Recent history's heroes remembered in street plays
Recent history's heroes remembered in street plays
JAKARTA (JP): Heroes of recent history including slain
students were remembered Friday as hundreds of students and
aspiring actors marked National Heroes Day of Nov. 10.
They performed street plays involving bamboo angklung music
instruments, effigies and giant shoes to deliver their expression
of "anti militarism."
They demanded among others abolishment of the dual function
doctrine of the Indonesian Military and its military territorial
structures, and the annulment of the state emergency law.
They also urged military faction members in the legislative
body to be withdrawn. The last session of the People's
Consultative Assembly justified military representation until
2009.
"People must gather to oppose cruelty of militarism," yelled
the protesters, who claimed to be members of the Student League
for Democracy.
League chairman Rheinhardt Sirait said the group wanted to
remind people that they had the same public enemy, the army,
which he said had wrought much damage in the country.
"But we want to convey the issue through a carnival," the
student at the University of Indonesia said, adding this was more
effective.
The rally started at about 2:30 p.m. in front of Atmajaya
University campus on Jl. Sudirman, South Jakarta, and headed for
the Hotel Indonesia roundabout.
The rally involved some 500 members of several theater groups
in Yogyakarta, Solo and Jakarta, namely Taring Padi, Caping and
People Culture Working Network (Jaker).
Jaker's performance at the roundabout showed three people
carrying two effigies representing Golkar and the military. They
were both thrown into a mock up jail made from painted bamboo.
One of the artists, Suroso, said the heroism conveyed
represented those who had died to defend freedom against
oppression.
There were also giant military "shoes" made of paper with
several styrofoam "skulls" underneath.
Flocking onlookers led to a 30-minute congestion. Among them,
student Ian said, "For me, those students who died during the
Semanggi tragedy are heroes".
The clash among students and security officers in November
1998 led to 15 killed.
The student of the Institute of Social and Political Sciences
said heroes were not necessarily political leaders, and cited
slain labor activist Marsinah, UI student Yap Yun Hap, who was
killed during another rally in 1999 and missing poet Widji
Thukul.
In another play, several actors in various hues were "shot"
and "beaten" by four others carrying a "tank" represented by a
green paper covered bier.
The rally then continued to the campus of the University of
Indonesia in Salemba, Central Jakarta. The demonstrators held
orations there and burned the effigies, and dispersed at about
6:30 p.m. (07)