Executives urge people to stop paying taxes

JAKARTA (JP): Dozens of white-collar workers staged a protest on Thursday against the government, which they said had given scant attention to people's interests, and urged people to temporarily stop paying their taxes.

Groups of young executives from the Professional Society for Democracy, Jakarta's Scholars Movement, Saturday Afternoon Movement (Gersang) and Professionals Solidarity for Reformation marched from Sarinah department store on Jl. Thamrin, Central Jakarta, to the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle.

Gede S. Yusuf of Gersang said they had three demands to address to the President B.J. Habibie and fellow executives.

"We refuse to pay taxes to B.J. Habibie's government as long as it still can't address the interests of people," he read one of the demands.

They also called on the President and his Cabinet to resign for failing to serve the people and urged other executives to stop paying their taxes until justice and transparency were created.

The one-hour protest, which caused heavy congestion, drew attention from motorists and pedestrians. Brochures reading "No clean government, no taxes" were handed out.

The demonstrators, mostly males wearing ties, walked along the busy street singing patriotic songs and carrying cellular phones, under the watchful eyes of traffic police and soldiers.

They also criticized the Indonesian military, which has been accused of doing little to stop riots in Jakarta in May.

"We pay for your uniform, where were you in the middle of May?" one banner read. (emf)