Author: Renee Karunungan

Indonesia, like its neighbouring countries in Southeast Asia, has a long history of student activism; from the participation of indigenous and Islamic students to end Dutch colonial rule and a wave of protests in the 1970s against corruption, student movements became a strong force in Indonesia’s democracy. With the changing landscape of technology has also come a shift in how students and youth in Indonesia become politically engaged.

This paper looks at the fragile student movements in both countries and how digital media has played an important role in the reawakening of student youth activism in Malaysia and Singapore.