Students unbowed by shootings

The Nov. 13 clash between security officers and demonstrators near the Semanggi cloverleaf that claimed nine lives has raised speculation about the future of student activism as the driving force of Indonesia's reform movement.

The Jakarta Post reporters Stevie Emilia, Edith Hartanto and Yudha Kartohadiprodjo discuss the issue in the following article

JAKARTA (JP): Student activism is nursing the wounds sustained in the Semanggi shooting spree that claimed the lives of nine students. At least another six people died in other clashes during the week, most of whom were vigilantes.

The Semanggi tragedy on what has become Black Friday, it turns out, has not dampened student activists' spirit to carry on with their street protests.

Students from major groups have vowed to keep on marching on the streets although they believe military brutality remains a threat. This is in spite of the massive condemnation of the Nov. 13 shooting spree.

Depending on their militancy and independence, student demands range from the resignation of President B.J. Habibie and Armed Forces (ABRI) Commander Gen. Wiranto, an end to the military's role in politics, the prosecution of former president Soeharto and a fair general election.

Progovernment groups, such Furkon, for example, insist that the Habibie government's legitimacy is unquestionable as are the results of the recent People's Consultative Assembly Special Session.

Moderate groups agree that ABRI should be stripped off its political privileges but such a step should be implemented in phases. Militant groups like Forkot want to see ABRI's political role ended immediately without compromise.

Either way, the students are determined to roam the streets of Jakarta and major cities until they achieve their goal.

"We won't clear the streets until all our demands are met," says Kiki, a student at Tarakanita Secretarial College and an activist in the Student Action Front for Reform and Democracy (Famred) told The Jakarta Post.

A splinter of Forkot, the more moderate Famred claims to have thousands of members in 25 universities across Greater Jakarta.

Adian of the City Forum (Forkot), which claims to have about 30,000 members in 36 universities across Greater Jakarta, pledged the same.

"We won't stop our fight for democracy. We'll go on until all our demands -- the formation of a transitional government and Wiranto and Habibie's resignations -- come true, are fulfilled," says the student from the Indonesian Christian University's (UKI) School of Law.

Black Friday, which earned the government international condemnation, only strengthened student activists' persistence to press their demands through massive rallies.

They proved it last week when an estimated 8,000 students marched through Central Jakarta to Soeharto's residence. Security authorities were forced to deploy thousands of personnel to foil their attempt to reach the former president's home.

In the Semanggi and Atma Jaya University, the scene of the Nov. 13 violence, have become a favorite place for students to gather and show off their strength.

"The incident makes us stronger, people saw that ABRI has no mercy because it's not only students who have become the victims, but also civilians," Kiki says.

As in Jakarta, student demonstrations in many provincial cities have received sympathy from the public, including community leaders, who were angered by the Semanggi incident.

Apparently alarmed by students' persistence and militancy, some government and military officials have charged that the students were used by political interest groups for the latters' own end.

The government added fuel to the fire when police questioned members of the National Front, which consists mainly of retired generals, on suspicion of treason and inciting students to escalate their antigovernment protests.

Students have denied they were used by any political interest groups.

"Previously, we were accused of being communist by Wiranto, but people are not so stupid they can't see the truth," Adian says, accusing the authorities of using Soeharto's tactics to crush student protests.

Elli of Forkot urges the government to prove the accusations it leveled against his group.

"They (the accusations) are a joke. What's communist? The government has never proved it... They put the stigma on us with the intention to make people hate us. People laugh at the tactic and ask 'are there any communists around?'...," said the National Institute of Science and Technology (ISTN) student.

The activists also criticize the government's action against people it has charged with committing treason for criticizing the government.

"If these people were questioned for giving us donations, what is wrong with giving donations? People support us. If that is the case, the authorities will end up arresting all sympathizers, housewives, ojek (motorcycle taxis) drivers, taxi drivers, those who help us," Adian says.

Students, he said, did not have much money. "We only have spirit and we're grateful to all those offering food, drinks, money, cloth (for banners) and other things," Adian says.

Some people even contacted the students to learn the location of the rallies so they could deliver their food donations.

Organized

In their actions, students groups are relatively well- organized.

Forkot, for instance, has training on advocacy and members on each campuses recruit new participants and hold consolidation meetings with other groups. Even without leaders and a formal organizational structure, it has spokespeople and activists in charge of field coordination, public relations, security, medical affairs, recording events and lobbying.

Before any rally, there will be a meeting attended by representative of each student groups to determine the strategy.

Forkot even has developed a system to prevent it being infiltrated.

It seems that the public cannot predict when political tension will ease and when they know that no street in Jakarta is closed by ranks of armed troops.