Politics · Indonesia · 11 hrs ago
Jakarta Police Apologize After Student Pledge Event Faces Questions
The Jakarta Metro Police apologized after a student event drew public criticism.
The event was held in Central Jakarta on October 29 to mark Indonesia’s Youth Pledge Day.
Questions arose about participants’ identities after a viral interview showed one attendee struggling to name his university and wearing a jacket that did not match the university he claimed to attend.
The controversy led social media users to question whether other participants were students.
The police said it invited the public figures Raffi Ahmad and Willie Salim, and that they came to support the event.
The force said it respects criticism and will use public feedback for internal evaluation to improve its public services.
Jakarta Metro Police apologized on October 31 over questions surrounding its 2026 Indonesian Student Youth Pledge Declaration.
The event was held on October 29 to mark the 98th Youth Pledge Day.
The controversy followed a viral interview clip in which a participant appeared unable to identify his university and gave an answer that did not match his jacket.
Police said they invited public figures Raffi Ahmad and Willie Salim to attend.
The event drew approximately 100 students, according to Tempo.
- Who
- Jakarta Metro Police apologized; the event included students, community leaders and public figures Raffi Ahmad and Willie Salim.
- What
- Police apologized over public responses and criticism concerning the 2026 Indonesian Student Youth Pledge Declaration.
- When
- The event took place on October 29, 2026; police apologized on October 31.
- Where
- Central Jakarta. The articles describe the venue as in front of the Thamrin Police Post; Tempo also mentions the Hotel Indonesia Roundabout.
- Why
- A viral interview clip raised questions about participants’ identities, including whether some were genuine students.
Jakarta Metro Police
Critics questioning the participants
Participants' identities
Jakarta Metro Police
Police apologized and said it would treat public criticism as constructive evaluation.
Critics questioning the participants
Critics questioned participants’ identities after a clip showed one attendee struggling to identify his university and giving an answer that did not match his jacket.
Jakarta Metro Police held the Youth Pledge declaration in Central Jakarta.
A clip of an interview with a participant circulated, prompting questions on social media about attendees’ identities.
Jakarta Metro Police apologized and said it would use public input for internal evaluation.
- Event date
- October 29, 2026
- Apology date
- October 31, 2026
- Occasion
- 98th Youth Pledge Day
- Theme
- Patriotic, Persistent, Empathetic: Youth for Indonesia
- Attendance
- Approximately 100 students
3 sources
What people are saying
On behalf of the Jakarta Metro Police, we apologize to the entire public.
We understand that this event has generated a variety of responses, and we accept any criticism with open arms as constructive evaluation.
Raffi Ahmad and Willie Salim came at our invitation as organizers. Both carried good intentions to share the spirit of the Youth Pledge.
In the past, our predecessors fought with sharpened bamboo, but today we face hoaxes on social media, hate speech, and online provocation.