Eka Saprianawati, Jakarta – The inauguration of president and vice-president elect Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and Jusuf Kalla (SBY-JK) on October 20 will be greeted with demonstrations. As many as 25 non-government organisations (NGOs) and student groups plan to demonstrate calling on SBY-JK to keep their election promises.

The 25 NGOs and student groups are from the United People for Genuine Change (Persatuan Rakyat untuk Perubahan Sejati, PRPS) which is made up of the Democratic Student Network (JMD), the People’s Cultural Network (Jakar), KAB, Posju, the Action Study Circle for Indonesian Democracy (LS-ADI), the People’s Democratic Party (PRD), PRP, Migrant Care, ARS, the National Student League for Democracy (LMND), the Jakarta Student Consortium (KMJ), the Alliance of Papuan Students (AMP), KASDI, FPEED, the Student Community of the National Institute of Science and Technology, Senjata Kartini (Sekar, a women’s NGO), KGM, the Jakarta Student Network (JMJ), the Families of Missing Persons in Indonesia (Ikohi), FODMI, FNTDI, Gaspernindo, the Association of Independent Trade Unions (GSBI) and Opti.

“We will be holding an action during the October 20 inauguration of SBY-JK. We will be calling on SBY to uphold the promises which have been made”, said PRPS spokesperson, Lukman Hakim, at the offices of the Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation in Jakarta on Monday October 18.

According to Hakim, some 500 people will take part in the action. “We have yet to decide if the action [will be held] at the DPR/MPR [parliament] or the state palace. But what is certain is we will hold an action during SBY’s inauguration”, he said.

In a statement PRPS called for building a clean government though trying and seizing the assets of government officials who have been involved in corruption, collusion and nepotism. Second, they are calling for building a people’s economic system which will end mass dismissals, provide employment for ordinary people, a process of national industrialisation and the increase of wages. Third, to building a democratic government which will withdraw non-organic troops from the conflict areas of Aceh and West Papua, amend the recently enacted law on the TNI (armed forces) and abolish the TNI’s territorial command structure1. Fourth, for genuine independence with protection for the domestic economy, an end to foreign debt and rejecting the free market.

Which of SBY’s perspective ministers do they consider to be questionable? Marie Pangestu, Rachmad Gobel and Abu Rizal Bakrie. We ask that SBY does not make use of people who’s poor qualities are already obvious”, said Hakim.

Notes:

1. The TNI’s territorial command structure mandates the deployment of military command posts and detachments at all levels of the civil administration: provincial, district, sub- district and village. This structure provides the organisational framework for the TNI to act as a political security force at all levels of society.

[Translated by James Balowski.]