Democracy and stability<\/p>\n
The recent wave of street demonstrations in Jakarta and a
\nnumber of other big cities across the country has caused the
\ngovernment such concern that Coordinating Minister for Political
\nAffairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman was prompted to call on
\neveryone to exercise restraint last week.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations, while they are recognized as a form of popular
\nexpression, have the potential to undermine peace and order. With
\nthe country now gearing up for the general election, stability
\nis, in the eyes of the government, important to ensure that
\npeople can exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful
\natmosphere.<\/p>\n
Recently, some protests have turned violent. In Ujungpandang
\ntowards the end of last month, a student protest against planned
\nhikes in the city's public transportation fares turned into a
\nclash between students and soldiers, leaving three people dead.
\nTension ran high for at least a week before it subsided.<\/p>\n
As we wait for the outcome of the investigation of what
\nsparked the riots in the South Sulawesi capital, other protests
\nthat have taken place in recent weeks -- including those by
\nstudents expressing solidarity with their colleagues in
\nUjungpandang and by workers pressing for higher wages -- should
\nbe noted with concern. This is because demonstrations have the
\npotential to erupt into riots which cost human life. In fact,
\nover the past several years, we have seen the tendency for
\nprotesters to clash with security forces. The incidents in
\nJayapura, Medan, Dili and Madura are just a few examples.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations are bound to be more frequent as people become
\nmore assertive in pressing for their rights. Increasing numbers
\nof people are taking to the streets as the government allows
\ngreater political openness. We have seen students and workers
\nmarching to the House of Representatives, and now we are seeing
\npolitical groups doing the same. And with the election coming up,
\nthere are bound to be more protests and counter protests.<\/p>\n
It is noteworthy that, as forms of public expression,
\ndemonstrations and general elections are crucial elements in our
\ndemocracy.<\/p>\n
Is there a contradiction here? Not necessarily. Neither should
\nthere be any trade off between democracy and the need to maintain
\nstability.<\/p>\n
Demonstrations don't have to turn ugly. They can be peaceful
\nand orderly, as most protests have been. But the odd few that
\nhave turned rowdy have alarmed and alerted us to the potential of
\nany demonstration, no matter how small it is, to turn into a
\nriot. The onus of ensuring orderliness should fall on both the
\ndemonstrators and the security forces.<\/p>\n
Sadly, Indonesia does not yet have legislation regulating
\nstreet demonstrations. Such laws would guarantee the people's
\nrights in expressing their opinions and would state their
\nobligations, while outlining the duty of the authorities to
\nprotect those rights and maintain peace and order at the same
\ntime. The police, and the military, upon whose shoulders fall the
\ntask of maintaining peace and order, need a more solid legal
\nreference in discharging this task. How often have the military
\nclampdowns on protesters opened the security forces to
\naccusations of human rights violations?<\/p>\n
When the government issued a new, more relaxed, regulation on
\npublic gatherings last December, it promised to draft a bill on
\ndemonstrations. We have not heard anything since then. We hope
\nthe recent wave of street protests, and the tendency for them to
\nbecome violent, will motivate the drafters to complete their work
\nquickly and submit the bill to the House of Representatives.<\/p>\n
The legislation on demonstrations cannot wait until after the
\ncoming election. Popular forms of expression should be guaranteed
\nby law in order to ensure peaceful polling.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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