Protests against fuel price hike continue

JAKARTA (JP): Student protests against the fuel hike continued on Monday with demonstrations in several cities turning violent.

In Jakarta, some 300 university students from different groups rallied in front of the Presidential Palace to hold a joint protest on the fuel price increase and demands for Soeharto to be brought to court.

The protesters came from the student union of the University of Jayabaya (Kober), the Student League for Democracy (LMND), the Front for Anti-New Order Regime (Frarob) and student union of the University of Indonesia (BEM UI).

No clashes were reported.

Noted activist Budiman Sudjatmiko, chairman of the People's Democratic Party (PRD), who joined the rally with Frarob, said the government is neglecting the social impact by not establishing a mechanism to ensure market prices of staple goods do not rise as a result.

Meanwhile in Makassar, South Sulawesi, protests against the fuel price hike turned violent with clashes erupting between students and policemen.

At least three vehicles, belonging to the provincial administration, were either burned or wrecked.

The protest, attended by hundreds of students was joined by many public transport drivers.

They demanded a review of the fuel policy. Efforts by police to hold negotiations were turned down by demonstrators.

Four students and two policemen were injured in the fighting.

"We are still listing the number of injured," Usnullah Pangeran, a students' spokesman said.

The street demonstration practically crippled the city as public transport drivers also joined, leaving thousands of passengers stranded for much of the day.

In the North Sumatra provincial capital of Medan, around 300 students of the Indonesian Maritime Academy staged a protest, marching to the state-owned television (TVRI) office to demand that their protests be aired.

News editor Najib told the students that TVRI would cover their protest including their demands. The rally ended when the demonstrators returned to their campus on Jl. Pertempuran, Medan.

The fuel price hike also ignited the ire of teachers in Semarang, Central Java on Monday when at least 150 teachers rallied at City Hall. They demanded that Mayor Sukawi Sutari work harder for the increase in teachers' salaries.

In Denpasar, Bali, students of the state Udayana University, demanded the government seize the wealth and (illegal) assets of former president Soeharto and his cronies. "The confiscated wealth and assets should then be used to pay the oil and education subsidies.

In Yogyakarta a group of students held a peaceful protest over the same issue.

The protesters grouped in the Action of Indonesian Muslims Students Association (KAMMI) demanded that the government withdraw the policy.

The students wheeled their motorcycles -- with the engines turned off -- in their march from Kentungan Northern to the Gedung Agung building on Jl. Ahmad Yani where they held orations.

Student leader, Purwoko Kurniawan, said that the fuel price hike reflected the government's insensitivity towards the poor.

"Whatever the government's argument is, the victims are always the poor," he shouted.

Reasonable

Meanwhile, economist Didik J. Rachbini said the government's decision to raise fuel prices was "reasonable" from an economic point of view as it aimed at "re-allocating the government's subsidy for the correct purposes".

Didik said that ceasing fuel subsidies would boost the government's capacity to promote the welfare of the poor.

He noted that the fuel subsidy was mostly enjoyed by the rich, who have cars and travel a lot.

He said the increases in fuel price was actually moderate and prices for fuel in Indonesia were still among the lowest in the world.

In his analysis, Indonesians are split into two groups in relation to their response to the fuel price increase.

One group, Didik said, is the so-called "extreme populist" group, which will do anything to pressure the government to cancel the fuel price increase.

Another group regards the fuel price increase as necessary to rectify the use of the government subsidy.

"These two groups are now fighting against each other. Let's see which one wins. The government won't be able to do anything but to withdraw the policy, if all protest the fuel price increase".

"But, if the extreme populist group wins, we'll probably end up saying to ourselves 'Let's all jump into the same boat, and finally sink in bankruptcy together,'" Didik remarked.

Economist Umar Juoro warned the government not to bow to the public pressure to revoke the fuel price increase.(team)