Govt questions wisdom of recent protests
Govt questions wisdom of recent protests
JAKARTA (JP): Coordinating Minister for Political Affairs and
Security Soesilo Soedarman yesterday questioned the wisdom of
many recent street demonstrations, arguing that the issues they
raised were already being handled by the government.
"Don't people trust the government anymore?" Soesilo asked
when briefing reporters after a meeting to review this month's
political and security situation with other ministers.
He maintained that the demonstrations only aggravated the
issues and had unnecessary consequences.
"Excessive demonstrations can have negative results; none of
us want to see that," he warned, citing disorderliness and
traffic congestion as undesirable effects of such protests.
Among the demonstrations Soesilo was incensed about was the
protest against the military's handling of the student protests
in Ujungpandang, South Sulawesi, which resulted in the deaths of
at least three university students.
Soesilo said the government had responded to these criticisms
and took appropriate action by giving 12 soldiers a court martial
for their actions.
The protest against the Indonesian entry to the Miss Universe
pageant in Las Vegas and the demonstrations across Indonesia
following the escape of convicted embezzler Eddy Tansil were two
other recent protests which Soesilo considered inappropriate.
Any Indonesian participation in beauty contests has been
banned and the government was already doing all it could to
recapture Eddy Tansil, he stated.
"So trust the government; we'll handle everything thoroughly
and conclusively,".
Soesilo said there was no law banning street demonstrations
which are an acceptable form of public expression. But they
should be conducted in an orderly manner, he added.
"If they want to demonstrate, they can go to the House of
Representatives in an orderly fashion; they shouldn't take to the
streets and create a public nuisance," he said.
The government is currently drafting a bill to provide a legal
framework for street demonstrations, he added. (mds)