Two on trial for stamping on Megawati's image

Two on trial for stamping on Megawati's image

Muninggar Sri Saraswati, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta

Two demonstrators went on trial Wednesday for allegedly
insulting the president and vice president by stepping on their
pictures during a rally in front of the State Palace on June 24.

Many demonstrators were convicted for similar offenses during
the New Order regime, but it was the first time under the
administration of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and Vice
president Hamzah Haz that demonstrators have been prosecuted for
engaging in acts of defilement of the president's image.

Currently, several other demonstrators in Aceh and Medan are
being questioned by the police for painting an 'X' on photos of
Megawati and Hamzah last week, according to Hendardi of the
Indonesia Legal Aid and Human Right Association (PBHI).

Chief prosecutor Luhut Sianturi charged the defendants
Muzakkir, alias Aceh, and Nanang Mamija, alias Junet, with a
violation of Article 134 of the Criminal Code on premeditated
insults of the president or vice president, which carries a
maximum penalty of six years in prison.

Muzakkir and Nanang, who have been in police custody since
June 30 and July 1 respectively, looked confident as they were
accompanied by their friends and lawyers from the Jakarta Legal
Aid Institute.

According to the indictment, the defendants along with 20
other demonstrators from the Populist Youth Movement (GPK) and
the National Farmers Federation (STN) held a peaceful rally
demanding the dismissal of President Megawati Soekarnoputri and
Vice President Hamzah Haz.

Muzakkir, a 21-year-old an unemployed man, wore no shirt
during the rally with a message on his chest, which read "Mega,
Hamzah Haz Step Down".

Nanang, a 20-year-old vendor at Ciledug market in Tangerang,
also wore no shirt to reveal his back which read, "The Land
Belongs to Farmers" presumably a demand for land reform.

The groups demanded the dismissal of Megawati and Hamzah due
to their disappointment over their policies which did not favor
farmers and common people. They accused the government of
favoring only the wealthy people.

Each of them carried a chair, with posters of Mega and Hamzah
on them that were crossed out with a red marker.

They later smashed the chairs on the ground. Nanang and
Muzakkir then took the bold step of stomping on the posters,
according to the prosecutors.

Both defendants, along with two other demonstrators who are
currently at large, allegedly poured rotten food on the already
damaged pictures of Megawati and Hamzah, shortly before the rally
ended peacefully.

"Witnessed by other demonstrators and passersby, the
defendants committed the crime, which insulted the president and
the vice president," Luhut told the Central Jakarta District
Court.

Presiding judge Sirande Palayukan adjourned the hearing until
next week to hear the defense's opening statement.

Separately, Hendardi said that the ruling government must no
longer charge demonstrators with insulting the government,
president or vice president because "those articles should be
obsolete in the post-Soeharto era."

"The past government (Soeharto's New Order regime) used that
article many times, but that law has no place in the reform era,"
he said.

Several experts have accused the Megawati government of
reverting back to the methods the New Order used, particularly to
repress anti-government expression.

"The government must not be so concerned about how a
demonstration is held, instead, they must focus on the substance
of the protest. The ability to understand and respond to
criticism could lead to a democratic government," Hendardi
asserted.