Cow dung served as MPR breakfast

Dozens of students from several universities in Greater Jakarta sent a bag of cow's feces to members of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) staying at Hotel Mulia Senayan in Central Jakarta to protest the legislators' poor performance during the Annual Session.

"We have been disappointed to see that ever since the first day of the session, there have been clandestine attempts (from some of MPR's members) to scrap the amendments of the Constitution," said Rico Marbun, chairman of the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Body (BEM).

Previously, students grouped in the BEM wanted to meet with the MPR members to lodge their complaints.

However, none of the members, who were having their breakfast, were willing to meet the students, Rico said.

"That's why we put the package of cow's feces we brought from Bogor in front of their hotel to symbolize that their behavior during the session is like 'cow traders'," said Rico.

The term politik dagang sapi (cow trading politics), similar to 'horse trading' politics, is used to describe the common practice of behind-the-scenes bargaining and lobbying conducted by the legislators to achieve their political ends.

Rico said that if the members failed to deliver good performances during the session, the students would come again but with a greater number of demonstrators.

Besides BEM's rally, dozens of other student grouped in the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front and the Student League for Democracy also staged demonstrations in front of the MPR compound. --JP