Demos not an ordinary hassle

I refer to Ms. Adinda Simanjuntak's letter "On demonstrating" on Jan. 12 in response to Mr. Seagrove's letter "Do we have to have demonstrations?" of Jan. 9.

This is a typical emotional response and a lack of concept which results in the ineffectiveness of street demonstrations. These students accuse the current government of lying yet they reject the upcoming general election. Moreover, it seems that their demands change daily.

So, what is it that these students want? Sure, we all want change but please understand it is definitely not going to happen overnight. Therefore, please give the benefit of the doubt and let the election take place smoothly.

Secondly, it is obvious that Ms. Simanjuntak never read articles in various publications with regard to complaints about street demonstrations voiced by "common people". There are some small street vendors whose trading area is within or adjacent to the location of street demos, who complain that their income has drastically decreased. Moving their trading area is not easy because in their present location they already have a pool of regular customers; a new site means they have to start from scratch in building up their customer base.

Numerous taxi drivers have commented that these street activities have done nothing but slice their daily intake by more than half. Perhaps, the best input was a letter written by a laid-off laborer. He stated that these students claim that they struggle on behalf of all people; however, he who is also a part of the people, does not feel that his needs have been represented by these students. He further stated that the demos only make his attempts to look for work more difficult.

So, Ms. Simanjuntak, the issue is not merely about missing appointments, late rendezvous, or whatever.

DEWANTO

Jakarta