Housewives rally at Monas against price hikes

Housewives rally at Monas against price hikes

Housewives (photo above) hit pots and pans during a price hike
protest at the National Monument (Monas) park in Central Jakarta
on Sunday.

About 200 women grouped in the Women with a Conscience
Movement staged the rally on Sunday to protest the increase in
utility and fuel prices.

The protesters, who marched from the Hotel Indonesia traffic
circle to Monas, attracted hundreds of Jakartans who were
exercising in the area.

Businesswoman Dewi Motik, who joined the rally, called on the
government to annul the recent increase in utility charges,
saying the increases were a further burden to the public in this
time of hardship.

"Last week, the government delayed raising phone charges.
Similarly, we pray that the government will do the same with the
increase in fuel prices and electricity rates," said Dewi Motik.

Amid strong and incessant public protests, the government,
through the Ministry of Transportation, announced a delay in the
increase of phone rates following consultation with the House of
Representatives.

The government has also promised to review the increase of
fuel prices and electricity rates.

The Megawati administration has been strongly criticized for
raising the prices of utilities and fuel earlier this month.

The increase was blasted by many as an untimely decision amid
the prolonged recession. The increase was also controversial as
it was hot on the heels of the government's decision to exempt
bad debtors from legal charges if they were willing to return
some of their debts to the state.

The rally ran peacefully with only a few police officers
present to safeguard the rally. -- JP