The Central Executive Board of the Indonesian Mosque Youth Communication Agency appreciates the steps taken by ministers and government officials in the era of President Prabowo Subianto who came directly to campus to dialogue with students.
"This is something new in our state administration. When public criticism arises, officials don't just provide clarification through the media, but instead come directly to campus to engage in open dialogue and compare data with students," said Sedek Rahman Bahta, Deputy Chairman of the BKPRMI Central Executive Board, in a statement.
Bahta stated that direct dialogue to test policies based on data and facts is a rare opportunity that should be welcomed by academics.
This new tradition is seen as a form of government openness as well as progress in the practice of democracy in Indonesia.
BKPRMI regrets if this constructive communication space is responded to with acts of persecution, intimidation, or unilateral rejection.
Bahta emphasized that the campus must maintain its reputation as a healthy academic space.
He said that campuses should be an arena for exchanging ideas and validating data, not a place to judge those with differing views.
Furthermore, he also reminded that criticism emerging from academic circles must be based on strong data, not simply rejection without dialogue.
The BKPRMI Central Executive Board (DPP) also hopes that this tradition of direct communication will continue in the future. This pattern is believed to be able to build a more mature, participatory, and solution-oriented Indonesian democracy through deliberation for the advancement of the nation.
Previously, the Head of the Indonesian Government Communications Agency (Bakom), Muhammad Qodari, emphasized that dialogue must be prioritized in the practice of a democratic state and the government is committed to continuing dialogue with the public in an effort to implement and continuously improve the quality of national priority programs.
Qodari's statement was in response to the rejection by some Gadjah Mada University (UGM) students of the arrival of three state officials at a discussion event at the Joglo Gelanggang Inovasi dan Kreativitas (GIK) UGM, Yogyakarta.
"Democracy can only exist if there's dialogue. If there's no dialogue, only demands, that's not democracy. That's all about me, just what they want," Qodari said in a statement received.
The discussion, which featured the Head of the Agency for the Acceleration of Poverty Alleviation, Budiman Sudjatmiko, Minister of ATR/BPN Nusron Wahid, and Deputy Minister of Agriculture Sudaryono, went smoothly.
In the middle of the discussion, a number of students rushed onto the stage and unfurled banners in opposition. The discussion then broke up.
