Students unbowed by shootings

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.