Hasto: Grassroots Strength Cannot Be Uprooted by Power

Jakarta (ANTARA) - PDI Perjuangan Secretary-General Hasto Kristiyanto stated that grassroots power can never be uprooted by authority during the 30th anniversary commemoration of the Kudatuli incident in Jakarta on Sunday. Hasto said the people’s strength, like grass roots, will endure despite facing pressure from those in power. “Grass can be cut down. Grass can be trampled, can be burned until the ground is black, but its roots remain in the earth. And once the rain falls, it grows back, thicker than before. That is what those who raided the PDI office never understood,” he said while delivering a national address at the DPP PDIP Building in Central Jakarta. The 30th anniversary of the Kudatuli incident also featured a theatrical performance depicting the 27 July 1996 raid on the DPP PDI office by the Soerjadi faction of PDI, backed by the New Order regime, against supporters of Megawati Soekarnoputri. Following the performance, the event continued with a national ruwatan procession led by the indigenous community of Kasepuhan Cisungsang, Banten Kidul. The procession concluded with a traditional Ngarengkong art performance presented by the indigenous community of Kasepuhan Cilebang. At the event’s peak, artist Butet Kartaredjasa recited a poem titled “Melawan dan Berjuang” (Resist and Struggle).