East Kalimantan Student-Citizen Alliance to Stage Protest on 21 April, Donations Fill Volunteer Post

A coalition of students and the public in East Kalimantan (Kaltim) will stage a joint action on 21 April. The planned protest demands urgent eradication of corrupt practices in the provincial government and legislative assembly environment. Logistics donations—particularly packaged drinks—from residents have been pouring into the volunteer post of the East Kalimantan People’s Struggle Alliance. Three demands for the 21 April action Quoting detikKalimantan, the action by the East Kalimantan People’s Struggle Alliance on 21 April will criticise several policies of East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud, consisting of three main demands. First, demanding a comprehensive evaluation (audit) of the provincial government’s budget policies, especially related to the procurement of official vehicles worth Rp 8.5 billion and the planned renovation of the official residence amounting to Rp 25 billion. Second, urging the cessation of Corruption, Collusion, and Nepotism (KKN) practices. Third, the masses are pressing the East Kalimantan DPRD to carry out its oversight function to the maximum and independently. This is because the public is highlighting the position of the current DPRD Chairman, Hasanuddin Mas’ud from the Golkar Faction, who is the blood brother of East Kalimantan Governor Rudy Mas’ud. These three main demands were formulated in a consolidation held on Monday night (13/4). Kamarul Azwan, a student representative from the 17 August University (Untag) in Samarinda, revealed that consolidation continues to unify perceptions. From various discussions, the masses’ demands have now narrowed down to these three main points, regarding the alleged KKN. According to him, Kamarul said, several policies that have recently come under public scrutiny need to be reviewed. This includes allegations of nepotism that should be a concern in government management. “The DPRD should be able to stand independently. Do not let relations influence the oversight function,” stated Kamarul on Tuesday (14/4), quoted from detikKalimantan. “Do not let this family relation affect the council’s professional oversight performance,” he added. On the other hand, he also clarified that the poster reading “oust the governor” circulating widely is not a demand from the student group. According to him, the poster initially came from community elements in the name of the East Kalimantan Community Alliance, which first voiced the desire for action. “That’s not from the student friends. That’s from community elements who moved first,” he said. Logistics assistance Meanwhile, ahead of the action, the public has begun setting up posts and logistics assistance has started flowing. Unlike typical protest actions, this time it is not only echoing in student consolidation spaces but also among various groups. Community involvement is manifesting in the form of assistance, from stacks of mineral water cartons to cash. Currently, there are two main points for logistics reception posts, namely in the Lembuswana area and Jalan S Parman, Samarinda. One of the volunteers from the East Kalimantan People’s Struggle Alliance, Irma Suryani, explained that assistance comes not only from Samarinda residents but also from Balikpapan to Tenggarong. “The forms are varied, from drinks, snacks, packed rice, to cash,” revealed Irma on Wednesday (15/4), quoted from detikKalimantan. Although not yet fully calculated, Irma claimed that donations received through QRIS payment methods alone have reached Rp 20 million and are estimated to total tens of millions of rupiah. According to Irma, the donors are not dominated by the wealthy class but rather flow strongly from the sweat of small communities who also feel restless. Irma said that more than 100 people have contributed in their own ways. “There are scavengers giving Rp 20 thousand, even Rp 5 thousand. Elementary school children also donated Rp 1,000. Housewife traders also help as much as they can, even bringing garden produce like cassava and bananas,” she recounted. These piles of logistics from the public are said to symbolise resistance against policies deemed not pro-people, from the Rp 8.5 billion official vehicle procurement to the Rp 25 billion governor’s residence renovation. As of this report, CNNIndonesia.com has not received an official statement from either the Governor or the East Kalimantan Provincial Government, and the East Kalimantan DPRD, regarding the planned large-scale citizen action on 21 April.