Democracy and stability

The recent wave of street demonstrations in Jakarta and a number of other big cities across the country has caused the government such concern that Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and Security Soesilo Soedarman was prompted to call on everyone to exercise restraint last week.

Demonstrations, while they are recognized as a form of popular expression, have the potential to undermine peace and order. With the country now gearing up for the general election, stability is, in the eyes of the government, important to ensure that people can exercise their democratic rights in a peaceful atmosphere.

Recently, some protests have turned violent. In Ujungpandang towards the end of last month, a student protest against planned hikes in the city's public transportation fares turned into a clash between students and soldiers, leaving three people dead. Tension ran high for at least a week before it subsided.

As we wait for the outcome of the investigation of what sparked the riots in the South Sulawesi capital, other protests that have taken place in recent weeks -- including those by students expressing solidarity with their colleagues in Ujungpandang and by workers pressing for higher wages -- should be noted with concern. This is because demonstrations have the potential to erupt into riots which cost human life. In fact, over the past several years, we have seen the tendency for protesters to clash with security forces. The incidents in Jayapura, Medan, Dili and Madura are just a few examples.

Demonstrations are bound to be more frequent as people become more assertive in pressing for their rights. Increasing numbers of people are taking to the streets as the government allows greater political openness. We have seen students and workers marching to the House of Representatives, and now we are seeing political groups doing the same. And with the election coming up, there are bound to be more protests and counter protests.

It is noteworthy that, as forms of public expression, demonstrations and general elections are crucial elements in our democracy.

Is there a contradiction here? Not necessarily. Neither should there be any trade off between democracy and the need to maintain stability.

Demonstrations don't have to turn ugly. They can be peaceful and orderly, as most protests have been. But the odd few that have turned rowdy have alarmed and alerted us to the potential of any demonstration, no matter how small it is, to turn into a riot. The onus of ensuring orderliness should fall on both the demonstrators and the security forces.

Sadly, Indonesia does not yet have legislation regulating street demonstrations. Such laws would guarantee the people's rights in expressing their opinions and would state their obligations, while outlining the duty of the authorities to protect those rights and maintain peace and order at the same time. The police, and the military, upon whose shoulders fall the task of maintaining peace and order, need a more solid legal reference in discharging this task. How often have the military clampdowns on protesters opened the security forces to accusations of human rights violations?

When the government issued a new, more relaxed, regulation on public gatherings last December, it promised to draft a bill on demonstrations. We have not heard anything since then. We hope the recent wave of street protests, and the tendency for them to become violent, will motivate the drafters to complete their work quickly and submit the bill to the House of Representatives.

The legislation on demonstrations cannot wait until after the coming election. Popular forms of expression should be guaranteed by law in order to ensure peaceful polling.