Makassar residents seek cement firm split<\/p>\n
Jupriadi, The Jakarta Post, Makassar<\/p>\n
Thousands of local people and employees of state-owned cement
\ncompany PT Semen Tonasa staged a demonstration at the South
\nSulawesi provincial legislative council compound in the city on
\nTuesday, demanding the government to spin off the cement factory
\nfrom parent PT Semen Gresik.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators, who wore headbands bearing the words spin
\noff and carried banners reading Spin off harga mati (Spin off is
\nnon-negotiable) and Jangan halangi aspirasi masyarakat Pangkep
\n(Don't block the Pangkep people's aspirations), announced they
\nwould take over the cement factory by force if the government
\nfailed to meet their demands.<\/p>\n
Mohammad Suhud M. said the provincial administration had to
\ntake a stand on the cement factory's fate, following the
\ngovernment's plan to sell a 51 percent stake in Semen Gresik to
\nMexican cement giant Cemex SA via a put option mechanism.<\/p>\n
\"The South Sulawesi government must oppose the planned put
\noption because the local people can no longer endure the central
\ngovernment's prolonged slavery,\" he said in a free speech forum
\nheld by the demonstrators in the legislature building.<\/p>\n
A circular distributed to demonstrators and legislators stated
\nthat the cement factory could be sold to foreign investors
\nbecause it was the pride of South Sulawesi and one of several
\nmajor state-owned companies in the country's eastern region.<\/p>\n
It also said that the price of cement in the region would fall
\nslightly if the government insisted on going through with the put
\noption.<\/p>\n
\"That is, for us, why the spinoff is non-negotiable and why it
\nwill benefit local people,\" he said.<\/p>\n
The cement factory is located some 30 kilometers north of the
\ncity.<\/p>\n
Following the demonstration, the provincial legislative
\ncouncil held a plenary session to discuss the demonstrators'
\ndemands.<\/p>\n
The demonstrators dispersed peacefully as hundreds of security
\npersonnel were deployed to step up security in the legislature
\ncompound.<\/p>\n
The people in West Sumatra have also demanded a spin off for
\nlocal cement factory PT Semen Padang, another unit of Semen
\nGresik, in protest against the government privatization program.<\/p>",
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