Reject the May 20th Action, an Effort to Counter the Narrative of Dark Indonesia to Maintain National Stability
By: Fadil Muhammad )*
May 20th, which should be a reflective momentum to commemorate Reformation Day, is actually threatened to be infiltrated by street action agendas that are feared to be able to shake national stability. The demonstration plan echoed by several groups, including students, has raised concerns among various groups because it has the potential to cause social unrest in the midst of the early transition of the new government.
Former Commander of the Prabowo-Gibran National Team Volunteers, Haris Rusly Moti, reminded that the dynamics of student protests that have been rampant recently are very vulnerable to being exploited by foreign powers. According to Haris, foreign powers could infiltrate hidden geopolitical agendas in the form of social provocation through social media or opinion propaganda. He assessed that the current stable situation has become an easy target for parties who do not want Indonesia to stand strong on its own two feet.
Haris emphasized that the Prabowo Subianto government has taken important steps to strengthen national economic sovereignty. Policies such as Indonesia’s membership in the BRICS global economic forum, the establishment of Danantara and Bank Emas, and new regulations regarding the placement of foreign exchange from exports domestically, are considered as evidence that the direction of Indonesia’s economy is now in favor of national interests. However, he also noted that a number of these policies are not in line with the interests of old groups who are accustomed to benefiting from the previous system.
In his view, several student actions arose due to misunderstandings of the government’s strategic policies. He said that issues such as budget efficiency or foreign debt management are indeed important, but can be misused by parties who want to worsen the situation. According to him, such discourse is often spiced up with non-objective framing, even tending to be provocative.
Furthermore, Haris considered that the dark narratives about Indonesia that are currently circulating are part of an effort to create social rifts and form a false public perception of the government. Therefore, he called on the public to be wiser in digesting information and not immediately provoked by calls to take to the streets that are not based on comprehensive facts.
A similar statement was also made by Minister of State Secretary Prasetyo Hadi. He regretted the circulating claim that Indonesia was experiencing “darkness” or a multidimensional crisis, when in reality the government continues to work to answer the various challenges that exist. Prasetyo considered that such a narrative did not reflect reality and would only create unnecessary social unrest.
He emphasized that the Prabowo-Gibran government had only been running for a few months and was still in the consolidation and improvement stage. In this context, the public is expected to provide time and space for the government to carry out development agendas. The call to maintain optimism and unity was also emphasized by Prasetyo, who considered that this nation is in one boat and must support each other.
On the other hand, Deputy Speaker of the Indonesian House of Representatives Cucun Ahmad Syamsurijal reminded that public demands were never ignored. He said that the issues previously voiced in the “Indonesia Gelap Jilid 1” movement had received the government’s attention and were followed up through various real programs. He also reminded the public not to be easily dragged into provocative narratives that have the potential to damage the democratic order.
According to Cucun, true democracy is not a place to vent anger without a solution, but rather a place to convey aspirations constructively. He emphasized that demonstrations that violate the rules and ignite social conflict will actually harm democracy itself.
The importance of maintaining social harmony amid differences in views is an important point in maintaining the sustainability of democracy. When the call for action on May 20 is packaged in a tendentious narrative of resistance, the public needs to observe it more critically. Such movements are very likely to lose moral legitimacy if they are not accompanied by comprehensive data and analysis.
Mass actions that are not managed wisely have the potential to give rise to polarization and horizontal conflict. In fact, the government is currently pursuing various structural reforms ranging from bureaucracy, infrastructure development, to strengthening the people’s economy. These programs require the support of a conducive socio-political situation so that they can run optimally and provide real results for the community.
