Do we have to have demonstrations?

This is the month of Ramadhan, a month of peace and goodwill. Students everywhere have chosen to hold demonstrations during this period.

Surely then, the government should have seized the initiative and opportunity to call for a meeting with leaders of student groups and associations to talk over the aims and aspirations of such people. On TV, radio and in the press, we hear or read what the president or ministers want to do or are doing. Similarly we hear or read student leaders' points of view, but these are apt to be haphazard, and fragmented.

Students have had months to form a Committee to put forward their common aims, but there does not seem to be such a body. There were attempts by various student protesters to hand in petitions to the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR), but they were not very successful.

Equally so, Factions of the House of Representatives (DPR), which are there in part to put forward new ideas and generally advise the government, could also have called for representatives from the students to come and meet them, and discuss things.

At the moment, the students seem generally to think the government is doing little or nothing, and the government seems to think that students are nothing more than trouble makers. Perhaps there is some truth on both sides, but a meeting of sensible people from both camps (to include the Armed Forces) could only help, so long as all do not put forward their ideas parrot-fashion and then refuse to take part in a debate thereafter. Nobody should be vitriolic; everybody should be flexible.

There is still time to get such a meeting under way before the Idul Fitri holiday. Anything would be better than the demonstrations which do little good, and which stop Jakarta's ordinary citizens going about their normal business. They also cause fear, because of the number of non-students getting involved who deliberately try to cause disruption.

Such a meeting, or meetings could do no harm, but in fact could do real good.

DEREK C. SEAGROVE

Jakarta