Student Alliance Survey: 78.8% Say Government Has Failed
A coalition of student organizations has released survey results indicating that 78.8 percent of Indonesians rate the Prabowo Subianto and Gibran Rakabuming Raka administration as failing to run the government effectively, marking a dramatic reversal from the duo's strong electoral mandate two years ago.
The Committee to Save People's Sovereignty (Sadar), a student alliance led by the Indonesian University Student Executive Board (BEM UI), announced the findings on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, exactly two years after Prabowo and Gibran were inaugurated as president and vice president. The pair had won the 2024 presidential election with 58.59 percent of the vote, receiving more than 96 million votes against rivals Anies-Muhaimin and Ganjar-Mahfud.
The survey collected responses from 560 people across Indonesia, from Sumatra to Papua. BEM UI Chairperson Yatalathof Ma'shum Imawan said the results reflect widespread public concern about the government's handling of critical issues.
"We collected the public's concerns through a survey of 560 respondents from Sumatra to Papua," said Imawan, commonly known as Athof, on Monday evening.
Environmental Crisis Tops Public Concerns
The survey identified environmental degradation as the most pressing issue, with 83.5 percent of respondents highlighting rampant deforestation and forest fires. The concern reflects the severity of Indonesia's 2026 wildfire crisis, which has been described as the most intense in over a decade. Satellite monitoring shows more than 1.9 million hectares have burned from January through September 2026, exacerbated by a strong El Niño phenomenon that has created dry conditions across the archipelago.
Indonesia's Ministry of Forestry reported that 202,000 hectares of forests and land had already burned by August 2026, with authorities warning that El Niño conditions are expected to persist into early 2027.
Economic Pressures and Inflation
Economic concerns ranked second among respondents' priorities, with 71.1 percent pointing to high prices of necessities and 41.6 percent rating the economic and financial sectors as urgent for immediate improvement. The concerns are grounded in concrete economic data: Indonesia's annual inflation rate reached 3.28 percent in September 2026, driven primarily by rising food prices.
The inflation rate had spiked even higher earlier in the year, reaching 4.76 percent in February 2026, the highest level in nearly three years, pushing above the central bank's 1.5-3.5 percent target range.
Corruption and Governance Issues
Governance problems also featured prominently in the survey results. Some 70.6 percent of respondents highlighted rampant corruption and abuse of state power, while 62.7 percent pointed to suppression of freedom of expression. The corruption concerns have been reinforced by ongoing cases: at least eight regional heads have been named as corruption suspects since January 2026, with allegations ranging from extortion and gratuity to trafficking in positions, according to Indonesia's Corruption Eradication Commission.
Additionally, 67.4 percent of respondents noted the high cost of education as a significant concern.
Student Coalition Plans Mass Action
Athof emphasized that the survey serves as a warning to the government.
"The government must not close its eyes to the problems of the economy, democracy, law, environment, and education that concern the respondents," he stated.
The Sadar Committee comprises prominent student organizations including BEM UI, Keluarga Mahasiswa Institut Teknologi Bandung, Universitas Padjadjaran, BEM Universitas Diponegoro, BEM Universitas Negeri Semarang, Serikat Mahasiswa Universitas Gadjah Mada, BEM UPN Veteran Yogyakarta, BEM Universitas Airlangga, and BEM Universitas Brawijaya.
The coalition scheduled an official announcement of the survey results at the Proclamation Monument in Jakarta on Tuesday afternoon, followed by a mass demonstration in the Tugu Tani area of Central Jakarta starting at 3:00 p.m. Western Indonesian Time. The planned protest continues a pattern of student activism throughout 2026, with BEM UI having staged previous demonstrations in June and August that were intercepted by security forces at the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout.
