Students stage massive protest in several cities
Students stage massive protest in several cities
JAKARTA (JP): With the General Session of the People's
Consultative Assembly only three days away, students across Java
staged demonstrations yesterday to press their demands for lower
prices and political reform.
Major peaceful demonstrations were staged in Jakarta,
Yogyakarta, Purwokerto and Kudus. Students massed on their
campuses and no clashes with security personnel were reported.
In Jakarta, more than 3,000 students staged a noisy protest at
the sprawling University of Indonesia campus in Depok, just south
of here. The rally was the third such gathering in the past two
weeks.
"Reforms, reforms," the crowd chanted as students and alumni
took turns climbing on top of a white pickup to address the
crowd.
The protest began with only 200 students in the late morning.
Three hours later, with their ranks swelled, they finally
gathered on the field in front of the School of Social and
Political Sciences.
The protesters carried banners demanding lower prices and an
end to corrupt, collusive and manipulative practices. They also
demanded that supreme national sovereignty be given to the people
not the government.
They expressed concern over the economic crisis sparked by the
rupiah's drastic plunge against the U.S. dollar that is crippling
the economy and prompting mass layoffs and soaring prices.
"We still have time to show the Assembly what we want," Sri
Edi Swasono, an alumnus and former chairman of the Indonesian
Cooperatives Council, shouted to the crowd from the top of a car
turned into a podium.
The 1,000 strong Assembly begins its General Session on Sunday
to endorse the 1998/2003 State Policy Guidelines and to elect a
president and vice president.
"Reforms or death," said a banner carried by students, while
others said economic and political reforms were two sides of the
same coin "which can be distinctly differentiated but not
separated."
Some students carried a chair on which was written "this chair
has already been ordered by the usual client," eluding to
incumbent President Soeharto's renomination.
No uniformed security personnel were visible on the campus but
dozens of military intelligence agents could be seen following
the marchers.
At least three truckloads of riot police were on standby
outside the campus, along with scores of rapid response troops on
motorcycles carrying automatic rifles.
In Purwokerto, Central Java, a demonstration with similar
demands took place at Jendral Sudirman University, where some 500
students took turns to express their ideas.
The protesters urged the Assembly to open their eyes to what
people want to improve the country's economic and political
stability.
"They (Assembly members) should fight for the people's
interests, not the organizations that patronize them," said
student senate member Kundiarto.
Scores of security officers in riot gear kept a close eye on
the protesters.
In another Central Java town, Kudus, dozens of students took
their protest to the local legislative council. They demanded the
government do more to end the economic crisis and initiate
political reform.
"The crisis is taking a toll on common people and it will
become a terrible disaster unless a proper solution is found,"
they said in a statement.
In Yogyakarta, over 100 students from the Islamic University
of Indonesia massed on their campus to demand lower prices and
political reform.
They called for certain groups in society and the government
to stop exploiting the sensitive issues related to race, religion
and societal groupings for political ends.
"This is not the real issue that the nation is facing," they
said in a statement. (23/har/byg/imn)