Housewives join protests over food prices, reforms<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Huge numbers of students in many cities were
\nkept up their fervent protests for lower prices and sweeping
\nreforms yesterday with housewives in one city helping to boost
\nthe rallies.<\/p>\n
In Surabaya, the capital of East Java, around 10,000 students
\nfrom 16 local universities assembled at the Sepuluh November
\nInstitute of Technology demanding economic and political reform,
\nnew national leadership and an end to nepotism, collusion and
\ncorruption.<\/p>\n
The students also marched three kilometers through kampongs,
\nwhere residents, especially housewives, joined in yelling for
\naffordable prices of basic essentials. Motorists also stopped and
\njoined the crowd.<\/p>\n
Agung Febriyadi, one of the student protesters, said: "This
\nproves that masses of people are suffering. The people and the
\nstudents must unite to stand up against the corrupt."<\/p>\n
Hundreds of security personnel kept watch on the proceedings
\nbut kept their distance. The crowd dispersed peacefully after
\nseveral hours.<\/p>\n
In Ujungpandang, the capital of South Sulawesi, some 16,000
\nstudents held three separate simultaneous demonstrations at
\nHasanuddin University, the Indonesian Muslim University and the
\nIslamic Studies Institute. Protesters wearing their varsity
\njackets sat in yards under the sun listening to fiery speeches
\nfrom student leaders demanding an end to corruption and
\ncollusion.<\/p>\n
At Hasanuddin University students demanded that Minister of
\nEducation and Culture Wiranto Arismunandar resign for allegedly
\ncurtailing academic freedom. A speaker also used the platform to
\nlash out at local officials who lived in luxury while most people
\nwere suffering from the economic crisis.<\/p>\n
"There are officials here who have more cars than family
\nmembers," said one student.<\/p>\n
Some of the students tried to march off the campus but were
\neffectively blocked by security personnel. At all three
\nuniversities school administrators were seen mingling with the
\nstudents.<\/p>\n
Job security<\/p>\n
In Medan, the capital of North Sumatra, thousands of students
\nand alumni of the Medan Teachers Training Institute held a noisy
\nrally demanding not only lower prices and economic and political
\nreform but also job security.<\/p>\n
In a free-speech forum, the students decried a report that the
\nMinistry of Education and Culture would not recruit new teachers
\nthis year. "What are we going to do after we graduate?" one
\nspeaker said.<\/p>\n
A spokesman of the teachers college expressed concern over the
\nreported plan, pointing out that only last week the college
\ngraduated 1,226 new teachers.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, activists from the Association of Moslem Students
\nand students of Yarsi University, and their counterparts at the
\nIslamic medical school held separate demonstrations. They also
\nmarched down some streets under the watchful eyes of the
\nmilitary.<\/p>\n
In Surakarta, Central Java, some 1,500 Sebelas Maret
\nUniversity students held a demonstration after Friday prayers and
\nwere involved in a scuffle with hundreds of security personnel.
\nFive students were injured in the stone-throwing started by the
\nstudents. Police fired volleys of tear gas to disperse the crowd.<\/p>\n
In Yogyakarta, around 100 students of the Indonesian Islamic
\nUniversity held a demonstration on their campus. Student leaders
\ngave speeches critical of the government's development policies.<\/p>\n
"The crisis that is affecting Indonesia now is the fruit of 30
\nyears of development that neglected the people," one student
\nsaid.<\/p>\n
The students also demanded a succession of the national
\nleadership and the formation of a new cabinet which was more
\naccommodating of people's aspirations. The demonstration
\nconcluded peacefully.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the military, City Police and rectors and their
\nassistants from several universities agreed to limit student
\nrallies on campuses for security reasons.<\/p>\n
The agreement was reached after a meeting between Jakarta
\nPolice Chief Maj. Gen. Hamami Nata, Jakarta Military Commander
\nMaj. Gen. Sjafrie Sjamsoeddin, and administrators of, among
\nothers, the University of Indonesia and the Jakarta Teachers
\nTraining Institute.<\/p>\n
In a media briefing following the meeting, Hamami said
\nstudents who continued to rally on the streets would be charged
\nunder Article 510 of the Criminal Code for conducting street
\nrallies without the necessary police permit. The maximum penalty
\nis two weeks in detention.<\/p>\n
The rally could disturb public order and create traffic jams,
\nhe said, referring to student rallies which had spilled over onto
\nthe streets over the past few days.<\/p>\n
Sjafrie warned certain groups against pushing their own
\nagendas by exploiting the student rallies. He identified the
\ngroups only as "Indonesia's opposition movement network."<\/p>\n
"This network is trying to take advantage of all elements in
\nsociety who are prejudiced against the current situation," he
\nsaid, adding that the military was currently investigating the
\norganization. (30\/23\/har\/nur\/45\/21\/ivy\/edt)<\/p>",
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