Students vow to rally until vital changes are achieved

JAKARTA (JP): Students who have temporarily abandoned their studies and families to attend unrelenting antigovernment rallies have vowed to continue protesting until substantial change has been achieved.

Senior student representatives told The Jakarta Post on different occasions late last week that the batons, tear gas and rubber bullets of the security forces will not stop their marches demanding immediate reform.

"We will continue our rallies until President Soeharto steps down and total political and economic reform has been properly implemented," Rahmatullah L.N., a student leader at Attahiriyah Islamic University in East Jakarta, said.

Burhan, a student from Syarif Hidayatullah Institute of Islamic Teachings (IAIN) in South Jakarta, said most people were frustrated and had lost faith in all constitutional ways of channeling their aspirations.

"That's why we have been able to keep up such prolonged demonstrations," Burhan, who has been assaulted by security officials on a number of occasions, said.

Students also expressed skepticism over the government's pledge to reform because significant change had yet to be felt in the community.

"If Soeharto was serious about reforming, he would have delivered significant results felt by all the nation by now," Rahmatullah said.

Students believe that government rhetoric must not be allowed to parry widespread popular demands for reform.

Riza Setiawan of Muhamaddiyah University said he and his friends had vowed to continue demonstrating because they had learned that reforms, as desired by society at large, had yet to be carried out.

"I have to admit that my friends and I are getting tired of staging protests, but our will to go on is always lifted when we see that reforms have not yet taken place," he said.

Anita R., a student demonstrator from Trisakti University, said protests must continue in order to "waken-up" the government.

"For many years, they (the government) never listen to the people. They seemed to have some kind of allergy to criticism.

"Students have been a quiet group, alienated from any important role in this country for a long time. So even if I'm tired, thousands of other students will continue to stage rallies until reforms are made," the 22-year-old girl said.

Nationwide student demonstrations, which now involve many non- student participants, began in late February in response to the rising price of essential goods and services in the aftermath of a plunge in the value of the rupiah against the U.S. dollar.

The recent government decision to increase the price of oil, gasoline and electricity has added to the nation's anger because of the knock-on effect on the price of goods and services throughout the economy.

Indonesia has approximately 2.5 million students and 1,400 universities. A number of universities have temporarily suspended normal activities.

Some students said their parents worried about them during demonstrations.

"But eventually they stopped worrying and said 'please don't die on us, just get a safe job after you graduate'", Budi S. Pramudya from Mercu Buana University said.

Burhan said he had been away from home for almost two weeks, during which he had slept in friends' houses.

"I send messages to my family through friends telling them that I'm safe and sound," he said. (edt/ivy)