Refleksi: Presiden yang menyerukan anti korupsi koq minggat ke Bali. Apakah disebabkan ketakutan kepada para demonstran ataukah anti korupsinya hanya dibibir saja? Selama SBY tidak berbuat langkah konkrit untuk harta korupsi mantan presdien NKRI Soeharto, maka anti korupsinya hanya sepuhan bibir belaka.
http://thejakartaglobe.com/home/indonesian-rallies-prove-riot-fears-unfounded/346582 December 10, 2009 Anita Rachman, Camelia Pasandaran & Farouk Arnaz Thousands of protesters - mostly laborers, students and religious groups - took to the streets of Jakarta as part of citywide protests organized to mark International Anti-Corruption Day on Wednesday. (Bloomberg Photo) Indonesian Rallies Prove Riot Fears Unfounded In the end, the street rallies against corruption in Jakarta on Wednesday were somewhat of an anticlimax. Fears of political unrest and traffic gridlock proved unfounded as protests in the capital held to mark International Anti-Corruption Day were carried out relatively peacefully and with a much lower turnout than expected. Although estimates varied widely, far fewer than the 40,000 predicted by organizers actually gathered at the 10 staging areas at Merdeka Square at noon as scheduled. One organizer put attendance at 20,000, while the Jakarta Police's figure of 5,000 was conservative yet more realistic. Traffic jams on the capital's streets had been predicted, but warnings over the past few days seemed to have been effective, with the National Police's head of security, Comr. Gen. Iman Haryatna, saying air surveillance reported little of the usual traffic congestion. Two leading antigraft groups - Transparency International Indonesia and Indonesia Corruption Watch - shunned the rallies. The protesters were mostly from labor, student, youth and religious groups. TII secretary general Teten Masduki said joining the rallies would have had little significance for his organization. "We have continuously fought against corruption. We want to celebrate it in a different way." But Teten added that statements by President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono could have scared off many from taking part. Yudhoyono on Sunday claimed he had information that Wednesday's protests would include efforts to undermine his presidency. Security officials have pointed to a recent meeting at a hotel allegedly involving activists, public leaders and politicians. Activists have denied these claims. ICW coordinator Danang Widoyoko said it declined to join the rally because there were too many "unclear" or "gray" organizations present, each with their own focus. Some, he said, wanted the president, Vice President Boediono and Finance Minister Sri Mulyani Indrawati to step down over the Bank Century scandal. "The message of anticorruption itself may not be the focus." Andrinof Chaniago, a political analyst from the University of Indonesia, said he could understand that larger organizations might have wary of political movements hijacking the rally, although the fears were not realized. "I guess they try to avoid being connected to a rally which might also have a political motivation," he said. Usman Hamid, a coordinator for the Commission for Missing Persons and Victims of Violence (Kontras), said the peaceful nature of the rallies proved that they "had not been manipulated as the president feared." About 13,000 police officers had been deployed to secure the demonstrations around the city. The rally at Merdeka Square culminated with the reading of a petition and calls for a resolution to the Bank Century scandal. Usman said the petition included demands that the president take concrete steps to tackle corruption, and that the government eliminate the "judicial mafia." "We want the government to get to the bottom of the Bank Century scandal. We want the Corruption Eradication Commission [KPK] to be at the forefront. Rules against wiretapping must be revoked," he said. "Corruption eradication must begin from the Palace, with the disclosure of the wealth of the people higher up." Political communications expert Effendi Gazali, also from UI, said the rallies were a "kind of people power," and that this would not be the end of the fight against graft as follow-up actions were being planned. "This is purely the people's contribution," he said. But not all groups participating in the rallies were critical of the president. Siska, a housewife from East Jakarta, was among a group called the People's Alliance for SBY (Arus), which was taking part in the rally to support the president's efforts to fight corruption. "I had nothing to do at home," she said, adding that she had come with friend and was not paid to join the group. "What is the purpose of the rally? To support SBY . and fight corruption." Related articles Don't Blame Me for Graft, Says Indonesia's Education Minister 7:56 PM 14/09/2009 Indonesia's Graft Rank Improves Slightly 10:50 PM 17/11/2009 ICW Calls For Change In AGO To Bolster Graft Fight 11:22 PM 14/07/2009 Money Talks on The Campaign Trail for the Poor 4:52 PM 06/07/2009 A Passport With a Nod and a Wink 5:29 PM 05/07/2009 [Non-text portions of this message have been removed]
