Democracy and stability

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.