The end of August was marked by the widespread anger of the people. Spreading to various points, hundreds of thousands of people took control of the streets to protest the policies and character of the regime of President Prabowo Subianto and Vice President Gibran Rakabuming Raka and the House of Representatives (DPR), which have used their power to unilaterally raise lawmakers' incomes by hundreds of millions of rupiah per month and living luxuriously in the midst of the crisis experienced by the ordinary people.
The demonstrations were responded to brutally with violence by the apparatus of the TNI (Indonesian Military) and Polri (Indonesian Police). The latest information is that an online motorcycle taxi (ojol) driver named Affan Kurniawan has died and thousands of people, the majority being youths, have been forcibly arrested.
Affan (21), as he was greeting by fellow drivers and comrades, was a young man who was also anxious about a variety of government policies. Affan was the backbone of his family, who had to die after being crushed by a paramilitary police Mobile Brigade (Brimob) Barracuda tactical vehicle in the Hilir Dam area of Central Jakarta.
He had fled to avoid teargas but then fell. The statement by police in response to his death is a lie. A number of witnesses and a video recording prove that Affan was run over. Affan is a martyr who today is a symbol of resistance after the crimes of the regime through the security forces occurred in various places and times.
Affan was one of thousands of other demonstrators. Among the 600 people arrested, the majority were young people. Work uncertainty, expensive education costs and resentment over an uncertain future show that government policies are moving away from the interests of the working class. Besides Affan, many are lying in hospital. Fractured skulls, broken legs and other injuries suffered at the hands of an apparatus that is armed by the fascist and oligarchic government.
In the land of Papua, in Sorong to be specific, the state also carried out a massive repression in responding to a solidarity action opposing four political prisoners being transferred to Makassar, South Sulawesi. On August 28, the police and the TNI responded to the solidarity action with the arrest of 18 activists. The authorities also fired live rounds resulting in one person being injured.
The Labour Movement with the People (GEBRAK) views this situation as a manifestation of the economic and political crisis that is strangling the lives of the mass of ordinary people. A crisis of low wage politics, mass layoffs, the eviction of farmers and the urban poor from their land for corporate and state projects, high living costs, silencing human rights defenders and the oppression of women. At the same time, state officials and the rich throw money around and party with the wealth originating from the toil and sources of people's livelihoods.
Rising tax rates, increasing the salaries and allowances of state officials, the arrogance of the authorities and the brutality and violence of the TNI-Polri has ignited the awareness of the mass of people to fight. The working class, the urban poor, young people, high school and university students have actively initiated these brave actions.
In today's situation, we see that these actions in the struggle for democracy must be supported as widely as possible. These actions must be launched with a clear political position and in accordance with the pressing needs of the Indonesian people today.
The urgency of mass mobilisations today is to find a solution to the problems that are growing significantly, tiny teachers' wages, while at the same time the allowances and salaries of DPR members are skyrocketing, and the budget allocation for tools of state repression (the police and TNI), which should be cut significantly.
At the same time, the cost of education for young people today is also increasing, the free nutritious school meals (MBG) program continues to claim casualties due to poisoning, and also state spending in the defence security sector is increasing.
Of course, the struggle must continue. Don't let Prabowo-Gibran, the DPR, the ruling party elite and TNI-Polri officials just apologise. GEBRAK calls for rebuilding the unity of the organised movements, advancing demands that touch on changes to people's lives, and launching brave and sustainable actions to strike back at oligarchic power.
