Indonesian rally airs concerns on president

By Konradus Epa, Jakarta

Thosuands of Indonesians, including hundreds of Catholic students, rallied in front of the State Palace, yesterday airing concerns about the direction their country is taking.

“The national interest is not the top priority of the governance of President [Susilo Bambang] Yudhoyono and Vice President Boediono,” an interreligious group of young people said in a statement.

The statement questioned the legitimacy of his installation as “various violations allegedly surfaced.”

The youth group, calling itself the National Opposition Unity, staged the rally on the first anniversary of President Yudhoyono’s re-election.

“Various neo-liberal policies which were the products of president’s previous leadership must have been ended if the government really wanted to focus on economic independence and national sovereignty,” the statement said.

The group, of which the Union of Catholic University Students (PMKRI) is a member, claims that the government has maintained harmful policies, eroded democracy and failed to eradicate corruption or bring food prices down.

They will collect signatures for a petition demanding a vote of no confidence over the government’s neo-liberal regime. “This will be done by going to villages, housing complexes and factories. We will knock on every door.”

PMKRI chairman Stefanus Gusma, told ucanews.com that his members joined the rally “because we have similar conclusion that the government have failed to do its tasks in various fields including law, politics, economy and public service.”

On Oct. 19 the Jakarta Legal Aid Institute (LBH Jakarta) identified three main issues related to the law enforcement namely mistreatment against suspects and defendants, case manipulation and stagnation of the legal process.

http://www.ucanews.com/