UMS Students Hold Demonstration, Campus Urged to Take Firm Stance on National Issues
Source: LPM Campus
LPM Campus – Monday, September 1, 2025, a group of students from Muhammadiyah University Surakarta (UMS) held a demonstration at the Siti Walidah Main Building field. The demonstration, which took place from 3:00 PM to 6:00 PM, was a show of solidarity by students in response to the increasingly heated national dynamics, as well as a demand for the campus to take a firm stance on the issues currently plaguing the nation. The demonstration also served as a moment to remember the late Rheza Sendy Pratama, a student at Amikom University Yogyakarta who died on Sunday, August 31, 2025, after allegedly being tortured while participating in a demonstration in front of the Yogyakarta Regional Police Headquarters.
In his speech, the president of BEM UMS, Muhammad Naufal Fajar, highlighted the repressive actions of security forces against student demonstrators. He emphasized that this movement was not merely a protest, but a form of love and moral responsibility of students towards the nation and state. During the demonstration, students demanded that the university take a firm and clear stance in responding to national issues that affect the lives of the wider community.
Source: LPM Campus
One of the main points of the demands conveyed by student representative Teguh Jairyanur Akbar was a strong rejection of the authorities’ violence against demonstrators, including the death of Rheza Sendy Pratama, which left deep sorrow. They urged the campus to become an academic space free from political intrigue and militarization, and to reject all forms of silencing freedom of expression. In addition, the students also asked the government to review policies that are considered detrimental to the people and demanded a fair and transparent resolution of national issues.
The rector of UMS, Prof. Dr. Harun Joko Prayitno, M.Hum., responded directly to the students’ aspirations. He expressed his sorrow over the death of Rheza Sendy Pratama and prayed for strength for the family left behind. The rector emphasized the importance of leaders and law enforcement officials listening to the aspirations of the people with empathy and politeness. Harun also stressed that students should continue to voice their opinions with high academic, ethical, and moral values and avoid violence and provocation. He reminded the entire UMS academic community to maintain the unity and integrity of the Unitary State of the Republic of Indonesia (NKRI).
Source: LPM Campus
In addition to delivering demands and speeches, the event was marked by the scattering of flowers as a sign of respect and remembrance for the late Rheza Sendy Pratama. His passing, which left a deep wound for his family and the community, serves as a reminder of the importance of respecting the rights of demonstration participants and protecting freedom of expression. The demonstration proceeded in an orderly manner and involved intense dialogue between students and the university, marking UMS’s commitment as a higher education institution that opens space for healthy dialogue for the benefit of the nation.
Source: LPM Campus
This demonstration is part of a series of student movements on various campuses that are pushing for change and greater responsibility from the government and educational institutions in addressing national issues fairly and transparently. The demonstration at UMS showed the critical spirit of students who not only focus on internal campus issues but also raise broader national issues for a better future for Indonesia.
With this demonstration, it is hoped that the UMS campus can set an example of a firm and progressive attitude and continue its active role as an agent of social change that prioritizes dialogue and peaceful problem solving.
The demonstration on September 1, 2025, at UMS not only voiced the students’ concrete demands but also affirmed their solidarity with the victims who died as a result of repressive actions during the demonstration, making it an important moment for reflection and joint reform for justice and human rights in the delivery of public aspirations.
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Writer : Naufal Ahmad Alfian (Communication Science’22)
Editor : Shafira Ayyu Listia Azizah (Communication Science’22)
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Journalist :
- Ramiro Rafa Rajendra (Communication Science’ 22)
- Naufal Ahmad Alfian (Communication Science’22)
