Rallies continue against utility price hikes<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Rallies against price hikes continued across the country on
\nSaturday, with new demands that Indonesia stop economic reforms
\nsponsored by the International Monetary Fund (IMF).<\/p>\n
Some 5,000 members of Hizbut Tahrir (Party of Liberation)
\nstaged a peaceful rally in front of the legislature building in
\nthe country's second largest city, Surabaya in East Java, and
\nlater paraded through the city.<\/p>\n
They criticized the IMF's support for the price hikes as part
\nof its US$4.8 billion economic recovery program for Indonesia,
\none of the nations hardest hit by the 1997-1998 regional
\nfinancial crisis.<\/p>\n
"The people suffer, the IMF laughs," read a poster. "The IMF
\ngoes, the people are happy," read another.<\/p>\n
Hizbut Tahrir spokesman M. Sya'roni said similar rallies would
\nbe held in Malang, East Java, and Makassar, South Sulawesi, next
\nweek.<\/p>\n
"We want to remind the government that the decision to raise
\nthe utility prices hurts the people; we do not have any
\nintentions of toppling the President and the Vice President,"
\nSya'roni said as quoted by Antara.<\/p>\n
In Jakarta, dozens of students from the Association of
\nIndonesian National Muslim Students protested in front of the
\nMerdeka Palace, demanding that the government renegotiate with
\nthe IMF over the recent utility price hikes.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 1 the government raised telephone and electricity
\nrates and removed the fuel subsidy, as part of its effort to
\nfinance the country's 2003 state budget and reduce its dependence
\non the IMF.<\/p>\n
The decision, however, has been strongly opposed by trade
\nunions, students and non-governmental organizations, who say the
\nsimultaneous increases will only cause the poor more suffering.<\/p>\n
Protests also took place in Banjarmasin in South Kalimantan,
\nMataram in West Nusa Tenggara, and Samarinda in East Kalimantan
\non Saturday.<\/p>\n
Even in conflict-torn Maluku, students from the Indonesian
\nChristian Students Movement (GMKI) and the Association of Muslim
\nStudents (HMI) joined hands to reject the government's decision
\nto raise utility prices.<\/p>\n
HMI activist Nendi said students feared the price increases
\nwould have a serious impact on people still recovering from years
\nof conflict that has left over 5,000 people dead.<\/p>\n
In Palangkaraya, Central Kalimantan, local authorities began
\ndistributing subsidized rice allocated for some 83,000 families
\nin the province. The Jakarta administration began disbursing rice
\non Friday.<\/p>\n
But students vowed to continue protesting until the government
\nmeets their demands.<\/p>\n
"We are ready to stage a bigger protest on Monday because the
\nfuel price hike has left poor fishermen unable to go out in their
\nboats," one protester, Nawawi, was quoted by Antara as saying in
\nMakassar, South Sulawesi, on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Aside from disbursing subsidized rice, the government is also
\npreparing to take the more radical step of arresting protesters
\nwho burn the national flag or effigies of President Megawati
\nSoekarnoputri and Vice President Hamzah Haz.<\/p>\n
Human rights activists have said such measures would violate
\nthe 1945 Constitution, which guarantees the freedom of
\nexpression.<\/p>\n
The protests against the price hikes are the biggest test of
\nMegawati's 18-month presidency. Megawati took over the national
\nleadership in July 2001 after the People's Consultative Assembly
\nremoved president Abdurrahman Wahid for incompetence.<\/p>\n
A lecturer at the University of Indonesia in Jakarta told The
\nJakarta Post on Saturday that the government must realize that
\nthe protests had escalated and could turn into mass rioting, as
\nhappened in January 1974 in what is known as the Malari incident.<\/p>\n
"Maybe what happens now will not be as bad as that, but still
\nthe government should be prepared for any possibility," the
\nscholar said.<\/p>\n
On Jan. 15, 1974, students took to the streets and burned
\nJapanese-made cars to protest foreign domination of the country's
\neconomy.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/rallies-continue-against-utility-price-hikes-1447893297",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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