Another Day, Another Pro-Poor Contract by ‘Mega-Pro’
Markus Junianto Sihaloho | June 04, 2009
Related articles
Mass Rallies as Countdown Begins to Taiwan Poll 8:37pm Jan 8, 2012
Joko Widodo: ‘I Won’t Run for President' 5:51pm Jan 8, 2012
Democrats Reject Calls to Scrap New Voting System 11:53am Dec 19, 2011
Direction Unclear for Russian Opposition 8:57am Dec 15, 2011
Yudhoyono Responsible for Culture of Graft: Megawati 10:35am Dec 13, 2011
Post a comment
Please login to post comment
Comments
Be the first to write your opinion!
In their continued effort to highlight their commitment to economic policies for low-income Indonesians, Megawati Sukarnoputri and Prabowo Subianto on Wednesday vowed to sign yet another political contract, this time to change a heavily criticized existing manpower outsourcing system.
Mochtar Mohammad, the director of the Pro-Mega Center, said presidential candidate Megawati and running mate Prabowo would sign the contract on Saturday, the birthday of Indonesia’s founding president Sukarno, who is also Megawati’s father.
The signing ceremony will be held in Rengasdengklok, West Java, in the presence of thousands of workers invited to attend the occasion.
Outsourcing of manpower, which permits employers to remove costly benefits and allowances usually paid to permanent employees, has been widely practiced by businesses and strongly opposed by labor unions and workers.
The outsourcing employment system was regulated under the Workers Law passed in 2003, when Megawati was president of the country.
Hasto Kristiyarto, the secretary of the campaign team for Megawati and Prabowo, said the system was implemented at the time because Indonesia was still bound by an agreement with the International Monetary Fund, which was helping the country recover from the 1997-98 Asian financial crisis
“That is why, our candidates have always aimed to release the country from its dependence on foreign debt,” Hasto said.
Mochtar said the pair would also pledge to turn International Labor Day, or May Day, into a national holiday.
Staunchly anticommunist President Suharto, who ruled the country for more than three decades, dropped May Day from the list of official public holidays after ascending to power in 1967.
“We have confirmed it with the candidates, and they said yes to all the articles [of the contract],” he said.
During a ceremony last month at a waste dump in Bantar Gebang, Bekasi, held to officially declare their candidacy, Megawati and Prabowo signed a political contract pledging to introduce pro-poor economic policies if elected. Tens of thousands of fishermen, market vendors and farmers attended the event.
“After the political contract in Rengasdengklok, Mega and Prabowo will sign another political contract, with farmers,” Mochtar said, without giving further details.
He added that Megawati’s Indonesian Democratic Party of Struggle (PDI-P) had always required governors and heads of districts endorsed by the party to rid industries in their respective areas of the outsourcing system. “And we have introduced this ban in several areas, like Bekasi [West Java] and Central Java.”
Mochtar said the pair would also hold talks with Guntur Sukarnoputra, Megawati’s eldest brother who has long quit politics. Guntur, he said, will also deliver a speech in front of the workers in Rengasdengklok.
Before April’s legislative elections, the PDI-P required all its legislative candidates to sign a contract that committed them to ensuring affordable basic goods and services, providing millions of job opportunities and improving people’s welfare.
Failure to meet those goals would mean those who went on to become elected legislators would supposedly not have another chance to run for the party in the 2014 polls.
- ‘The Phantom of the Opera’ Unveils Itself to Jakarta Audience
- Malaysian Girl Speaks Indonesian After Freak Accident: Report
- Indonesians Buying Up Most Expensive Homes in Singapore
- Funeral on Friday for Student Killed in Rafting Accident
- Adek Berry: The Lady Behind the Camera
- Indonesian Police Arrest Czech Tourist in Papua
- 7 Motorcycle Girls Arrested for Beating Up Their Own on Bali
- The Thinker: Let's Talk About Sex
- Final Farewell to Singapore's Dr. Toh Chin Chye
- Indonesian Operators Ban Access to LGBT Advocacy Web Site
-
10:42pm | 12 Detainees Pull Off Brazen J...
Jailbreak happens all over the World Governments should give education and hope to the poor or else the Higly organised Mega Rich Crime will destro -
10:15pm | Notorious Gang Boss Could Be B...
Every Big city in the World has a huge crime problem So Jakarta no different. Honesty is the best policy. My father said to me when I was a young ... -
10:07pm | Israel’s Stance on Iran Could ...
Strike is a made up war from the free mason and illuminati, they need to justify a war to reduce the worlds population by 90%. A nwo will be create -
9:52pm | Sumitomo Bets on Indonesia’s G...
u have less chance of seeing a big fish convicted than I have of buying JPB a few beers -
9:42pm | Israel’s Stance on Iran Could ...
Moscow's stance on Syria IS catastrophic... -
9:42pm | What US Stop Online Piracy Act...
Am I the only one who believes that Indonesian govt doesn't care about sopa, so does everyone else in the country? It tickled us only when Wikiped -
9:41pm | What US Stop Online Piracy Act...
Am I the only one who believes that Indonesian govt doesn't care about sopa, so does everyone else in the country? It tickled us only when Wikiped -
9:29pm | Sumitomo Bets on Indonesia’s G...
@Valkyrie: don't get our high hopes, the bigger fishes are only AU, and maybe AM as "bonus".. but it stops there. Indonesian people will forget
