Yuli Tri Suwarni, Bandung – President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's visit to Bandung on Wednesday was marked by two separate protests attended by hundreds of people.
Yudhoyono was in Bandung to deliver a speech at the 51st anniversary of Padjadjaran University (Unpad) at its campus on Jl Dipatiukur.
The People's Petition Front, comprising dismissed employees of state-owned aircraft manufacturer PT Dirgantara Indonesia (PT DI), and workers and students from the Association of Islamic Students (HMI) staged a rally on Jl Japati, around 500 meters from the university campus, while dozens of students from the Students' Executive Board (BEM) protested on Jl Dipatiukur, some 200 meters west of the venue.
Violence broke out when hundreds of dismissed PT DI workers and students attempted to break through the police barrier at the eastern end of the campus. The protesters attempted to push against a five-tier blockade of police before finally being driven back from the area.
Many protesters were injured during the melee, prompting them to retaliate by bombarding security personnel with shoes, sandals, plastic bottles and glasses.
Similar unrest broke out on Jl Dipatiukur, when members of the Greater Bandung BEM were forced back some 300 meters by police. No one was hurt or arrested in the clash, but police seized speakers and flags from the students,
A former PT DI employee, M. Shidarta, said the protesters had wished to speak directly with the President to urge the government not to interfere with the bankruptcy ruling handed down by the Commercial Court.
"We've always been deprived of our rights and never benefited from the unfair retrenchment scheme. Now, if the judge is fair, why should we be defeated just for the sake of a few people?" Shidarta argued.
Students voiced their disappointment with the government's slow progress in dealing with the Sidoarjo mudflow disaster, corruption and poverty.
In his speech in front of scholars at the university, Yudhoyono said Indonesia now ranked 50th in terms of global competitiveness, a significant improvement compared to its 2005 ranking of 69th. "Indonesia was at one point dubbed the new Asian economic tiger in the 1990s, but we were struck by bad luck due to the (1997-98) economic crisis. But, we will rebound to our heyday," he said.
After inaugurating Unpad's new administrative building and signing the stamp for the university's 50th anniversary, the president's entourage paid a visit to ailing former minister of home affairs M. Ma'ruf in Bandung's Parakan Saat area.