Hestiana Dharmastuti/Hendra & Lyndal Meehan, Jakarta – Disgraced former dictator Suharto and his cronies can not yet breathe easily. Once again, students gathered together with the City Forum (Forkot) have demanded they be taken to court and again planned to besiege his residence, known as Cendana after the street on which it is located.
Around fifty student activists from many groups gathered on Wednesday at the intersection of Jl. Dipenogoro, Central Jakarta, in front of the Megaria building, waiting for more protesters to arrive. Orators stood resolutely on top of a minibus and delivered speeches demanding Suharto and his cronies be put on trial immediately. A huge banner was carried reading "Bring Suharto to Trial and Seize His and His Cronies' Assets." The protesters also distributed pamphlets listing twenty one 'suspects to be arrested and taken into the court'. The pamphlets included pictures, addresses and mentioned the accuseds' sins.
At the top of the list was the former president. Others mentioned were cronies, such as Bob Hasan, Liem Soe Liong and Ibnu Hartomo, brother of the late Mrs. Tien Suharto. Leaders of the Golkar party which ruled Indonesia in cooperation with the armed forces under Suharto were also mentioned, such as former information Minister Harmoko, Ginandjar Kartasasmita and Moerdiono as well as Suharto's hand-picked successor, Habibie.
On this occasion, the protest was unusually creative. Students brought five bamboo coffins covered by white cloth and splattered with blood. Each coffin bore an inscription, either Suharto, Tommy, Sigit, Tutut or Bambang, that is, Suharto and four of his six sons and daughters.
Students claimed that more than two years had passed since the dictator had been brought down and yet the institutions meant to uphold the law can not taken serious action against Suharto and his cronies. They were particularly critical of the current Annual Session (ST) of the People's Consultative Assembly (MPR). Orators maintained that parliament members were neglecting the people's interests and that all were hell bent on securing better positions for themselves.
"No party wants to abolish the military presence in the parliament, they have done the opposite and accepted their presence till 2009. Suharto is laughing about this now. Golkar is happy and the Armed Forces are obviously lapping it up," a student during his speech.
In the end, around 100 demonstrators marched to Cendana shouting slogans. The coffins were placed on the road in front of the house, heavily guarded by police, and set on fire amid cries of anger and elation.
Although the Attorney General has began legal proceedings against Suharto and a number of the aforementioned cronies, these measures are failing to satisfy the students who vowed to be back to push for the realisation of the will of the people of Indonesia.