Students seek revocation of Manpower Law
Students seek revocation of Manpower Law
JAKARTA (JP): More than 200 students staged a protest at the
House of Representatives yesterday demanding the revocation of
the Manpower Law following allegations that the legislators
deliberating the document had received bribes.
The University of Indonesia students also demanded that
Minister of Manpower Abdul Latief and the legislators be
investigated.
"The Manpower Law should be revoked because it was made in a
process which ignored ethics and moral norms," student leader
Rama Pratama said.
The group also demanded that the minister return the money he
received from the state-owned workers' insurance company to
service the legislators deliberating the bill between July and
September this year. They said the money belonged to workers.
Dozens of police from the mobile brigade and military police
were on alert inside and outside the House during the
demonstration.
The students opted to read their statement in the House's
lobby after they failed to meet representatives of Golkar and the
Armed Forces factions.
President Soeharto signed the bill into law on Oct. 3, but it
will only become effective on Oct. 1 next year. The law sparked
controversy following reports that Latief had asked the state
social workers' insurance company PT Jamsostek for Rp 7.1 billion
(US$2.15 million) to finance the 1992/1997 House members'
deliberation of the bill.
Latief has admitted using Rp 2.8 billion of Jamsostek funds,
but denied that the money was given to the legislators.
The Jakarta provincial prosecutor office and the State Audit
Agency is currently investigating the case.
The students urged the House to hold a plenary session to hear
Latief's accountability report seven days from yesterday.
The Golkar faction refused to meet the students because they
had not formally requested a meeting prior to their arrival. The
Armed Forces legislators said they would have accepted the
students had they agreed to send only 20 delegates to the hearing
-- a proposal rejected by the students.
Rama said the students, from 13 faculties, planned to return
next week.
"We are not going to rally at the Ministry of Manpower because
we are disappointed with the House legislators. We want a clean
and strong representative body," he said.
Minister/State Secretary Moerdiono tried to assure the public
that the government would seriously handle the alleged misuse of
funds.
"President Soeharto will pay serious attention to the
Jamsostek case, as well as to other state matters," he told
reporters after a hearing with the House Commission II for
political affairs yesterday.
He dismissed speculation that the disclosure of the alleged
misuse of Jamsostek's money was politically motivated.
He said that the Attorney General had not asked for President
Soeharto's permission to question Abdul Latief regarding the use
of the insurance company's money.
"Questioning a cabinet minister for an investigation should be
conducted only upon the President's approval," he said.
Moerdiono insisted that the decision on whether or not to
question the minister, would rest on the Attorney General.
He urged the public to be patient regarding the case.
(amd/09/imn)