Protests against fuel price hike poorly attended<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Far from what protest organizers had boasted
\nearlier, the capital witnessed only some 1,000 anti-fuel hike
\nprotesters hitting the city's streets on Tuesday.<\/p>\n
Similar low-key protests took place in several other major
\ncities, including Medan and Semarang.<\/p>\n
No clashes were reported and the noisy protests ended
\npeacefully later in the afternoon.<\/p>\n
Most of the rally participants claimed to be members of
\nvarious labor unions, particularly the Indonesian Prosperous
\nLabor Union (SBSI), Reformed All Indonesian Workers' Union (SPSI
\nReformasi), Confederation of Indonesian Labor Unions
\n(Gaspermindo), and the National Front for the Indonesian Workers'
\nStruggle (FNPBI).<\/p>\n
Besides asking the government to backtrack on the fuel price
\nincrease, the protesters were also demanding a 100-percent rise
\nin their monthly wages.<\/p>\n
During an anti-fuel hike rally on Oct. 1, the first day of the
\nnew fuel prices, labor activist and SBSI chairman Mochtar
\nPakpahan said that labor unions across the country would stage a
\nmassive rally on Oct. 10 should the government refuse to cancel
\nits policy of increasing fuel prices by 12 percent.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, the protesters firstly marched from the Tugu
\nProklamasi (Independence Monument) in Central Jakarta to the
\npresidential palace.<\/p>\n
In front of the palace, the protesters delivered a number of
\nspeeches accusing the administration of President Abdurahman
\nWahid of failing to keep its promise to prevent the prices of
\nother goods from rising in line with the fuel price hike.<\/p>\n
\"The fuel hike has already led to the prices of other goods
\nrising by up to 20 percent,\" one of the speakers said, adding
\nthat the fuel hike should therefore be rescinded immediately.<\/p>\n
He failed, however, to give any concrete examples and his
\nremarks flew in the face of data collected by the city
\nadministration and revealed to reporters on Monday. According to
\nthese figures, the price of basic needs in Jakarta has instead
\nshown a significant drop, up to 7 percent, over the past seven
\ndays.<\/p>\n
According to the labor protesters, casual workers are no
\nlonger capable of saving money to buy their everyday requirements
\nunder the current government-set minimum wage of Rp 344,500 per
\nmonth.<\/p>\n
\"Companies in Indonesia only spend an average of six percent
\nof their production costs on paying their workers. This is very
\nlow compared to companies in the neighboring country of Malaysia,
\nfor example, where the equivalent figure can reach up to 29
\npercent,\" another protester said in his speech.<\/p>\n
\"There should be a decision today about our demands for the
\ncancellation of the fuel hike and the awarding of a wage
\nincrease,\" FNBI coordinator, Dita Indah Sari, told reporters.<\/p>\n
\"If the government fails to meet our demands, we plan to stay
\nhere,\" Dita said while pointing at the lawn across from the
\npalace.<\/p>\n
\"We will do that if we have the stamina and logistics, we'll
\nsee,\" Dita added.<\/p>\n
In their statement, the protesters said that they could not
\naccept the government's statement, which claimed the rise in fuel
\nprices was needed to, among other things, help minimize fuel
\nsmuggling to neighboring countries due to the wide gap between
\nfuel prices there and in Indonesia.<\/p>\n
\"The government should have tightened security at the
\ncountry's borders instead of increasing fuel prices,\" the
\nstatement said.<\/p>\n
The protesters later met with Minister of Manpower and
\nTransmigration Alhilal Hamdi, who repeated the government's
\nargument on the smuggling of fuel out of the country.<\/p>\n
Alhilal also said that only 30 percent of the government's
\nfuel subsidy went to the poor, adding that postponing the policy,
\ninitially slated to come into effect in April, would eventually
\ncost the government Rp 41.3 trillion, compared to the Rp 22.4
\ntrillion to be allocated as subsidies to the poor.<\/p>\n
In Semarang, some 100 local FNPBI members rallied in front of
\nthe Central Java regional legislative council, airing the same
\nview of the fuel price rise and wages as that of their colleagues
\nin Jakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We want a 100-percent hike in our wages as the prices of many
\ngoods have increased by more than 100 percent since the economic
\ncrisis started,\" a female protester said.<\/p>\n
Under the watchful eyes of dozens of riot police, the
\nprotesters eventually dispersed peacefully.<\/p>\n
In Medan, hundreds of SBSI members marched to the local
\nlegislative building to echo similar calls, but later occupied
\nthe building after failing to meet any of the councillors.<\/p>\n
\"The fuel hike shows the failure of Gus Dur's administration,\"
\nyelled Masihari Nahampun. (jaw\/39\/har)<\/p>",
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