Protests against price rises likely to intensify<\/p>\n
Tertiani ZB Simanjuntak
\nand Zakki Hakim
\nThe Jakarta Post
\nJakarta<\/p>\n
Around 1,000 poor Jakartans staged a rally on Monday outside the
\noffice of the Coordinating Minister for Peoples' Welfare, Central
\nJakarta, urging the government to give them more breathing space
\namid the increases in fuel prices and public utility rates.<\/p>\n
Led by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC), the protesters --
\nincluding becak (pedicab) drivers, vendors and street children --
\ndemanded the suspension of raids and evictions of people working
\nin the informal sector.<\/p>\n
"We asked for a moratorium on raids and evictions so that low-
\nincome groups could survive the price increases that follow the
\nrise in fuel prices," UPC chairwoman Wardah Hafidz said.<\/p>\n
But the demand apparently failed to receive a positive
\nresponse from Coordinating Minister for People's Welfare Yusuf
\nKalla, who spent just a few minutes talking with protesters.<\/p>\n
"I disagree with the demand; not all people in the informal
\nsector are evicted," he said.<\/p>\n
Yusuf also emphasized that the increase would not impact the
\nlow-income groups whatsoever.<\/p>\n
He said the government would allocate Rp 4 trillion (US$449
\nmillion), as compensation for the government's reduced subsidy
\nexpenditure on fuel, gas, telephone and electricity charges, to
\n30 million poor Indonesians.<\/p>\n
The compensation would be in the form of cheaper rice, health
\nservices and scholarships valid for a year.<\/p>\n
According to Wardah, the number of poor people across the
\ncountry totaled 80 million. The compensation for them would be
\nworth less than Rp 50,000 per person per year, far from adequate
\nto support their daily needs, she said.<\/p>\n
"The minister has missed the real issue. We've learnt that the
\ncompensation from last year's reduction in the fuel subsidy
\nmissed its target, if it was not misappropriated, while local
\nadministrations preferred to direct social safety net measures to
\nthose with capital," Wardah told reporters after the rally.<\/p>\n
"Moreover, we have yet to hear the government's evaluation on
\nits previous fuel price policies," she added.<\/p>\n
Wardah said a joint group of non-governmental organizations
\n(NGOs), including the Indonesian Consumers Foundation (YLKI),
\nwould again stage its demands on a larger scale.<\/p>\n
In the meantime, she said, the NGOs would promote the use of
\nbiogas as an alternative fuel and the use of alternative
\nmedicines too.<\/p>\n
Soon after the rally, however, City Public Order officers
\nraided vendors at nearby Monas park, where they had run
\nbusinesses for years.<\/p>\n
Unlike in the previous raids, the officers did not use
\nviolence but let the vendors escape, along with their
\nmerchandise.<\/p>\n
Before the raid, some of the vendors told The Jakarta Post
\nabout their hardship as a result of price increases in basic
\ncommodities.<\/p>\n
Sulistyo, who sold ketoprak (a traditional Indonesian
\nfoodstuff) said that usually he spent Rp 60,000 per day on
\nvegetables, kerosene, cooking oil and other ingredients.<\/p>\n
"But this morning I had to spend almost Rp 100,000, due to the
\nsoaring prices," he said.<\/p>\n
He added that before the price hike, he could earn up to Rp
\n20,000 a day.<\/p>\n
"I don't know how much I will earn today," he said.<\/p>\n
It was likely that he would earn less, especially as he had
\nbeen forced to relocate in order to avoid a raid.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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