The GEBRAK Alliance is therefore putting forward the following demands:
1. Condemning the brutality of the police against the demonstrating masses;
2. Stop militarism and repression by the state apparatus against the demonstrating masses. Immediately free all the participants arrested at actions;
3. Cancel increases in tax rates born by the poor and middle class. Bring prosperity to workers, farmers, fishers, honorary teachers, lecturers, medical and health personnel. Increase progressive taxes for companies, banks and the conglomerates;
4. Lower the price of basic commodities, electricity tariffs, fuel, water and toll road rates;
5. Abolish the privileges and salaries of state officials, high-ranking military officers, non-ministerial institutions, commissioners and director of state-own enterprises (BUMN) and pay them the equivalent of an average worker's wage and use the savings for free education and healthcare, people's subsidies and welfare for workers and the ordinary people;
6. Cut the budget for state institutions, ministries and positions that are not related to the people's welfare, including the Ministry of Defence, the National Police, the Attorney General's Office, the State Intelligence Agency (BIN), the DPR and the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR) and so forth, and use the savings for free education and welfare, people's subsidies and welfare for workers and the ordinary people;
7. Arrest and try the corruptors, lower the salaries and allowances of DPR members and senior state officials;
8. Arrest, try and imprison the perpetrators of gross human rights violations, both those committed in the past as well as recently;
9. Cancel and revoke policies that oppress the ordinary people (the Omnibus Law on Job Creation, the Criminal Code, the Minerals and Coal Mining Law, National Strategic Projects, the Draft Criminal Procedural Code etc.);
10. Totally reform of the country's economic and political system for justice and the sovereignty of the Indonesian people. Realise genuine people's democracy;
11. Abolish outsourcing systems, realise job security, decent wages, genuine agrarian reform, quality and free education;
12. Reform the police, reduce the budget for the TNI and Polri;
12. Build a strong national industrialisation program under the control of the people and entirely for the welfare of the people.
Winning these urgent demands can only be realised with the unity of the oppressed people throughout Indonesia. Unity regardless of race, ethnicity, religion and specific beliefs. A victory that believes the only enemy of the people is the oligarchic political elite today. This means that the Prabowo-Gibran regime and its allies: the human rights violating military generals, the members of parliament in Senayan and the ministers that are the accomplices of the oligarchy.
GEBRAK comprises the following organisations:
1. The Indonesian Trade Union Congress Alliance (KASBI)
2. The Confederation of United Indonesian Workers (KPBI)
3. The National Trade Union Confederation (KSN)
4. The National Labour Movement Centre (SGBN)
5. The Media and Creative Industries Trade Union for Democracy (SINDIKASI)
6. The Banking Trade Union Communication Network (Jarkom SP Perbankan)
7. The Agrarian Reform Consortium (KPA)
8. The Progressive Students School (SEMPRO)
9. The United People's Struggle (KPR)
10. The Indonesian Workers Federation of Struggle (FPBI)
11. The Indonesian Students Union (SMI)
12. The Indonesian Student League for Democracy (LMID)
13. The Indonesian High-School Students Federation (FIJAR)
14. The Jakarta Legal Aid Foundation (LBH Jakarta)
15. The Indonesian Legal Aid Foundation (YLBHI)
16. United People's Struggle (KPR)
17. The Food and Beverage Trade Union Federation (FSBMM)
18. The Independent Trade Union Federation (FSPM)
19. The Industry Workers Federation (FKI)
20. The Indonesian Transport Workers Union (SPAI)
21. The Indonesian Forum for the Environment(WALHI)
22. Greenpeace Indonesia (GP)
23. Trend Asia (TA)
24. The Alliance of Independent Journalists (AJI)
25. Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence)
26. Jentera College of Law (STIH Jentera) Student Executive Council (BEM)
27. The Campus Employees Union (SPK)
28. Amartya House
29. Student Struggle Centre for National Liberation (Pembebasan)
30. The Sedane Labour Resource Centre (LIPS)
31. Free Women (Perempuan Mahardhika)
32. The Indonesian Revolutionary Education Committee (KRPI)
33. The Indonesian United Health and Medical Workers Trade Union (KSPTMKI)
34. Destructive Fishing Watch (DFW)
35. The Indonesian Planned Parenthood Association (PKBI)
36. The Socialist Union (Perserikatan Sosialis)
37. The Socialist Youth Group Organisation
Contact persons:
- Sunarno/KASBI 081280646029
- Ilhamsyah/KPBI 081219235552
- Ricky/SEMPRO 085715057761
- Martin/KPR 085761754198
- Isnur/YLBHI 081510014395
- Liska/PKBI 0822-1919-0493
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was ""Hentikan Kekerasan Aparat Terhadap Massa Aksi Demonstrasi, Cabut Pajak untuk Rakyat dan Berlakukan Pajak Progresif untuk Elit, Potong Fasilitas dan Pendapatan Pejabat Tinggi Negara"".]
