Arientha Primanita, Markus Junianto Sihaloho & Anita Rachman

Indonesian Police Prepare for Anti-Govt Demonstrations

Despite the less-than-impressive turnout during last month’s rally for Anticorruption Day, authorities are not taking any chances ahead of Thursday’s planned protests to mark the president’s first 100 days in office.

Both National Police Chief Gen. Bambang Hendarso Danuri and Jakarta Governor Fauzi Bowo separately called on the organizers to ensure peaceful demonstrations.

“All must be according to order. There should be no violence, no provocation or slander. Only if the message is conveyed peacefully, will the event be positively accepted,” Bambang said.

Fauzi warned protesters not to violate the rights of those who chose not to take to the streets. “Don’t create anarchy, that will disadvantage all parties,” he said .

However, the capital seems well prepared for the worst.

“We will have a water cannon ready but it is situational. We will prepare at least 10,000 officers to guard the Hotel Indonesia traffic circle, the State Palace and the House of Representatives building during the rally,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said on Monday, adding that police were planning strategies to prevent violence.

The Jakarta city administration would also deploy 3,500 public order officers to secure the demonstrations. “Our job is to support the police in providing security and also to protect the city’s assets such as roads and parks,” said Harianto Badjoeri, head of the Public Order Agency.

The Indonesian Military had previously said that it was also ready to help ensure security if the police sought its help.

In addition, Dien Emawati, head of the Jakarta Health Agency said it had prepared 12 ambulances and several medical officers to attend to those injured during demonstrations. The ambulances will be stationed in strategic locations around the National Monument (Monas) Square and the State Palace on Jalan Medan Merdeka in Central Jakarta.

Effendi Ghazali, a member of the Anticorruption Civil Society Coalition (Kompak), which is taking part in Thursday’s rallies, told the Jakarta Globe that security measures adopted by the Jakarta Police were over the top.

“It shows that they are paranoid and depressed. They want the people to feel sorry for them. They are self-centered and not public-centered,” Effendi said.

Effendi said the objective of the demonstration was to let the government know that many do not believe its 100-day program had succeeded.

“The government did not succeed in protecting and providing people’s rights on economy, health or education and it also failed to eradicate corruption as many big players have not been touched,” he said. “We do not believe poll results that say Yudhoyono has achieved a 75 percent [approval rating] or even slightly less than that. We will continue to rally when the House of Representatives hands in their recommendations over investigations into the bailout of Bank Century.”

Separately, the military said the involvement of retired soldiers in planned mass demonstrations was beyond its control.

“Retired soldiers have every right to be actively involved in politics. Retired soldiers are just like other common civilians,” Indonesian Military Chief Gen. Djoko Santoso said.

Djoko made his statement in response to questions over a petition signed by a former top Army general, Tyasno Sudarto, who has threatened to mobilize demonstrations against President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s administration.

How Many Are Coming? Rally Numbers a Mystery

If the claims of some activists are to be believed, Jakarta’s streets will be filled with tens of thousands of people on Thursday for the rally planned to mark the end of President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono's first 100 days in office and to call for his ouster.

But it seems even the activists are not entirely sure about how many protesters will show up on Thursday. Effendi Ghazali, a member of Kompak and a political communication expert, told the Jakarta Globe that he was expecting 8,000 demonstrators from the 66 groups that had signed up to join the rally.

However, Haris Rusly, the head of Petisi 28, the umbrella group of nongovernmental organizations and individuals participating in Thursday’s rally, including Kompak, said around 5,000 people would participate.

“We are expecting more than 5,000 people to join us in mass prayer on Wednesday night in Salemba then we will hold the rally about 11 a.m. on Thursday,” Haris said.

Petisi 28, founded last October, includes organizations such as the Indonesian Students Union (HMI), the Indonesian Farmers Union, and the Leadership Forum of Indonesian Youth (FKPI).

Several other groups have made bigger claims. An alliance of 30 university students in Jakarta has said 10,000 students were ready to join, while a consortium of 17 campuses in Bandung told state news agency Antara on Tuesday that 3,000 students would be marching to the capital on Thursday.

The Muhammadiyah Students Association has also reportedly said that 10,000 student activists would carry out a demonstration in front of the Merdeka Palace.

The Jakarta Police said other organizations were predicting an even higher turnout. “SPN, a labor organization, and the Indonesian Clean Movement [GIB] are going to conduct rallies,” Jakarta Police spokesman Sr. Comr. Boy Rafli Amar said. “SPN claimed they are going to deploy 25,000 [people] while the GIB will deploy 7,500.”

Similar claims were made last month ahead of International Anticorruption Day on Dec. 9, raising worries of political unrest and traffic gridlock, but the fears proved unfounded.

Sukardi Rinakit, from the Soegeng Sarjadi Syndicate, said Thursday’s turnout was also probably being exaggerated because the planned rally did not have two crucial elements — money and military support.

“It is not enough. There is no entrepreneur to finance the demonstration nor support from the military,” Sukardi said. 

-Nurfika Osman

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