January 4, 2026 | 10:35 am
TEMPO.CO, Jakarta - The WhatsApp group for the Student Executive Body (BEM) of the Mulawarman University in Samarinda, East Kalimantan, was in an uproar on Sunday afternoon, August 3, 2025. The thirteen faculty-level BEM leaders in the group were intensely discussing the overview of the upcoming new student orientation (PKKMB) scheduled for the following day. According to the plan, Brigadier General Deni Sukwara, the Chief of the Expert Staff for the Commander of the Mulawarman/IV Regional Military Command (Kodam), was slated to attend.
Those who had been focusing on the rehearsal for the orientation immediately shifted into "consolidation mode." Muhammad Rezky Nur Ilman, the Chair of the BEM for the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) at Mulawarman University, stated that his organization’s members spontaneously rejected the presence of the military officer on campus. "We questioned the purpose of the soldiers' presence," said Rezky, recounting the incident on Sunday, December 22, 2025.
According to Rezky, five faculty-level BEMs agreed to stage a protest during the student orientation at Mulawarman University’s September 27 Sports Center. In less than 24 hours, they coordinated and distributed tasks—from crafting banners reading “Reject the TNI Entering Campus” to finalizing their strategy for the protest.
The following day, the orientation proceeded according to the itinerary. Deni Sukwara delivered a lecture on nationalism, while East Kalimantan Deputy Governor Seno Adji also took the stage. This was the moment the students launched their protest. Freshmen from the Faculty of Teacher Training and Education (FKIP) standing in the tribune turned their backs as Deni delivered his speech. Meanwhile, students from the Faculty of Social and Political Sciences (FISIP) bowed their heads and sang a patriotic song.
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