More students demand Tunky resignation<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of students and newspaper vendors
\nprotested yesterday the government's inability to resolve the
\nnewsprint crisis, demanding that Minister Tunky Ariwibowo resign.<\/p>\n
Spearheaded by the Islamic Students Association (HMI), the
\nprotesters marched to the trade ministry office, where they
\nsubmitted a petition, demanding that the government act to end
\nthe crisis.<\/p>\n
In their statement, the demonstrators said that Tunky has
\nshown inability and lack of sincerity in handling the problem.<\/p>\n
The paper shortage has been brewing over the past several
\nmonths, causing book prices to soar and threatening publications
\nwith bankruptcy.<\/p>\n
Previously, similar protests and demands have been staged in
\nYogyakarta and Central Java.<\/p>\n
About 40 demonstrators, mostly from HMI's Depok chapter, also
\ndemanded that officials of the Indonesian Association of Pulp and
\nPaper (APKI) be brought to court.<\/p>\n
\"APKI should account for their policy, which has triggered the
\npaper crisis by dictating prices and even threatening to stop
\npaper supplies,\" they stated.<\/p>\n
The protesters said that the increase in paper prices is a
\nheavy burden on students and parents, who have to buy books next
\nmonth for the new academic year.<\/p>\n
One demonstrator, Husein Heryanto, said newspaper sellers are
\nalso hard hit by the crisis. \"Many students have stopped
\nsubscribing to newspapers,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Many newspapers have had to increase prices from Rp 500
\n(US$4.49) a copy, to Rp 700 a copy. Prices of textbooks, which
\nmostly use newsprint, have increased by at least 15 percent.<\/p>\n
The protesters also demanded that the government bring down
\npaper prices by 40 percent, starting from July 1, and end scrap
\nimport tariffs for all kinds of paper.<\/p>\n
In May, the trade minister had already appealed to pulp and
\npaper producers, Sinar Mas Group and Raja Garuda Mas, to set
\nlower prices for paper, particularly text books.<\/p>\n
However, he made it clear that the government would not take
\ndrastic measures because this would be counter productive to the
\ncountry's investment policy.<\/p>\n
The ministries of industry, trade and information, as well as
\npublishers and paper producers, agreed on June 7 to propose to
\nthe ministry of finance that the import tariff on newsprint be
\ncut to zero percent.<\/p>\n
The students also urged an end to monopolistic and
\noligopolistic practices in the paper industry.<\/p>\n
A member of the House of Representatives from the ABRI faction
\nhad said earlier that any speculators' act to amass newsprint, to
\nbe released when prices had gone up, would amount to
\n\"subversion\".<\/p>\n
Tunky has repeatedly said the newsprint supply is \"adequate\",
\nbut publishers have said that paper has become a rare and very
\nexpensive commodity.<\/p>\n
Their statement also quoted a survey by the Econit research
\nbody on the paper price hikes this year.<\/p>\n
\"The increase, to almost 100 percent in almost four months, is
\nextremely illogical. It is a contradiction that our paper, which
\nis the cheapest on the world market, 40 percent cheaper than that
\nof Scandinavia, is much more expensive within our own country.\"<\/p>\n
The government has set a national standard price of Rp 1,700
\nper kilogram for newsprint but the price is only effective until
\nJune 30.<\/p>\n
\"We are giving the government two weeks to come up with
\nconcrete results, otherwise we will be back in much larger
\nnumbers,\" Heryanto threatened.<\/p>\n
A four-member delegation, of the students, met for almost an
\nhour with the director general of Chemical Industries, Sujata.<\/p>\n
\"He promised that the Ministry will give us an answer to our
\ndemand as soon as possible,\" Heryanto said. (anr)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/more-students-demand-tunky-resignation-1447893297",
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