Yogyakarta – Demonstrators from the People's Challenge Alliance (ARM), who held protest action in the vicinity of the Gajah Mada University traffic circle on January 28, also brought two replica pigs with them.
Attached to the first pig, which had green-coloured stripes, was a photograph of President Yudhoyono. The second, coloured black, wore an Uncle Sam mask with a photograph of Boediono.
ARM is an alliance of several different organisations including the Indonesian Student Union (SMI), the Politics for the Poor-National Student League for Democracy (LMND-PRM), the Indonesian Cultural Society Union (SEBUMI), the Yogyakarta Student Action Front (FAM-J), the Perempuan Mahardhika National Network (JNPM), the Union for the Politics of the Poor (PPRM), the South Sumatra University and High School Students Association (IKPM), Yogyakarta People's Solidarity (SRY), the Indonesian National Students Movement (GMNI), the Indonesian Christian Students Movement (GMKI) and LIMAPERA.
The protesters also brought banners condemning Yudhoyono and Boediono along with photographs of figures such as former Indonesian military chief Wiranto, former Vice President Jusuf Kalla and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati, who they said had inflicted financial losses on the state.
According to action coordinator Agus F, the first 100 of Yudhoyono's administration has worsened the suffering of the ordinary people. They are demanding therefore that the SBY-Boediono regime be brought down.
"There are longer any reasons for the people to defend the SBY-Boediono regime because the direction of their political and economic policies does not side with the ordinary people. On the contrary, they in fact worsen the people's suffering," said Agus.
Agus explained that there are several issues that the groups explicitly oppose, including the recent National Summit to launch the government's new 100-day program, the ASEAN-China Free Trade Agreement and the commercialisation of education. He also explained that they want a reasonable wage for workers and an immediate and full investigation into the Bank Century scandal.
"The political solution is national liberation through a pro-people government, replacing the SBY-Boediono regime, building the people's organisations and uniting the movement as an embryo of a pro-people's government," he asserted. (Den)
[Abridged translation by James Balowski.]