Lack of support for Monas rally shows public apathy towards problems<\/p>\n
Bambang Nurbianto, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
The call went out to protest the fence that is being erected
\naround the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta, but
\nonly 1,000 people answered on Sunday, far short of the 4,000
\norganizers had hoped for.<\/p>\n
The human chain formed by demonstrators only managed to cover
\nhalf the park -- from the western to the southern end. The
\ndemonstration was organized by the Urban Poor Consortium (UPC),
\nthe Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta), the Democratic
\nPeople's Party (PRD) and several other non-governmental
\norganizations.<\/p>\n
Noted singer Harry Roesly of Bandung, Jakarta Residents Forum
\n(Fakta) chairman Azas Tigor Nainggolan and Indonesian Forum for
\nthe Environment (Walhi) chairwoman Emmy Hafild, who had expressed
\ntheir commitment to Sunday's protest, also failed to show.<\/p>\n
UPC chairwoman Wardah Hafidz said the lack of support for
\nSunday's action showed that many residents were apathetic about
\nthe problems in the capital.<\/p>\n
She said many people wanted these problems fixed, but refused
\nto get involved and fight to fix them.<\/p>\n
\"I think it is a kind of public despair in the face of the
\nvarious problems of life. I received many SMSs from people who
\nsupported the action, but not all wanted to be directly
\ninvolved,\" said Wardah.<\/p>\n
She also said that many activists and political activists
\npreferred speaking in cafes, hotels and other luxury places, but
\nwere reluctant to join any street action.<\/p>\n
The fencing off of Monas park has been strongly opposed by
\nmany landscape architects, environmental activists, urban
\nplanners and others.<\/p>\n
Rully Besari Budiyanti of Trisakti University's Institute of
\nLandscape and the Environment, said the fence, which will cost
\nthe city Rp 9 billion, will reduce the already limited amount of
\npublic space in the capital.<\/p>\n
\"Public spaces are needed by urban residents as arenas for
\ninteraction,\" Rully, the head of the university's Landscape
\nArchitecture Program, told The Jakarta Post recently.<\/p>\n
The city administration is putting up the controversial fence
\nto control the number of street vendors working in the park.<\/p>\n
A number of vendors who have kiosks in Monas park said they
\nwere given permission to do business in the park after paying
\nofficials from the Public Order Agency.<\/p>\n
On Sunday morning, the demonstrators, including political
\nobserver Arief Budiman and urban observer Marco Kusumawijaya,
\njoined street vendors, pedicab drivers, street singers and
\nvictims of forced evictions.<\/p>\n
They held hands to create a human chain, while voicing their
\nopposition of the fence and the recent reelection of Jakarta
\nGovernor Sutiyoso. There were also speeches and theatrical
\nperformances during the action.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators said Sutiyoso, who was reelected on Sept. 11
\nby the City Council, did not deserve to lead the city because he
\nignored the plight of the poor.<\/p>\n
\"The ongoing park fencing project shows the arrogance of
\nGovernor Sutiyoso, who considers street vendors, people living in
\nslum areas and pedicab drivers to be the trash of the city, who
\nshould be taken out and dumped,\" said one of the speakers.<\/p>\n
Arief said Jakarta's poor suffered the most as a result of
\nSutiyoso's policies during his first five-year term.<\/p>",
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