The spotlight in Indonesia this week has undoubtedly been on the large scale demonstrations led by university students throughout the country to protest the draft revisions to the Criminal Code (RKUHP), the weakening of the country’s anti-corruption agency, and other pressing issues facing Indonesia such as the haze crisis.
The message of the student movement, which carry the hashtags #HidupMahasiswa (Long Live the Students) and #ReformasiDikorupsi (Corrupted Reformation) on Indonesian social media, has gained support from several celebrities and public figures, including popular social media influencer Awkarin (real name Karin Novilda), who has 4.7 million followers on Instagram.
Yesterday afternoon, as told through her social media accounts, Awkarin brought 3,000 lunch boxes to student protesters outside the House of Representatives (DPR) compound in Senayan, Central Jakarta.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2yczGhJBZK/
“To those who can only say that demonstrations won’t change the situation, then what should we do? Just sit and be silent while our rights are raped by the country?” Awkarin wrote in the post above, referring specifically to RKUHP, which critics say would rob Indonesians of many fundamental freedoms.
Several students who were at the protest also posted photos and videos of Awkarin.
https://twitter.com/mmaryasir/status/1176404666801774592
“You’re so cool, Awkarin”
Awkarin we love you:) baek bgt ga ada obattttt pic.twitter.com/lhxmjVNSOY
— abang (@abangnii) September 24, 2019
“Awkarin we love you. You’re so kind, there’s no medicine for it”
That said, some questioned whether Awkarin’s generosity was genuine and not a PR stunt taking advantage of the huge public interest in the protests. To her critics, Awkarin stressed that at least she’s doing her part for the protests.
https://www.instagram.com/p/B2y5_CWJ6Ls/
“Let me tell you, I don’t care, I’m not seeking your compliments or good religious deeds, I myself am not a devout person. I just wanted to maximize my potential as a human being to help those who are weak and oppressed. I just want to use my power as an influencer to move other influencers and young people to care and take action,” she wrote in the Instagram post above.
“Don’t be afraid, young people. You have your voice. Don’t be afraid to use your voice and act just because you’re afraid of being accused of doing a PR stunt. Can’t imagine how many Indonesian citizens will be miserable if RKUHP is passed,” Awkarin added, ending the post by encouraging her followers to donate to a charity helping victims of the ongoing haze crisis.
Influencers are far from perfect — Awkarin’s highly questionable actions in the past have made her an easy target for scorn and ridicule. But, PR stunt or otherwise, celebrities’ words and actions can have a great impact on any cause and we hope that others will follow her example in using their platforms to shine a light on all that’s going wrong in Indonesia.
Related: #HidupMahasiswa! Spirit and creativity of Indonesia’s student protesters shown on social media
