Woro Swasti, Jakarta – Next Wednesday, May 12, thousands of students from 23 campuses across Greater Jakarta plan to hold simultaneous actions rejecting presidential candidates from the military. The actions will start at their respective campuses at 11am after which they will move off to the national parliament (DPR) on Jalan Gatot Subroto in South Jakarta.

At a press conference held at the Indonesian Christian University (UKI) in Salemba, Central Jakarta, on Sunday May 9, Rendra, as student form the Jayabaya University said that the actions represented a war between civil supremacy and militarism. They strongly objected to presidential candidates originating from the military.

Outside of Jakarta, on the same day students will also hold simultaneous actions in 30 different cities including Bandung (West Java), Surabaya (East Java), Yogyakarta (Central Java), Medan (North Sumatra), Ceribon, Garut, Bogor and Indramayu (West Java), Palembang (South Sumatra), Makassar (South Sulawesi), Jambi (West Sumatra), Bali, Manado (North Sulawesi), Kupang (West Timor) and Malang (East Java).

In Jakarta itself the campuses which will participate include the University of Indonesia, UKI, the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University, the Jayabaya University, the Tarumanegara University, the Trisakti University and the Mpu Tantular University. If possible, from the DPR demonstrators will gather at the Trisakti campus to lay flowers.

The flowers are an expression condolences by all Indonesian students to their comrades, the students of Trisakti, who became the victims of the barbarism of the military and New Order regime of former President Suharto on May 12, 1998(1).

It is estimated that it will not just be students who will join the actions since students have also invited non-government organisations, solidarity groups representing the victims of violence and all elements of society with similar views, that is rejecting militarism and struggling for civil supremacy. (ani)

Notes:

1. On May 12, 1998, security personnel shot into a crowd of student protesters from the Trisakti University near their campus in West Jakarta, killing four students and injuring several. This proved to be the spark which set-off three days of mass demonstrations and rioting in Jakarta which eventually lead to the overthrow of former President Suharto. Similar incidents occurred on in November 1998 and September 1999 when troops opened fire on demonstrators from the Atmajaya University in Jakarta using rubber bullets and live ammunition in the area of Semanggi, South Jakarta, resulting in the death of dozens of student demonstrators.

[Translated by James Balowski.]