Devi Asmarani, Jakarta – The Indonesian Democratic Party-Struggle (PDI-P) headed by President Megawati Sukarnoputri has joined the chorus of protesters calling on her administration to review its price increases for fuel and utilities.

The party's unexpected stance yesterday came in the face of mounting pressure on her government to reverse the hikes which took effect on New Year's Day.

Fuel prices went up 22 per cent, electricity charges rose 6 per cent and telephone rates increased by an average of 15 per cent.

Yesterday, scores of lawmakers from various parties, riding the mounting anti-government tide, echoed these very demands when Parliament met for the first time this year. They warned that the government could just lose its legitimacy should their concerns go unaddressed.

The PDI-P faction chairman in Parliament, Mr Roy B.B. Janis, told reporters yesterday: 'We expect the government to postpone the enactment of the policy and, if possible, to lower the hikes. We are the people's representatives, it is our job to tell the government this because it is making people suffer." He added that other avenues were open to the government to achieve its goals.

Fifty-nine lawmakers signed a petition demanding that Parliament reject the price hikes. They also asked that the government throw out its policy where businessmen who owe money to the state are pardoned because they had helped it to recover billions of dollars from shut-down banks.

The petition also called on Jakarta to halt the country's dependence on the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and other international financial institutions.

Mr Lukman Hakim Saifuddin of the United Development Party who read the petition during a parliamentary plenary session yesterday told The Straits Times: "We want to show the public that we had nothing to do with all these decisions, despite the government's claim that we had approved them." He said he hoped Parliament would raise its concerns during a meeting between the President and parliamentary leaders that is to take place tomorrow.

"I think if the government has a conscience and is sharp politically, it would listen to us." There has been growing talk about toppling the current administration.

Several student groups, labour unions, non-government organisations, legislators and individuals met over the weekend to talk about setting up a "national presidium" to replace the Megawati-Hamzah leadership. Street protests across the country entered their second week yesterday.

National Assembly Speaker Amien Rais has hinted that the government should be prepared for a "constitutional means of removal" if it refused to yield to the protesters' demand. "A government on the verge of falling usually loses its sensitivity," he told reporters yesterday.

Analysts, however, expressed doubts that the movement would lead to the President's fall, considering the military and major parties' support for the Megawati government. But they feel that her lack of response has harmed her political career and her administration's performance.

"Megawati should communicate to the public, to convince them on the need to lift the subsidies, but she has only done this to smaller and contained audiences such as during her speech to her PDI-P followers on Sunday," said political analyst Bantarto Bandoro.