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)