Bilhuda Haryanto, Jakarta – High commodity prices, job insecurity, weak law enforcement and unresolved human rights issues were just some of the grievances aired on the capital's streets on Wednesday as hundreds of protesters braved the rain to have their say.
The demonstrations, concentrated outside the Presidential Palace in Central Jakarta, were held to mark the first anniversary of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono beginning his second term.
Rudi Daman, from the People's Defender Front, said that in the year since Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono had taken office, the government had failed to fulfill people's basic needs.
"The government has been unable to keep agricultural commodity prices from spiraling out of control," he said. "The fate of workers remains uncertain as well because of the contract system and massive outsourcing, while their wages become worthless as a result of the price increases."
The group also accused the Yudhoyono administration of failing to create enough jobs, especially for the poor. "Today's government is nothing more but a bunch of minions for multinational corporations," Rudi said.
Several organizations took part in Wednesday's protests, including the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras).
Kontras ran its protest on the theme of "Anti-Amnesia," in which it called on the government to address outstanding human rights abuse cases, including the shooting of unarmed student demonstrators in 1998, which led to the downfall of Suharto. "We held an 'amnesia market' to reflect how forgetful Indonesia's cabinet is," Kontras official Yanti Andirani said.
"To date, we haven't seen any real solutions from the government to many national issues regarding human rights. We want to send a message to Yudhoyono: Please stop the indifference and ignorance toward human rights violations."
Yanti also criticized the government over a plan to name Suharto a national hero, and said it had forgotten the dictator's "terrible damage" to the country.
Other protesters called for longer prison terms for corruption convicts, as well as better law enforcement to prevent graft in the first place.
Another group said a cabinet reshuffle would be meaningless unless the government could properly address social issues. "What we need is clearer enforcement of the policies on people's prosperity," said Adi Wibowo, from a group representing workers and university students.
"We've only seen failures this year from the Yudhoyono cabinet. It has failed to guarantee our prosperity or enforce laws protecting human rights and eradicating corruption."