Hamengkubuwono X followed the tradition of his late father Sri Sultan Hamengkubuwono IX in the spirit of Indonesian Nationalism over self-interest by participating in street protests in support of the student demonstrations opposing Suharto's rule on 14 May 1998, and like his illustrious father, wanted to be a pioneer in the Yogyakarta Reformation Movement albeit in a non-violent manner. He was also one of the four key figures in the early reform period that sparked the Ciganjur Declaration urging the government to hold elections as soon as possible, because President BJ Habibie had neither Constitutional nor legal rights to take over the presidency of Suharto who had just resigned.