Denpasar – An alliance of students from various university Student Executive Councils (BEM), student organisations and civil society groups held a demonstration in front of the Balinese Regional House of Representatives (DPRD) building in Renon, Denpasar city, on Monday afternoon June 22.
The protesters, calling themselves the "Bali Moving Action" (Aksi Bali Bergerak) voiced various problems in Indonesia, specifically on the island of Bali, related to government policies that have become problematic for the ordinary people.
They arrived with various banners and posters. One banner read, "Where is this country headed, Wok?". Another poster read, "After Darkness, There's No Light", and various other messages.
The protesters formed a circle in front of the gates to the DPRD building and placed their banners and posters on the ground in front of them. They then took turns giving speeches.
The protesters also submitted the results of their research on various issues in Indonesia to DPRD Deputy Speaker I Komang Nova Sewi Putra and other members of the DPRD who met with them.
I Gusti Agung Ngurah Oka Paramahamsa, the head of the Bali Udayana University (Unud) BEM, representing the protesters, stated that the protest broadly encompasses five issues, namely economic problems, democracy, civil liberties, human rights enforcement, the environment and education.
"Within these five issues, we hope the Bali Provincial DPRD can pass on what we have conveyed to the central government", he said.
They gave the Bali DPRD members a three-day deadline to convey their demands to the central government and provide a response.
"If within those three days there is no movement at all. And there are no signs that these demands have been conveyed to the central government, or that they have been addressed directly, whether through social media or online, or on the ground, then we will protest again", he explained.
He emphasised that they no longer trusts the dialogues that have been taking place so far. "And be assured that our resistance will continue. We will continue to ensure that justice is upheld and the people's rights returned to their hands", he said.
The Bali Moving Action's demands encompassed democracy, civil supremacy and governance, economic and human rights issues, education and the environment.
Several other demands included "Demanding the Indonesian government thoroughly investigate all alleged human rights violations in Papua and to withdraw military personnel to ensure the protection of the people's civil rights".
"Demanding the President of the Republic of Indonesia and the Ministry of Finance to correct the APBN [state budget] deficit and stop wasteful spending that does not promote the welfare of the ordinary people."
The protesters also demanded that the President halt the People's Schools Program and restore the allocation of education funds as mandated by the Constitution (20 percent of the budget) and encourage equal access to education in disadvantaged, frontier and outermost regions (3T).
They also demanded that the President, the Minister of Environment and Forestry, the Minister of Agrarian Affairs and Spatial Planning/National Land Agency (ATR/BPN) head and related parties stop reckless deforestation practices, such as those occurring in Papua in the name of food self-sufficiency.
Security
The Bali Movement Action demonstration was watched over by hundreds of officers from the Denpasar Municipal Police and the Bali Regional Police. Denpasar Municipal Police Chief Senior Commissioner Lenardo D. Simatupang, emphasised that the presence of police personnel was a form of service to the public who are using democratic space to express their aspirations.
All personnel have been asked to carry out their duties according to their assigned functions and plans, and to prioritise a persuasive approach throughout the event.
Simatupang also emphasised that personnel should act patiently, sincerely and humanely, and avoid actions that could trigger security disturbances or anarchic acts.
As many as 459 joint personnel were deployed to secure the action today. Denpasar Municipal Police Public Relations Chief First Inspector I Gede Adi Saputra Jaya stated that security measures were implemented to ensure the entire demonstration proceeded in a safe, orderly and conducive manner. (kid)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Demo Mahasiswa di Denpasar Kirimkan Tuntutan ke DPRD Bali".]
