Farmers and scavengers rally to seek government protection
Farmers and scavengers rally to seek government protection
JAKARTA (JP): More than 2,000 farmers and scavengers gathered
at the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta on
Tuesday to demand the government protect their rights.
The farmers, from the Pasundan Farmers Association (SPP) and
claiming to represent 6,000 others, said in a statement the
government must protect their land from business interests.
"The government, especially the Ministry of Home Affairs and
Regional Autonomy, must be held responsible for protecting our
right to use our farmland," SPP coordinator Agustiana said.
He said the farmers, who came from various towns in the new
province of Banten and West Java, including Bandung, Cianjur,
Garut, Tasikmalaya, Ciamis, Sukabumi and Cirebon, arrived in the
capital in a motorcade from Bandung.
Some 3,000 activists from non-governmental organizations in
West Java, Jakarta and Banten supported the rally, Agus said.
The farmers began to gather at the traffic circle in the
afternoon, at almost the same time as activists from the
Indonesian Scavengers Association began to arrive.
Agus denied the farmers held their rally because of any
political interests, as many would be quick to assume given the
heightened tension resulting from bickering among the political
elite.
"We don't care who emerges as president. We merely came here
to ask the government to assure us of its protection of our
rights," Agus told The Jakarta Post.
The scavengers, numbering about 100, mostly came from West
Jakarta. They demanded the central government protect them from
efforts by the city administration to remove them from the
capital.
"We deserve a peaceful life like other city residents," one of
the scavengers, Soman, said.
Both the farmers and the scavengers were united in calling for
a halt to the prolonged conflict between the political elite.
"The conflict between the President and the House of
Representatives has plunged the nation into chaos," Agus said.
Traffic from Jl. Sudirman to the traffic circle was
congested for about two hours as a result of the rally.
The farmers dispersed peacefully just before 4 p.m., leaving
the capital in a motorcade. (01)