Susilo 'betrays election promises'

Susilo 'betrays election promises'

The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Thousands of students, workers, activists and farmers took to the
streets across the country on Thursday to protest the plan to
raise fuel prices by up to 80 percent, while motorists queued up
at gas stations before the new prices take effect.

Carrying banners denouncing the fuel price hike, thousands of
protesters from several student and worker organizations marched
from the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle in Central Jakarta to the
front gate of the Presidential Palace on Jl. Medan Merdeka Utara.

"The plan to raise fuel prices shows that Susilo Bambang
Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla do not side with the people as they
promised before they were elected," said Achmad of the Alliance
of People's Demand (ARM), which claimed to field some 1,000
workers.

ARM arrived at the Presidential Palace at around 12 noon and
were later joined by thousands of members of the Indonesian Youth
Association, the Students Alliance, Youth for Reform and several
other worker's groups.

Around 100 people wearing Indonesian Democratic Party of
Struggle (PDI-P) attributes also joined the rally, which
proceeded peacefully.

Nevertheless, 5,000 police officers were in attendance at the
protest. They also isolated the protesters by closing several
accesses into and out of the Presidential Palace, causing traffic
congestion along Jl. Veteran and Jl. Pecenongan in Central
Jakarta.

"We have pulled our officers in Semanggi and the House of
Representatives to three points along Jl. Sudirman and Jl.
Thamrin as protesters concentrate along that line," City police
Chief Insp. Gen. Firman Gani said.

At 2:30 p.m., the protesters began to leave the Presidential
Palace and by around 3 p.m. the situation had returned to normal.

Traffic jams, however, were spotted around gasoline stations
across the city as motorists raced against time to fill their
tanks before the government announced the price hike.

Lines of vehicles up to a kilometer in length formed at fuel
stations in Kramat, Pejompongan and Senen in Central Jakarta, Jl.
Lap. Ros in South Jakarta, triggering traffic jams in those
areas.

A gas station in Senen and another in Petamburan closed their
premises on Thursday, putting up notices saying they had run out
of Premium fuel.

Police said they were investigating whether the gas stations
deliberately closed their pumps in order to stockpile fuel for
higher profits after the price increases were announced.

Anti-price hike protests and long queues at gasoline stations
also took place in Surabaya, East Java, Medan in North Sumatra
and Makassar in South Sulawesi.

Despite the protests, President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said
on Thursday that fuel prices would rise on Oct. 1 as any delay
would cause the state to suffer an additional burden of Rp 11.67
trillion (US$1.13 billion) every month.

The amount, he was quoted as saying by presidential spokesman
Andi Alfian Malarangeng, was equal to the cost needed to build
some 1,000 new school buildings and provide free medication at
third-class wards in state hospitals.

"President Susilo has said that there is no going back for
this plan. Despite the widespread protests, the government has no
other choice than to cut the fuel subsidy by raising fuel
prices," he said.

Andi also said that there were indications that the protests
were backed up by certain political parties out to overthrow the
current government.

"Politicians should be fair and act like statesmen. The
protests are obvious and we are allowing them. But, there are
several politicians who want to take advantage of the situation
for their personal gain," he said.