A rally was held in Jakarta earlier this week to denounce the administration of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono. Former student activist Hariman Siregar, who organized the event, spoke with The Jakarta Post's M. Taufiqurrahman about the reasons behind the rally. The Palace has said the protesters' demands that Yudhoyono's mandate be revoked was unconstitutional.

Question: Why did you organize the rally?

Answer: This is the only way we could be heard. There is no better way. They quickly reacted to our movement, didn't they?

You have said the protest was a criticism of the Yudhoyono government. What is your assessment of his two years in office?

He is doing nothing, he doesn't provide any direction. The most glaring example is when he backed down as a result of pressure from Vice President Jusuf Kalla over the establishment of the Presidential Unit for the Management of Reform Programs (UKP3R). It was a good step, but he surrendered to pressure from Kalla. Since that day SBY was finished.

Are you asking the President to step down over his poor performance or because of his indecisiveness?

If he is that weak, why wait another two years for him to resign?

But you also said the movement was not aimed at overthrowing the President?

We are not stupid enough to think that we can unseat him or even impeach him. We are aware of our strength. I just laugh when I hear the accusation. Instead, we want to push him, criticize him. Who knows, after hearing this criticism he may realize his weaknesses and resign voluntarily.

On paper, even if the President does not violate the Constitution, but he does nothing to improve the people's welfare, we can impeach him, although the Constitution is silent about this. The Constitution should not take precedence over the people's suffering.

The turnout for the rally was far below your pre-rally boast about the number of protesters who would take part. Did security officials ask you to reduce the size?

We don't care how many people support us, and we don't want to emulate SBY who only cares about his image and figures in opinion polls. He should care more about the fact that more and more people are leaving the country for overseas because there are no jobs here.

What would you do if SBY did resign?

We could have a snap election. The Constitution has anticipated it all. But we have nothing to do with that. Personally, I don't have a problem with the President. My concern is the country's poverty rate, which is worsening. For those who deem our movement unconstitutional, they should know that we have gone to the House of Representatives to break this political impasse, but they asked us to form a political party.

They were the ones who started the fire. (Presidential spokesman) Andi Mallarangeng dared me to become president. My response to that was, 'Let's take to the street and withdraw the President's mandate.' That's the sequence of events, but I didn't want to talk about it because I didn't want to sound like this was my personal problem.

So you exhausted all legal avenues before resorting to the so-called unconstitutional move of holding the rally?

Even taking to the street is constitutional. Do you think I will bring SBY down? My concern is simply poverty, the economic slump and the incompetent state institutions that should have tackled the problems. How long do we have to languish in this mess, until 2009? We have to make a breakthrough and the rally was the breakthrough, because if we set up a political party we will just be taken hostage by the system.

What about the Council of Revolution, which has been associated with your movement?

It's an exaggeration. It's a method used by the military to discredit us. Just like the (Jan. 15 1974 student protest) Malari affair, when the students were accused of arson and looting while in fact we did nothing.

Why did you choose Jan. 15 for the date of the rally? Many said you were just trying to relive the past, because that is the anniversary of the Malari incident.

What's wrong with that? In fact it coincided with the birthday of (Hariman's Institute for Democracy Monitor) Indemo. The most important thing, however, is that the system is created to cater to the needs of the people. If the system fails to improve welfare, people have the right to rise up.

What comes next?

Such a question is not relevant for us, because we are not a political party. We just voice our criticism. We want to prove that people still hold their mandate long after the election, and can withdraw it anytime.

We also want to remind SBY that he was directly elected and that he should be more courageous in standing up to those who try to stop him, be it the parliament or the political parties, and we will support him if he can prove he is decisive. He should present himself as the leader of this country. What is the legal argument for the impeachment of Yudhoyono?

Former president Soeharto, who claimed to have received the mandate of the people, stepped down and former president B.J. Habibie led the country for just a short time before he decided to have an election. Why can't SBY follow suit?

Speculation is rife that you have received foreign support for your movement.

(Pause) With such a small budget and small number of people taking part, you accuse me of getting foreign support? (Laughing) Why do people always ask about the way we held the protest, and not about its substance?

How do you juggle between your job as a medical doctor and your work as a political activist?

I spend more of my time running my clinic.