Provinces have no say

MAKASSAR, South Sulawesi: The South Sulawesi province, like other provinces in the country, has no bargaining power to press the central government to cancel its plan to raise fuel prices and electricity rates, a legislature said here on Friday.

Amin Syam, speaker of the South Sulawesi legislative council, said, in response to students' demands, that what provincial legislatures could do was just convey the people's aspirations to the head of state, the House of Representatives (DPR) and the Ministry of Mining and Energy.

"That's the most we could do," he said to reporters.

Hundreds of students representing some 20,000 students of the Indonesian Muslim University in Makassar protested the government's plan to hike fuel prices and electricity rates by blocking the roads. They demanded that the provincial legislative council make an official recommendation to reject the plan.

The House agreed on Friday to an average 30 percent increase in fuel prices, while the hike in electricity rates is still being discussed.

The students, who on Thursday vowed to continue to block the roads until the central government cancels its plans, did not keep their word following strong protests from the public. (27/sur)