PRIME NEWS POST
Remembrance of Bloody Tragedy at BAWASLU: ARM and ASELI to Hold Flower-Laying Ceremony
JAKARTA — Activists, volunteers, and groups of women will hold a flower-laying ceremony in front of the headquarters of Indonesia’s Elections Supervisory Agency (BAWASLU). The event is being held to mark National Awakening Day, as well as to commemorate the bloody humanitarian tragedy that claimed the lives of the nation’s young generation.
Menuk Wulandari, Chairperson of the People’s Justice Alliance (ARM) — an organization that has long organized demonstrations to demand justice — confirmed the plan.
“Yes, it is true; we will hold a flower-laying ceremony at BAWASLU,” Menuk said on Saturday, May 16, 2026.
“We have also already coordinated with Jalih Pitoeng regarding this agenda,” she added.
As a mother, Menuk said she felt deep sorrow over the suffering caused when young people she cared for became victims of protests that later turned violent.
“We are mothers. You can only imagine how it feels to lose a beloved child,” she stated emotionally.
Separately, Jalih Pitoeng, Chairman of the Presidium of the Save Indonesia Alliance (ASELI), said he would accompany and protect the women participating in the ceremony.
“I have coordinated with Menuk regarding these plans,” Jalih confirmed.
“Our cooperation in staging demonstrations dates back to 2019, when we challenged election results marred by alleged fraud. Since then, we have frequently held actions together with groups of women,” he recalled.
According to Jalih Pitoeng, Menuk has been a committed supporter of these efforts since 2019. Notably, she remained active even during a tense period following the riots outside BAWASLU on May 21–22, when public protests had almost completely ceased.
“Menuk and other women’s groups consistently supported our demonstrations at the House of Representatives (DPR-MPR) in support of various demands,” Jalih said.
“These included actions rejecting alleged election fraud at BAWASLU, the August 30 Movement, and the People’s Justice Action in September 2019 at the DPR-MPR — just one week before we were arrested on charges of treason and accused of plotting to disrupt the inauguration of then-President Joko Widodo,” he explained.
Jalih emphasized that holding demonstrations and expressing opinions in public are constitutional rights of every Indonesian citizen. For this reason, he called on the police to monitor, protect, and serve participants properly — in a friendly, respectful, and humane manner — as required by law.
“We hope there is no repeat of what happened during our large-scale ‘Impeach Jokowi’ rally on May 20, 2022, at the DPR-MPR, when police vehicles often deliberately interfered with our sound system by broadcasting over our speeches,” he said, expressing disappointment.
“This ceremony is an act of respect and sorrow for a dark chapter in our history — a stain on Indonesia’s democratic journey — in which nine promising young lives were lost,” Jalih stated.
“That is why I always say: no one in this country has the right to ban or disrupt this event. To do so would directly contradict Pancasila and the 1945 Constitution, which are the foundation of our nation and state,” he concluded firmly.
Reported from various media sources //photo from Google documents // contribution by Prime News Post international online media // news.paper
Related News
