Recently, the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education issued a circular (SE) addressed to heads of education offices in cities and districts, to be forwarded to schools, prohibiting students from participating in demonstrations and requiring them to send photos with timestamps upon arrival. At one public school in West Jakarta, the police chief even had to actively educate students.
Consequently, the number of demonstrators demanding the dissolution of the Indonesian House of Representatives (DPR-RI) from the student block dwindled, as most students who insisted on demonstrating were arrested en route to the demonstration site. Tanah Abang Station became a temporary “security post” where the arrested students were grouped together in a single room. Passengers at other stations saw that approximately hundreds of students were being held in a closed room on the second floor of the station. Although it was still afternoon, it is unclear how many students were detained by the time all the arrested students were recorded and sent home or elevated to suspect status.
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Reviewing the effectiveness of the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education’s Circular, which seemingly legitimizes police officers’ right to arrest citizens who want to demonstrate, only creates irony, leading to a major question: how can this be done in a democratic country?
Demonstrations are a human right stipulated in the 1945 Constitution. Although there is the phrase “…based on law,” the law in question must not deviate from the Constitution’s provision that everyone has the right to express their opinion. That is the hierarchy. No regulation under the Constitution can be inconsistent with the Constitution. So the irony mentioned above begins to emerge: how could the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education’s Circular violate the 1945 Constitution?
The issuance of this Circular deprives students of their fundamental rights. This is the right to express their opinions. A right inherent in the individual.
Why is the state so protective that students are deprived of their fundamental rights?
In accordance with the President’s statement that there is no ministerial vision and mission, only the presidential vision and mission, it can be interpreted that the president initiated the violation of students’ human rights.
National education is dedicated to the goals of the head of state, so state apparatuses, such as heads of education departments, are obligated to implement the state’s requests through the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education. Students, who are concrete evidence of the demographic bonus, are the targets of the violation of students’ human rights.
Does the state have the right to train students to gain compliance? The history of Indonesian national education predates the Republic of Indonesia. The two pillars of national education were developed by missionaries from the Netherlands, Germany, and other European countries. The purpose of establishing schools by these missionaries was to spread Christianity to the people (initially limited to communities from Europe and East Asia), but also balanced this with general education such as mathematics, languages, and so on. However, the population of the Dutch colony continued to grow, and certain groups remained uneducated. This was the time for Muhammadiyah to play a role. They combined Islamic religious education with modern education. Muhammadiyah played a significant role in the history of educating the nation. They grew as the antithesis of Christian missionary schools that sided with the colonialists. Muhammadiyah produced students who contributed to the Indonesian independence effort. Through its curriculum, Muhammadiyah educated students to be critical yet religious. As a result, Indonesia’s independence was achieved.
The efforts to educate the nation, as mandated by the Preamble to the 1945 Constitution, have been carried out effectively by Muhammadiyah. As a tribute to Muhammadiyah’s contributions, the position of Minister of Education has traditionally been held by a Muhammadiyah member.
Now, in its 80th year of the nation, Muhammadiyah, represented by the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education, Abdul Mu’ti, is actually hindering efforts to educate the nation by prohibiting students from participating in demonstrations. The inherent rights of the people have been stolen by the state through the hands of the Minister of Primary and Secondary Education.
The antithesis of Muhammadiyah now comes from a missionary school, through Gonzaga College, which has expressed support for students exercising their political rights through demonstrations. This support was signed by the school’s principal. Their statement signifies the school’s guarantee that it will not dismiss students caught participating in demonstrations. This is unlike what happens in other public schools, which follow the instructions of the local education office head, expelling students caught participating in demonstrations. This is the irony of a democratic country that prohibits public demonstrations.
Are we moving toward “enlightening the nation’s life” as mandated by the Constitution, or are we reverting power to a guided or command-driven era where students are treated as prospective cadets obligated to obey those in command?
No one is competent to answer this question except the government of the Republic of Indonesia.