To demonstrate is a fundamental right: Seminar<\/p>\n
JAKARTA (JP): The right of the public and students to take to
\nthe streets and demonstrate for various causes is a fundamental
\nright guaranteed by the Constitution, a seminar concluded.<\/p>\n
Political observers and activists attending a seminar
\nyesterday on the legal aspects of a demonstration lashed out at
\nthe authorities and their customary strong-arm approach to
\nstudent and public protests, saying that it amounts to violation
\nof human rights.<\/p>\n
The observers also questioned the government's plan to issue a
\ndecree mandating that demonstrators request official permission
\nbefore they take to the street.<\/p>\n
\"The plan represents a setback to our political life,\"
\npolitical scientist Afan Gaffar said to the loud applause from
\naround 100 participants, mostly students from various
\nuniversities.<\/p>\n
Afan, criminologist Mulyana W. Kusumah, former student
\nactivist Eky Syachrudin and legislator Sri Bintang Pamungkas
\ncalled on the government not to impose the restrictions.<\/p>\n
\"(Staging) a demonstration is a public means of political
\nparticipation in a democratic country,\" said Afan, a staff-
\nlecturer at the Yogyakarta-based University of Gadjah Mada. \"It
\nis part of our human rights, in this case, the right to freedom
\nof expression.\"<\/p>\n
\"People demonstrate because they feel that the conventional
\nmechanism is no longer effective in giving voice to their
\naspirations, and because they hope the government will translate
\ntheir aspirations into policies,\" he said.<\/p>\n
One of the failed \"conventional mechanisms\", Afan said, is the
\nHouse of Representatives, which no longer has the trust of
\nstudents and activists of non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
\nto handle their grievances.<\/p>\n
Afan said he agreed that demonstrations should be regulated to
\nthe extent that, \"people know what they may and may not do\", but
\nnot to the point of forcing people seek permission to
\ndemonstrate.<\/p>\n
\"Institutions authorized to issue permission to demonstrate
\nare not needed because of the people's poor education and
\nawareness about such legal procedures,\" he said.<\/p>\n
\"Do people have to seek permission to demonstrate when their
\nland is arbitrarily appropriated, or their houses demolished even
\nwhen legal procedures are not duly fulfilled?\" Afan said.<\/p>\n
Outspoken Bintang Pamungkas lashed out at the government's
\nhandling of student protests. In his opinion, the government's
\napproach was a product of its fear that the \"people's power\",
\nwhich had brought the current administration into being in 1966,
\nwould now rise against it.<\/p>\n
\"This New Order government was born out of student and youth
\ndemonstrations against the (then) administration which they
\nconsidered authoritarian,\" he said. Now, the current
\nadministration is \"traumatized\" and afraid that history will
\nrepeat itself, he said.<\/p>\n
\"The government is allergic to various demonstrations,\" he
\nsaid, adding that this attitude was the reason behind the arrest
\nof many students and youths.<\/p>\n
The government \"bans demonstrations on the grounds that they
\nmay cause instability, may be destructive, and that they could be
\ninfiltrated by communist elements,\" Bintang said.<\/p>\n
Eky Syachrudin was in agreement with Afan, saying that for
\nmany of the protesters, taking to the streets is a \"forced
\noption, which they would not take if everything was well\".<\/p>\n
He said the only things that can decrease the occurrences of
\nstreet protests are \"more openness and discussion\" between
\nvarious layers of society.<\/p>\n
Mulyana Kusumah pointed out that the number of labor strikes
\nin the last seven years has been increasing. He said the trend
\nproves that people are developing their own way of articulating
\ntheir grievances because they are dissatisfied with the
\n\"inadequate functions of the existing political institutions\".<\/p>\n
The three-day seminar is being held by the Nasional University
\n(Unas) whose students are frequently involved in protests for
\nvarious causes.<\/p>\n
Representatives of student bodies from 12 universities in Java
\nare participating in the seminar which was opened by Soetoyo
\nN.K., Director General for Social Political Affairs of the
\nMinistry of Home Affairs.<\/p>\n
Soetoyo, who stood in the place of Minister Moch. Yogie S. M.,
\nsaid that there have been many demonstrations held in various
\nparts of Indonesia recently. These events either took the form of
\nstrikes or distribution of leaflets, accompanied by violence,
\nwhich in turn led to chaos, disorder and even death.\"<\/p>\n
He reminded the participants that demonstrations are normal
\nand may take place in any society regardless of its political
\nsystem.<\/p>\n
In order to prevent the negative impact of those
\ndemonstrations, \"it is time for the establishment of regulations
\non holding demonstrations\", he said.<\/p>\n
He listed off a number of obligations that protesters have,
\nincluding \"adhering to the existing laws and regulations\" and
\n\"respecting other people's property\".(swe)<\/p>",
"url": "https:\/\/jawawa.id\/newsitem\/to-demonstrate-is-a-fundamental-right-seminar-1447893297",
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