Students call for mass strike against Gus Dur<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): Some 1,000 activists grouped in the University
\nof Indonesia Student Executive Body (BEM-UI) began a campaign on
\nFriday for a general strike on Monday to put pressure on
\nPresident Abdurrahman Wahid, also known as Gus Dur, to resign.<\/p>\n
In their motorcade from the UI campus in Depok, West Java to
\nthe university's old campus in Salemba, Central Jakarta, the
\nstudents distributed leaflets urging students from other
\nuniversities, school students, lecturers, teachers,
\nprofessionals, ulemas, workers, farmers, drivers, parents,
\npolitical observers, public figures and non-governmental
\norganization activists to join the strike.<\/p>\n
BEM-UI chairman Taufik Riyadi said the citywide campaign would
\nlast until Monday, with a huge rally against the fuel price hike
\nin front of Merdeka Palace capping the three-day move.<\/p>\n
\"We have seen Gus Dur's government plunging to its lowest ebb
\nin terms of effectiveness. That's why we are inviting all
\nelements in society to join hands in demanding that President
\nAbdurrahman Wahid resign.\" Taufik said on Friday.<\/p>\n
He said the student movement would remain a moral force and
\neschew pursuing political interests.<\/p>\n
\"We don't care who the next president is since we will always
\nposition ourselves in opposition to the government,\" he asserted.<\/p>\n
He said that even if Vice President Megawati Soekarnoputri
\ntook over, the BEM-UI would remain critical for the sake of
\nreform.<\/p>\n
\"A transfer of power does not necessarily guarantee that
\nreform will be upheld,\" he said.<\/p>\n
He further asserted that the BEM-UI had yet to identify the
\nright figure to replace Gus Dur as most politicians were prone to
\nlying.<\/p>\n
If the plan goes as expected, some public figures will join
\nthousands of students in Monday's rally and strike. Taufik did
\nnot identify the figures.<\/p>\n
The protesters, Taufik said, would march to the House of
\nRepresentatives after the demonstration in front of the palace.<\/p>\n
Taufik said, however, that he would reconsider the plan if the
\npeople gave the students a cold shoulder.<\/p>\n
Responses<\/p>\n
Noted labor activist Muchtar Pakpahan told the Jakarta Post
\nthat he opposed the planned strike and had asked workers to shun
\nthe students' call.<\/p>\n
\"A strike will only cause industry to crumble and it is the
\nworkers who will suffer,\" Muchtar, chairman of the Indonesian
\nProsperous Labor Union, asserted.<\/p>\n
He said Gus Dur did not deserve the blame and his ouster would
\nnot solve the crisis facing the nation.<\/p>\n
\"It is the MPR who should be held responsible. What is wrong
\nis the presidential election process employed by the MPR,\" he
\nsaid, referring to the 700-member People's Consultative Assembly.<\/p>\n
Muchtar suggested that the country bring forward the general
\nelection in order to resolve the protracted crisis.<\/p>\n
Separately, deputy chairman of the Indonesian Ulemas Council
\nAmidhan said he could accept the strike as long as it was aimed
\nat saving the nation.<\/p>\n
He said the bloodshed in Sampit and Palangkaraya in Central
\nKalimantan was another sign of the serious disease the nation was
\nsuffering from that urgently needed a remedy.<\/p>\n
\"I still believe the students represent the interests of the
\npeople,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Acting governor Djailani said on Friday that the city
\nadministration had made preparations for the planned strike.<\/p>\n
\"We have consulted with the City Land Transportation Agency
\n(DLLAJ) and security authorities in order to prepare for the
\nstrike,\" Djailani, who is also Deputy Governor for Social Welfare
\nAffairs, told reporters.<\/p>\n
He called on all city administration employees to work on
\nMonday as extra buses, including some supplied by the military,
\nhad been prepared in case public transportation drivers joined
\nthe strike.<\/p>\n
He also asked the Ministry of National Education's Jakarta
\noffice to call on junior and senior high school students to
\nattend school as normal.<\/p>\n
DLLAJ head Buyung Atang also called on bus operators to
\noperate on Monday, although he failed to announce any measures to
\nbe taken against those who participated in the strike.<\/p>\n
\"It's only a moral sanction. The strike is pointless as it
\nwill only cause problems for the ordinary man in the street,\"
\nBuyung said.<\/p>\n
He claimed that the owner of the Mayasari bus company, Mahfud,
\nhad pledged to keep his 750 buses operating next week. Other bus
\noperators, such as state-run bus firm PPD, had also followed
\nsuit.<\/p>\n
He said that police officers would be deployed at bus stations
\nto prevent students from obstructing buses.<\/p>\n
There are currently some 2,000 buses operating on the city's
\nstreets. (01\/jun)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/students-call-for-mass-strike-against-gus-dur-1447893297",
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