Indonesia
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka (center) talks with student protesters after receiving them in a meeting at the Vice Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta on June 15, 2026. In the meeting, Gibran reportedly took notes of their concerns in a small notebook. (Antara/Fauzan)
Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka’s decision to engage with student protesters amid waves of demonstrations against President Prabowo Subianto’s flagship programs has raised questions about whether the move is aimed at increasing his political visibility and the possibility of a meaningful policy response.Fresh waves of student-led demonstrations have swept Jakarta and several other cities over the past week, as protesters vent their anger over what they describe as the government’s failure to address mounting economic pressures while pursuing costly spending programs.
Amid the continuing street protests in the capital, Gibran on Monday invited 15 student representatives protesting near the Arjuna Wijaya Statue, about 900 meters from the Vice Presidential Palace, for a closed-door meeting at his office that lasted roughly an hour.
The students, part of the student executive bodies (BEM) of Bung Karno University and MH Thamrin University, demanded that the government halt the multitrillion-rupiah free nutritious meal program, as well as the Red and White Cooperatives program, both flagship initiatives of Prabowo’s presidency.
