Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – The 62nd anniversary of Indonesian independence failed to prevent student and non-government organisations from demonstrating. An action in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta even became quite heated.
The scores of protesters almost clashed with police because they were determined to approach the Yogyakarta State Palace where an official ceremony was taking place to commemorate the seconds leading up the August 17, 1945 declaration of independence.
The action started at the intersection in front of the Yogyakarta central post office on Jl. Senopati on Friday August 17. However as soon as protesters arrived at Jl. Trikora, around 300 or so meters from the State Palace, security personnel stopped them and then tried break up the rally.
Protesters however failed to heed security personnel and instead remained determined to “attack” the Palace. As a result around 100 Yogyakarta municipal police held them back on the grounds that they had no permit for the demonstration. Protesters and police began pushing and shoving each other almost resulting in a physical clash.
After the situation had calmed down, the protesters ended up holding the action on Jl. Trikora closely watched over by police and two Rottweiler tracker dogs until the ceremony at the State Palace had finished.
The demonstrators brought banners reading “Indonesia is still not independent” and a large ceremonial dish of yellow rice in cone shape (tumpeng) made out of yellow and green paper that they placed in front of them.
In a speech, action coordinator Agus S.Y. said that Indonesia is not independent yet because it is still shackled by neoliberal colonialism. Protesters also demanded free education for the people, opposed the draft law on education and the law on capital investment.
After holding speeches and reading out their demands, the demonstrators disbanded and returned to gather at the Yogyakarta Legal Aid offices on Jl. H. Agus Salim around 1 kilometer away.
Although the demonstration had finished, police did not disperse immediately as they were forced to clean up the remains of the paper tumpeng that was scattered across Jl. Trikora. (bgs/umi)
[Translated by James Balowski.]
