ITS Campus, ITS News — In response to the current hotly contested national issues, the Student Executive Board (BEM) of the Sepuluh Nopember Institute of Technology (ITS) held a free forum as a platform for all ITS Student Families (KM) to speak at the ITS Roundabout on Friday afternoon (June 19th). This organic, uninhibited movement arose from the students’ concerns about current government policies, as future technocrats.
ITS Student Executive Board (BEM) President Rakan Naufal Alif stated that this movement was born purely to address student concerns. He believes the current state of the nation reflects the need to evaluate the mechanism for appointing public officials to ensure it aligns with the needs and competencies required in each sector. “This phenomenon is seen as a real crisis that threatens the nation’s long-term sustainability,” he said.
To address the complexity of these issues, Rakan explained that the ITS Student Executive Board (BEM ITS) is firmly committed to accommodating student aspirations and processing them into comprehensive scientific studies. As future technocrats, students have a moral responsibility to analyze real-world problems in society based on valid data in order to generate concrete solutions. “We are carefully preparing tactical and objective steps,” he emphasized.
The anxiety about the state of the country was strongly reflected in a speech by ITS Informatics Engineering student Derryell Josua Ekklesio Pandiangan, who focused on the economic sector. He expressed deep disappointment over the national economic situation, which is slowly suffocating and impoverishing the well-being of the common people. “Specifically, the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) program’s budget policy, which costs a staggering amount of money, is considered inefficient in practice,” he said.
Derryell believes the MBG program, with its substantial budget, should be allocated directly to meet basic nutritional needs in a more efficient and effective manner. Reflecting on the identity of ITS students as young technocrats who prioritize core skills, Derryell also believes the government still urgently needs to strengthen mechanisms that can encourage increased bureaucratic competence and effectiveness.
In line with this economic critique, Raden Ayu Khadijah Fitri Dea Sari, representing women’s voices, also sharpened the free platform by highlighting the escalating national conflict. The tangible impact of the current government’s governance is felt to have directly impacted all levels of society. “The most highlighted examples are the soaring fuel prices and the plummeting rupiah exchange rate due to the burden of the MBG program budget,” said the ITS Architecture student from the class of 2023.
He further lamented the recent mass power outages in Sumatra and Java, which have highlighted weak state governance. This is exacerbated by the income inequality of honorary teachers and the expansion of the palm oil industry, which has destroyed forests and triggered flash floods. “These three issues reflect a crisis of inefficient public management and a lack of justice,” he expressed concern.
Through his speech at the open forum, Rakan hoped that students would strengthen the collective movement to defend the interests of the people who fund the state budget. The solidarity of the ITS Student Council (KM ITS) must be maintained so that the institution is present when the community needs assistance. This critical step in addressing social issues aligns with efforts to create equitable governance and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) agenda, point 8, on Decent Work and Economic Growth. (ITS Public Relations)
Reporter: Nur Anisa Alya Eriska
Translator: Devinka Mutianeira