People urged to voice their demands

Hera Diani, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

With corruption and poverty so widespread, many Indonesians have become apathetic, unable to believe that they have the power to bring about change.

But people power does still work. Controversial Kampar regent Jefri Noer was dismissed last year after relentless protests by teachers and students in Riau regency.

In Bengkulu province during last year's elections, farmers and fishermen got together and said they would not vote for any candidate who did not sign a political pact promising to improve the welfare of the people.

A panel at an antipoverty conference on Tuesday concluded that the situation could improve if more people stood up and demanded change.

Antipoverty activist Rizal Malik said that regulations aimed at securing people's rights meant nothing because the government and the law enforcers were still corrupt.

"The regulations will not work if people do not demand that they work. If people do not voice their demands, there will not be any response (from the government)," Rizal told participants, most from the lowest economic brackets.

People must fight for their rights, he added, because the situation will not change if people remain silent.

"People need to form a political forum, define the problems and come up with some strategies. Do not use your political rights only during elections. We have to remind public officials about our rights," Rizal said.

Demanding change does not necessarily mean staging demonstrations, but can be accomplished through forums, he said.

"Develop solidarity and cooperation, create networks and take action in a more organized manner," Rizal said.

Activist Teten Masduki from Indonesian Corruption Watch said corruption occurred not only because of corrupt law enforcers, but because of a helpless and compliant society.

"People have no voice, their interests are not represented, despite the House of Representatives. Poor people have to be involved, to demand their involvement, in creating budgets and formulating regulations," Teten said.

He said 99 percent of the cases being handled by the Attorney General's Office were the result of pressure from people.

"So we do have the power to push. Look at the case in Kampar. We actually have choices," Teten said.

Some of the conference participants, however, doubted that people power could solve every problem. A man from Kedung Ombo, East Java, said that 20 years had passed since residents were evicted from their land by the government, but the case had yet to be settled.

Mutirah, an elderly woman from Sidoarjo, East Java, said she brought the case of fellow villagers whose land had been confiscated by military officers to the president, but to no avail.

"I bribed officials, but failed. What else should we do? Should we just wait for help from God?" she asked.

Acknowledging the difficulties, Teten said the cost of change was expensive and there was no quick way. But it is possible.

"Don't rely on help from God or Ratu Adil (queen of justice)," he said.

Rizal said the time line could be long or short, it had to do with good organizational skills.

"It has to be done collectively. That was what happened in Kampar and Bengkulu, and that was why it succeeded. Besides, the situation is better now than during the New Order when people were killed for demanding their rights," he said.

He drew an example from Brazil, whose current president Luiz Inacio da Silva was once a labor activist with little formal education.

"It took that country 25 years to get a leader who understands the perspective of the poor. There is no shortcut to democracy," Rizal said.