3,000 students stage demonstration at House

JAKARTA (JP): More than 3,000 students in the Greater Jakarta Students Forum (Forum Kota) held a peaceful demonstration outside the House of Representatives compound yesterday, demanding the establishment of an Indonesian People's Committee to run a transitional government.

Soldiers prevented the students from entering the compound which forced the protesters to air their demands outside. This created a massive traffic jam on the busy Gatot Subroto highway.

The students, who came from several universities and institutes in Greater Jakarta, were undeterred as they waved banners and held a free-speech forum outside the compound gates. They also demanded lower prices of basic commodities.

They warned that choking prices could drive people to anarchy.

"Lower prices are not an unrealistic demand but also a moral obligation for the government," Irese, the spokesman of the forum told journalists.

She said many, especially poor laid-off workers, were facing starvation.

One of the principal demands of the students yesterday was the establishment of an Indonesian People's Committee to run the country in order to restore confidence.

"The establishment of the committee is aimed at creating a credible and widely accepted transitional government and its main task is to help defuse the national crisis and to carry out a general election as soon as possible to elect a new and permanent government," said Irese.

Abdullah, another demonstrator, said that the student community would cooperate with other competent institutions to seek credible people to form the committee.

"(But) ABRI will have an opportunity to sit on the committee," he said.

After nearly two hours of banner-waving and speeches in front of the compound in South Jakarta, the students departed on a convoy of 45 cars and buses circling the city.

Three hours later, after a ride which took them from one end of the city to the other, they dispersed in Kemayoran, Central Jakarta.

March

Meanwhile, around 50 students, who called themselves Students Solidarity for People's Sovereignty (SMKR) held a long march in Yogyakarta to express their deep concern over the worsening political and economic situation.

Carrying banners and flags, the students screamed anti- Soeharto slogans and blamed the former president and his corrupt government for the dire state of the nation.

"The present situation had many things to do with former president Soeharto's corrupt government and, even, Habibie's government is unable to defuse the crisis while more people are facing starvation," said one demonstrator.

The demonstrators ended their long march, which took them across the city, at the Yogyakarta provincial council building where they held a free-speech forum.

Their demands to meet legislators failed as none were there to receive them.

Imam, a rally organizer, expressed regret that political developments following the reform movement have led to greater division and friction among existing social groups in society.

"The political elites have become trapped in the establishment of new political parties and ignored the worsening conditions," he said.

SMKR coordinator Sumarto urged all the people's representatives in the House and provincial councils in all provinces to step down if they were unable to solve the nation's problems.

"What have the people's representatives done to make prices lower. The state institutions should be dismissed if they do nothing to calm the situation," he said. (rms/ivy/23/44)