Protests about 'yellowization' still going on<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The war of colors between two political
\ngroupings in Central Java gave no sign of abating yesterday with
\nUnited Development Party (PPP) chairman Ismail Hasan Metareum
\nstepping into the fray.<\/p>\n
Ismail, at a breaking of the fast gathering at his home,
\ndeclined to openly attack the controversial Central Java
\ngovernment's policy to paint objects in public places Golkar
\nyellow.<\/p>\n
The dispute began in Surakarta last week when a group of PPP
\nactivists repainted yellow objects white, the supposedly neutral
\ncolor. The PPP will contest the May 29 election against Golkar
\nand the Indonesian Democratic Party (PDI).<\/p>\n
The action set Surakarta Mayor Iman Sutopo ablaze, ordering
\nthe activists to repaint everything, or face legal action for
\nbreaking the regional regulation. But PPP's Surakarta branch has
\nvowed not to bow to Iman's pressure.<\/p>\n
"Our (Surakarta) branch's activists did that because their
\nprotests were unheeded. We have repeatedly objected to the
\npolicy, but to no avail," Ismail said.<\/p>\n
He said he did not know each branch's program. "I don't know
\nwhether they want to neutralize public objects," he said.<\/p>\n
The government-sponsored "yellowization" scheme -- painting
\npublic facilities such as fences, electric poles, sidewalks,
\ndrums in mosques and trees yellow -- in Central Java has come
\nunder fire from Golkar's rivals, the PPP and PDI, and the public.<\/p>\n
Central Java governor Soewardi has denied accusations that the
\npainting public objects yellow had political overtones, claiming
\nthe government was only making prominent the province's favorite
\ncolor.<\/p>\n
Ismail questioned the legal basis for the scheme. "Why doesn't
\nthe regulation affect the governor's house for instance?" Ismail
\nquipped.<\/p>\n
Support<\/p>\n
Support for the anti-yellowization policy loomed large
\nyesterday, with deputy secretary of the PPP's Central Java
\nbranch, Harminto, calling on all party activists in the province
\nto follow in the footsteps of their fellow Surakarta activists.<\/p>\n
"The time has come to combat the yellowization which has
\nproved harmful to the public. We are ready to take risks,
\nincluding being locked up in prison," Harminto said in Semarang.<\/p>\n
PPP's Central Java secretary Robani Toha urged police to stop
\nyellowization, saying the scheme caused unrest.<\/p>\n
"Government officials did not tell the truth when they claimed
\nthe program, now still underway, was due to public request,"
\nRohani said.<\/p>\n
Dean of the Semarang-based Diponegoro University's School of
\nSocial and Political Sciences, Kahar Bajuri, said Surakarta's PPP
\nactivists could not be punished for their "unprincipled" actions
\nand called for a rational settlement to the dispute.<\/p>\n
Kahar said the activists were unethical because they did not
\nask for permission from the mayor.<\/p>\n
"Both parties have to solve the conflict through cool-headed
\ndeliberation. We have to stop the dispute from triggering riots
\nlike those in Tasikmalaya and Situbondo," he said. (har\/amd)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/protests-about-yellowization-still-going-on-1447893297",
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