Jakarta – Scores of protesters from the Labour Party and the Indonesian Farmers Union (SPI) held a demonstration in front of the State Logistics Agency (Bulog) building in South Jakarta on Monday September 25.
The action, which was held to commemorate National Farmers Day, was also held at the Arjuna Wiwaha or Horse Statue Monument in Central Jakarta.
The demonstrators, who wore orange and black clothing with the writing Indonesian Metal Trade Workers Federation (FSPMI) on them, began shouting demands guided by a speaker from the command vehicle.
The protesters' demands included revoking the Omnibus Law on Job Creation (UU Cipta Kerja) and asking the government to bring down the price of rice, eggs and basic commodities.
"The rise in rice prices has not benefited farmers. We call for an investigation be carried out on the rise in the price of rice that is financially hurting the ordinary people", said one of the speakers, Mubarok, from the command vehicle.
They also called for agrarian reform, food sovereignty and the redistribution of 9 million hectares of land for farmers.
In addition to this, the Labour Party and the SPI also asked the government to increase the minimum wage in 2024 by as much as 15 percent and called for life-long social security.
Traffic in at the location of the rally meanwhile was observed to be flowing smoothly and police established tight security by setting up a blockade in front of the Bulog building. (sym/isn)
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Buruh-Serikat Petani Demo di Bulog, Minta Turunkan Harga Beras & Telur".]
