Executives urge people to stop paying taxes

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)