Hanifah Salsabila, Ambaranie Nadia Kemala Movanita, Jakarta – Thousands of students have taken to the streets again to protest fuel price hikes near the Hotel Indonesia (HI) traffic circle in Central Jakarta on Friday June 12.
They brought demands that were voiced at a vital location in the country's capital for all levels of society to hear. The protesters demanded that the government work to lower fuel prices and end militarism in the civilian sphere.
On Jalan Jenderal Sudirman in Central Jakarta, the protesters faced three layers of barricades by the Indonesian Military (TNI) and National Police (Polri). In the end they voiced their aspirations while sitting face-to-face with security forces.
The action was also supported by various other groups ranging from housewives and online motorcycle taxi drivers to luxury car drivers who honked their horns.
The students then dispersed and the demonstration concluded peacefully, despite several scuffles. The protesters promised to return to the HI traffic circle with a larger crowd to ensure that their demands are heard by policymakers.
Five demands
The protesters moved off from the University of Indonesia (UI) using public transportation. On their way to the HI traffic circle the vehicles were stopped at several points.
This included in Semanggi, in front of the House of Representatives (DPR) building and on Jalan Gerbang Pemuda. This did not dampen their enthusiasm to take up five demands.
The protesters disembarked from buses and public transportation, then closed ranks and marched towards the HI traffic circle on foot. With each step, they carried the five main demands.
UI Student Executive Board (BEM) Chairperson Yalathof Imawan said that slow economic growth and limited job opportunities were the back drop to their taking to the streets.
"Job opportunities are shrinking, all the prices have risen, and taxes are still imposed on the lower-middle class people, including the common people, therefore we want to demand action from the executive government and also the legislature", Imawan explained to reporters before leaving the UI campus on Friday.
They also highlighted government programs that they consider do not provide significant benefits for the majority of society, but instead consume the largest portion of the state budget. Such as the Free Nutritious Meals (MBG) and the Red and White Village Cooperative (Kopdes) programs.
"These programs waste the budget, and also stop making excuses or equivocating and not acknowledging the current situation. It's already a crisis now", he said.
Aside from this, they are demanding that the price of fuel and basic necessities be lowered for the benefit of the people and an end to militarism in the civilian realm.
In the aftermath of all these problems, the students also urged the government to acknowledge its mistakes and immediately reform itself for the benefit of the Indonesian people.
Public support
During the action, the students also received public support from various other groups. This ranged from online motorcycle taxi (ojek) drivers who joined their ranks, housewives who brought food and drinks, to honking from luxury cars passing along Jalan Jenderal Sudirman towards Senayan.
As the protesters attempted to break through the barricades and give speeches, the traffic still flowed smoothly towards Senayan.
Occasionally a student wearing a yellow alma mater jacket stepped into the middle of the road holding a piece of paper with a message in capital letters.
They asked motorists to honk their horns in support of the protesters. "Honk if you're tired of paying high taxes", was written on the paper.
Several times the student stopped vehicles by holding the paper in front of passing vehicle ranging from cars, taxis, Transjakarta buses and luxury cars, to vehicles with official TNI number plates.
"Come on Pak [Sir] honk your horns! Taxes are high!", shouted the student.
On the side of the road, the motorcycle taxi drivers echoed similar sentiments. They raised their thumbs and little fingers while asking drivers to honk their horns.
Several drivers rolled down their car windows, gave thumbs-up signals, and then pressed the horns on their steering wheels. This made the protesters cheer.
The long back and forth of honking of horns also sparked cheers of victory among the protesters who were attempting to break through the barricades on Jalan Sudirman towards the HI traffic circle.
They even received support from workers whose journey home from work was disrupted.
Edza (29), who works near Jalan Jenderal Sudirman, chose to watch the student demonstration and offer his support because he felt their demands also affected the general public.
"Yeah I can't go home yet. But I want to watch first, I want to support the students", Edza said when met near the location of the action on Friday.
Amelia (27) also had a similar view. According to Amelia, the student demonstration was indeed appropriate amid the state of the country which is currently unstable.
She didn't feel bothered even though she had to attend a meeting near the protest site. Amelia chose to arrive early after her office instructed her to leave early.
"Maybe it is indeed time for demonstrations, so it's okay", she said when met separately.
After trying to break through the three police and TNI barricades, the protesters finally sat down with several military and police officers in front of steel shields erected to prevent them from reaching the HI traffic circle.
Among them sat Central Jakarta Police Chief (Kapolres) Senior Commissioner Reynold Hutagalung. There, one by one, the protesters stood up to express their aspirations and demands.
One of them was Sulaeman, a resident of Central Java who took up five demands. In a speech, Sulaeman questioned President Prabowo Subianto's campaign promise about creating jobs.
"And third comrades, create jobs opportunities and make it as easy as possible for people's businesses! Agree? Where are the 19 million jobs? Who are the jobs for today? The oligarchy!", he exclaimed during the speech.
Sulaeman also highlighted the currently high fuel prices saying this has the potential to create a domino effect on people's livelihoods that cannot be underestimated.
"Lower BBM [fuel] prices and stabilise the rupiah! Today, we, who use [unsubsidised] Pertamax [petrol], are forced to use [subsidised low-octane] Pertalite. The queues are longer, and Pertalite will likely experience a supply crisis", he said.
While the public struggles with the high price of fuel and basic necessities and the regional minimum wage (UMR) lower than in other countries, there are officials who, according to Sulaeman, receive salaries far above the social average.
"So we must demand! The DPRD [Provincial Legislative Councils] in all provinces in Indonesia including the national DPR , their wages, take home pay must be the UMR!", he exclaimed.
Similar to the UI students, Sulaeman also highlighted budget waste and the corruption, collusion, and nepotism (KKN), and urged the TNI and Polri to return to their roles as law enforcement officers without entering civilian positions.
Follow-up protests promised
As the sky darkened, the UI students began to disperse. The front ranks of struggle were then replaced by students from the Bogor Institute of Agriculture, the Pancasila University, the Jakarta Veterans National Development University and the Jakarta State University.
Yalathof Imawan emphasised that their withdrawal that afternoon does not mean their aspirations had been conveyed. They will return with a larger crowd to urge the government to immediately put their house in order.
"For now we are disbanding. But remember, this is not the last time; in fact, this is our first step", he said in a speech before disbanding on Friday evening.
He asked each of the protesters to maintain their health and return to the ranks of struggle in the future. He also asked the public to have the courage to join their ranks to protest the current work of the government.
Imawan said that although they did not yet reached the HI traffic circle this afternoon, this vital point in Indonesia would still be their target at their next action.
According to Imawan, protests at government buildings such as the DPR or the State Palace like previous actions are no longer relevant for their aspirations to be heard.
"After this, we must protect ourselves, we will gather our energy again so we can create an even bigger movement. We disperse to consolidate again, to then return later to the HI traffic circle", he asserted.
"(The current situation) clearly points to Indonesia's bankruptcy, its economic bankruptcy and moral bankruptcy. Data-based criticism is ignored, meanwhile the government more often chooses to evade rather than take responsibility", he continued.
Before leaving, they apologised to the people of Jakarta whose activities were disrupted today.
"But please understand, this traffic jam only lasted a few hours. Meanwhile, Indonesia's economic and employment congestion has been going on for years and is actually getting worse", said Imawan.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Gelora Mahasiswa di Bundaran HI, 'Ini Bukan yang Terakhir'".]
