Mahfud MD Says Jakarta Demonstrations Were Organic, But Some Were Riding on Them
Former Coordinating Minister for Political, Legal, and Security Affairs Mahfud MD responded to the wave of large-scale demonstrations that occurred in several regions at the end of August 2025.
According to him, the demonstrations were organic, born from accumulated public disappointment with government policies.
“I have said many times that the emergence of these demonstrations was originally organic. Organic means there are reasons that arise from below, but then someone takes advantage of them. Riding on the same level as masterminding is different; masterminding means someone plans it, then they mobilize it. This isn’t the case; the community is organic, which is why it wasn’t touched by intelligence previously,” Mahfud MD said when met at the Kepatihan Complex in Yogyakarta on Thursday (September 4, 2025).
“The root of the problem is the accumulation of public disappointment with various government policies that were never taken seriously. So, problems piled up, never addressed, sometimes just laughed at, criticized, and so on, which is how this movement emerged,” he added.
He also emphasized that the protests were organic in nature, and Mahfud believes there are parties riding on the back of the movement.
“I don’t know who they are, and I don’t want to know who they are,” he concluded.
