Susilo 'betrays election promises'<\/p>\n
The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
Thousands of students, workers, activists and farmers took to the
\nstreets across the country on Thursday to protest the plan to
\nraise fuel prices by up to 80 percent, while motorists queued up
\nat gas stations before the new prices take effect.<\/p>\n
Carrying banners denouncing the fuel price hike, thousands of
\nprotesters from several student and worker organizations marched
\nfrom the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to the
\nfront gate of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara.<\/p>\n
\"The plan to raise fuel prices shows that Susilo Bambang
\nYudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla do not side with the people as they
\npromised before they were elected,\" said Achmad of the Alliance
\nof People's Demand (ARM), which claimed to field some 1,000
\nworkers.<\/p>\n
ARM arrived at the Presidential Palace at around 12 noon and
\nwere later joined by thousands of members of the Indonesian Youth
\nAssociation, the Students Alliance, Youth for Reform and several
\nother worker's groups.<\/p>\n
Around 100 people wearing Indonesian Democratic Party of
\nStruggle (PDI-P) attributes also joined the rally, which
\nproceeded peacefully.<\/p>\n
Nevertheless, 5,000 police officers were in attendance at the
\nprotest. They also isolated the protesters by closing several
\naccesses into and out of the Presidential Palace, causing traffic
\ncongestion along Jl. Veteran and Jl. Pecenongan in Central
\nJakarta.<\/p>\n
\"We have pulled our officers in Semanggi and the House of
\nRepresentatives to three points along Jl. Sudirman and Jl.
\nThamrin as protesters concentrate along that line,\" City police
\nChief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said.<\/p>\n
At 2:30 p.m., the protesters began to leave the Presidential
\nPalace and by around 3 p.m. the situation had returned to normal.<\/p>\n
Traffic jams, however, were spotted around gasoline stations
\nacross the city as motorists raced against time to fill their
\ntanks before the government announced the price hike.<\/p>\n
Lines of vehicles up to a kilometer in length formed at fuel
\nstations in Kramat, Pejompongan and Senen in Central Jakarta, Jl.
\nLap. Ros in South Jakarta, triggering traffic jams in those
\nareas.<\/p>\n
A gas station in Senen and another in Petamburan closed their
\npremises on Thursday, putting up notices saying they had run out
\nof Premium fuel.<\/p>\n
Police said they were investigating whether the gas stations
\ndeliberately closed their pumps in order to stockpile fuel for
\nhigher profits after the price increases were announced.<\/p>\n
Anti-price hike protests and long queues at gasoline stations
\nalso took place in Surabaya, East Java, Medan in North Sumatra
\nand Makassar in South Sulawesi.<\/p>\n
Despite the protests, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said
\non Thursday that fuel prices would rise on Oct. 1 as any delay
\nwould cause the state to suffer an additional burden of Rp 11.67
\ntrillion (US$1.13 billion) every month.<\/p>\n
The amount, he was quoted as saying by presidential spokesman
\nAndi Alfian Malarangeng, was equal to the cost needed to build
\nsome 1,000 new school buildings and provide free medication at
\nthird-class wards in state hospitals.<\/p>\n
\"President Susilo has said that there is no going back for
\nthis plan. Despite the widespread protests, the government has no
\nother choice than to cut the fuel subsidy by raising fuel
\nprices,\" he said.<\/p>\n
Andi also said that there were indications that the protests
\nwere backed up by certain political parties out to overthrow the
\ncurrent government.<\/p>\n
\"Politicians should be fair and act like statesmen. The
\nprotests are obvious and we are allowing them. But, there are
\nseveral politicians who want to take advantage of the situation
\nfor their personal gain,\" he said.<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/susilo-betrays-election-promises-1447893297",
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