again and try to revive the corpse of the Reform," he said.Damar believed that the current regime is inappropriate to be referred to as the government of the Reformation era. According to him, the Prabowo administration is more appropriately referred to as "deformation," which in the Indonesian Dictionary means a change of form from good to less good, compared to reformation.Rizaldy and Damar are part of the Alliance Against the Deformation Regime and participated in the Kamisan Movement to commemorate the Reformation. The alliance, according to Damar, is a collective of 16 civil organizations such as FMN, LMID, LBH Jakarta, and executive student bodies from various universities.Read: UI Students Declare 'Reform Is Dead' in Symbolic ProtestClick here to get the latest news updates from Tempo on Google News
