Students, lecturers take to the streets across the nation
Students, lecturers take to the streets across the nation
JAKARTA (JP): The number of students protesting skyrocketing
prices and demanding political and economic reforms swelled
yesterday as more university students and lecturers joined
demonstrations across the country.
No serious clashes between protesters and security personnel
were recorded.
A small incident, however, took place on Jl. A. Yani in the
East Java capital of Surabaya when antiriot police blocked the
path of 1,000 Sunan Ampel Islamic Institute students wishing to
disperse after staging a peaceful rally at their campus.
Police apparently thought the students were going to march on
the street.
A few incensed students threw stones at the security
personnel, inciting some officers to attack groups of students.
The institute's chairman of the student senate, Baidowi,
quickly cleared up the misunderstanding, ending the short clash.
During the protest at the campus earlier in the day, Baidowi
told the crowd: "We'll continue to stage these rallies (started
Wednesday) until March 11 to express our concerns."
He was referring to the closing date of the ongoing General
Session of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) in Jakarta.
Like similar protests at other universities held across the
country over the past two weeks, the rally was strongly supported
by the school's deans and lecturers.
About 2,000 students from the Airlangga University (Unair) and
Dr. Soetomo University (Unitomo) in Surabaya also rallied at
their campus grounds yesterday morning.
Unair rector Soedarto told hundreds of demonstrating students
that he would take full responsibility over student protests.
"I've told the security apparatus that this demonstration is
my full responsibility, and that there's no need for them to
interfere," he told the crowd.
Unitomo rector Pontjo Marjadah, accompanied by his staff, led
his students' rally yesterday.
Over the past two weeks, students at several universities
across the country have rallied on their campus grounds, all
calling for lower prices of basic food essentials and accelerated
political reforms.
Authorities have banned public gatherings during the MPR's 11-
day General Session underway here in Jakarta, but have been
tolerant of student protests as long as they have remained on
university grounds.
So far, student rallies have taken place in several towns in
Java, North Sumatra and South Sulawesi. Seven Unair students have
even gone on hunger strikes over the past three days.
Yesterday, over 2,000 students of state-run Andalas University
in Padang, West Sumatra, rallied at their campus.
They called the economic crisis "a catastrophe" and said the
government was responsible for the situation.
In Semarang, Central Java, hundreds of Diponegoro University
students handed out thousands of packages containing rice, sugar,
milk and cooking oil to needy local people yesterday.
Students of the Bandung Institute of Technology (ITB) in
Bandung also handed out commodities yesterday.
While being entertained by musician Harry Roesly, hundreds of
Bandung Islamic University (Unisba) and Pasundan University
(Unpas) students staged a free speech forum at the latter's
campus where they called for reforms.
In Salatiga, Central Java, hundreds of Satya Wacana Christian
University students rallied at their campus.
In Jakarta, more than 200 University of Indonesia (UI)
students held a discussion on the crisis yesterday.
Earlier, the university students joined with scores of fellow
students from two Bandung-based universities, Padjajaran
University and the Indonesian Technology Institute, to stage a
free speech forum at the UI campus where they urged the
government to implement reforms.
Dozens of Institute of Social and Political Science (IISIP)
students also staged a two-hour free speech forum here, strongly
criticizing the country's leaders and demanding political reform.
Some 10,000 students and lecturers from Gadjah Mada University
in Yogyakarta, and about 600 students at Soedirman University in
Purwokerto, Central Java, also staged similar demonstrations.
In Bali, dozens of Udayana University students staged a
demonstration in front of the local council's office in Denpasar.
They called for political reforms and handed out hundreds of
packages of basic foodstuffs to local people.
Commenting on the series of rallies across the country, social
observer Hotman Siahaan of Unair said: "It is the echo of
society."
"If the country's intellectuals are silent, the hegemony in
this country will be complete. Their aspirations should serve as
the much-needed flame of truth in this age of darkness," he said.
The continuous student protests have sent a loud and clear
message concerning the nation's "moral concerns" over the
deepening economic crisis, he said.
He said, however, that street protests were no longer
necessary.
"The message of the protests have clearly been sent, with
calls for political reform and lower prices of basic essentials,
which Senayan seemingly has failed to address," he said,
referring to the MPR's General Session.
(09/45/43/nur/har/emf/23/26/aan/bsr)