Bagus Kurniawan, Yogyakarta – Hundreds of workers and students from a number of different organisations in the Central Java city of Yogyakarta held an action commemorating May Day today. A regional house member was greeted with shouts and boos.
The action was centred on the Malioboro shopping district in the centre of the city and attended by the Yogyakarta Labour Alliance (ABY), a grouping of trade unions from various factories in Yogyakarta province, along with the Islamic Students Association (HMI), the Indonesian Muslim Students Action Front (KAMMI) and Indonesian Islamic Students Association (PMII).
When the action was being held in front of the entrance to the Yogyakarta Regional House of Representatives (DPRD DIY), the protesters called on house representatives to meet with them and listen to their demands. DPRD DIY deputy speaker Sukedi from the Democrat Party faction accompanied by DPRD member Janu Ismadi came out to meet with the demonstrators who were waiting on Jl. Malioboro.
Sukedi, along with a representative from the protesters then climbed up onto a pickup truck that was being used as a stage. Before hundreds of demonstrators, he introduced himself saying that he was from President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono’s ruling party the Democrats. The demonstrators spontaneously drowned him out with shouts and called for him to step down. “Boo Boo Boo, get down, get down”, shouted the protesters.
Sukedi responded by saying that he would not continue speaking however one of the action coordinators called on the protesters to calm themselves and listen to what he had to say. After the demonstrators had calmed down, he continued his speech. “We at the DPRD DIY support the labour struggle and the commemoration of labour day. We also reject outsourcing”, he said.
After the speech, Sukedi and Ismadi returned to the house. The protesters meanwhile continued the action, which had began at the Abu Bakar Ali parking lot, heading off towards the zero kilometre point at the intersection in front of the Yogyakarta central post office.
One of the action coordinators, Mahendra, said in a speech that they are calling for a national strike if the government fails to heed all of their demands. “We continue to reject low wages for workers, [call for] the abolition of outsourcing and reject [the planned] fuel price increases”, he said.
Throughout the action, the protesters were watched over by Yogyakarta municipal police. Because the main street was being used by demonstrators, traffic had to be rerouted through the slow lane usually used by bikes, traditional horse-draw carriages and pedicabs. (bgs/try)
[Dukung Perjuangan Buruh, Wakil Ketua DPRD DIY Malah Diteriaki ‘Huuu!’ – detikNews. Rabu, 01/05/2013. Translated by James Balowski.]
