Moch. N. Kurniawan, Jakarta – Noted scholars warned the government on Wednesday of social upheaval that could explode at any time as people were fed up to the teeth with rampant injustices.
They said the recent increase in utility prices and the amnesties offered to notorious business tycoons were the most conspicuous examples of government policies that had hurt the public sense of justice.
Th. Sumartana of the Indonesian Interfaith Dialog Institute (Interfidei), Masykuri Abdillah of the Syarif Hidayatullah State Islamic University (UIN), and Franz Magnis Suseno of the Driyarkara Institute of Philosophy were among those speaking out.
"Brutal action as a result of frustration over injustices is like a genie waiting to emerge from the bottle," Sumartana, the director of Interfidei, told a seminar on religion, democracy and minority groups on Wednesday.
He said that the people expressed their disappointment through street rallies as the legal institutions were unable to uphold justice and no political institution was able to offer a solution to the current crisis.
"The ongoing antigovernment rallies could signal such frustration and this could lead to social upheaval," he told the Jakarta Post.
Masykuri and Sumartana called for a continuous dialog between religious leaders and politicians to draw up the necessary national agendas to resolve the current problems.
"Communication is the key to resolving the nation's problems," Masykuri told the Post.
Sumartana said the government must also be able to uphold justice and the supremacy of law by reforming the country's legal system.
Magnis called on the government to declare a war on corruption and severely punish those guilty of corruption. "If they do this, I think a lot of the sense of frustration will dissipate," he said.
The wave of antigovernment protests, which has been ongoing for almost three weeks now, continued on Wednesday as some 700 students staged a rally near the residence of President Megawati Sukarnoputri. The protesters urged her to resign for failing to stamp out corruption.
The students, who claimed to represent the University of Indonesia's Student Executive Board (BEM-UI), attempted to reach Megawati's residence in the upmarket Menteng area, but to no avail due to a security cordon imposed by hundreds of riot police armed with rifles and backed up by water cannons, AFP reported, "Reject the government of Megawati and [vice president] Hamzah Haz!" they shouted.
"Today Indonesia's debt is growing even bigger and the people will have to bear the burden while corruptors have been given amnesties," the protesters said in a written statement.
International donors grouped under the Consultative Group on Indonesia agreed Wednesday to extend US$2.7 billion in aid to Indonesia this year to help it meet its budget deficit.
Megawati has been criticized for issuing a decree which rules out criminal charges against former bank owners who have finally settled their huge debts to the state.
There have been daily street protests against Megawati's 18-month administration following the government's New Year decision to raise fuel prices and utility charges.
The government has reduced the steep rises in electricity and fuel prices and delayed a hike in phone charges, but the protesters said the move would not deter them from seeking Megawati's resignation.
The protesters also called for the cancellation of the privatization drive, and for the prosecution of corrupt officials and businessmen.
Megawati, in a speech addressed to her party supporters late Tuesday, challenged her political opponents to compete fairly in the 2004 presidential election instead of seeking her resignation now.