BEM UBK Admits Receiving Money, Yusril asks students to maintain integrity when criticizing the government

Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra / ANTARA/Walda Marison

JAKARTA - Coordinating Minister for Legal, Human Rights, Immigration, and Corrections Yusril Ihza Mahendra asked students to maintain integrity in delivering criticism to the government.

According to Yusril, freedom of expression and criticism is an important part of democratic life that must be maintained.

"I support the freedom of students to speak and criticize. However, criticism must be based on strong integrity so that it really aims to build the nation," said Yusril as quoted by ANTARA, Tuesday, June 23.

As a former student activist, Yusril admitted that he was concerned about the confession of students at Bung Karno University (UBK) who received money after meeting with Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka.

However, he appreciated the attitude of the students who admitted their mistakes and apologized to the public.

"As a former student activist, I am concerned about the incident. However, we also appreciate their attitude of frankly admitting their mistakes and apologizing so that similar things do not happen again," he said.

Yusril assessed that integrity is an important capital for students who will later become leaders and public officials.

According to him, the integrity built since the student period needs to be maintained so that when occupying public office, a person still adheres to the principle of truth and is not easily influenced by certain interests.

"We advise the younger students to keep maintaining integrity and the struggle must be pure," he said.

He said that students who are currently active in criticizing the government in the future could become officials who replace the current generation of leaders.

"Because this is just a matter of time. Keep being firm in upholding principles and don't easily be influenced by things like that," said Yusril.

Previously, Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka received representatives of students who held demonstrations at several points in Jakarta and had a dialogue with them at the Vice President's Palace, Monday (22/6).

Later, the Action Coordinator and Chairman of the BEM of the UBK Faculty of Law, M. Abdi Maludin, admitted that he had received Rp. 20 million after the meeting and apologized to the public. But it is not clear who gave the money.