Young People Monitor Danantara’s Investment Direction: The Future Must Not Be Decided Without Us

Jakarta, 10 September 2026 — Climate Rangers Jakarta, together with the Danantara Monitor Coalition, held a symbolic protest in front of the Danantara Building in Jakarta on Thursday (September 10). The protest highlighted the importance of youth involvement in guiding the direction of the country’s investments and ensuring that Danantara’s investment decisions take into account the interests of future generations.

Danantara manages state-owned enterprise assets worth hundreds of trillions of rupiah. Decisions regarding the direction of these investments not only impact today’s economy but also determine the quality of the environment, development choices, and the living conditions that future generations will inherit. Therefore, transparency, accountability, and public participation are essential components of oversight over state investments.

These concerns are all the more relevant given the involvement of investment and financing in a number of projects related to coal and fossil fuels, including the development of coal-to-DME (DME) and smelter projects with high energy demands. This direction of investment risks prolonging Indonesia’s dependence on fossil fuels and creating carbon lock-in in the long term.

Through a symbolic protest titled “Danantara: Dirty Energy Investor,” protesters carried toy paper money and wore costumes depicting Danantara officials and managers of strategic projects—whose operations are supported by Danantara—as a symbol of the self-serving deals among the elite to reap profits without truly considering the livelihoods of the broader public. There was also campaign material featuring a large “D” logo Danantara—featuring a Garuda emblem transformed into a coal-fired power plant—as a symbol of Danantara’s role in supporting coal and fossil fuel projects. This was followed by a performance in which the “D” Danantara logo using “Danantara project waste”—made from black watercolor paint—as a way to convey young people’s disappointment over Danantara’s role in generating massive amounts of industrial waste and polluting the environment through the fossil fuel projects it has supported all this time. In addition, several posters conveyed criticism of Danantara’s failure to support the clean energy transition agenda and of the government’s lack of responsibility in ensuring the protection of Indonesia’s natural environment.

Young people are sending the message that they are not merely bystanders and those affected by investment decisions, but also have the right to be informed, to offer criticism, and to participate in determining the direction of development that will shape their future.

Criticism of the government’s role—as exemplified by Danantara’s presence—was also voiced by Rendy Dharmawansyah, a campaigner with Climate Rangers Jakarta, who highlighted the government’s frequent neglect of the younger generation when it comes to development priorities and environmental impacts.

“Of the hundreds of trillions of rupiah in assets managed and invested by Danantara, the vast majority flows into the extractive sector—into strategic mining projects and into the coffers of corporations that destroy the environment. Meanwhile, the communities living near these development projects suffer only from the health hazards of a polluted environment. Moreover, Danantara’s current actions do not truly take into account intergenerational justice or the environmental damage that will eventually become a burden for young people—the owners of the future. Danantara is nothing more than a tool to pamper the elite and make life harder for ordinary citizens,” said Rendy Dharmawansyah of Climate Rangers Jakarta.

A similar point was also raised by Ramadhan from Enter Nusantara, who highlighted the role that young people should and can play without the state restricting their participation in any way.

“Young people’s involvement must not be limited to consultation forums or campaigns. We need transparency, access to information, and the opportunity to participate in decisions about how public funds are invested. As young people, we have the right to oversee these investments, especially when investment decisions have the potential to prolong our dependence on fossil fuels. The voices of the younger generation must be taken into account,” said Ramadhan of Enter Nusantara.

Climate Rangers Jakarta and the Danantara Monitor Coalition are advocating for the management of state investments to be conducted in a transparent and accountable manner, while providing opportunities for meaningful public participation. For young people, advocating for Danantara means advocating for decisions that will shape their own future.

Documentation

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1Kj4mtMwwH6NP7uZPLfE0MgOEUanRQMdV?usp=s

For media queries and interviews, please contact:

Novia Azzahra – Climate Rangers Jakarta: 0858-6353-6548