Rahma, Makassar – A demonstration on Saturday October 28 commemorating Youth Pledge Day in the South Sulawesi provincial capital of Makassar has ended in chaos. A scuffle between students and police was unavoidable.
During the action, the students touched on the recent Constitutional Court (MK) ruling on the minimum age limit for presidential and vice presidential candidates, which in the end smoothed the way for President Joko "Jokowi" Widodo eldest son Gibran Rakabuming Raka to run in the 2024 elections.
As reported by CNN Indonesia, the students unfurled a banner with the message, "MK (Family Court), Family Owned Constitution".
Not only that, the students also highlighted the nine years of the Widodo leadership, in which the president has not been able to keep his promises to the Indonesian people.
"The president's promises are a barometer that should be seen within the wheels of government, to this day there are still many that have not yet been implemented", said action coordinator Alpin.
The action was also marred by a scuffle between students and police. This was triggered when the students tried to waylay a box truck passing under the Flyover bridge that they wanted to use to give speeches. The police however, immediately moved in and released the truck.
As a consequence, a scuffle broke out with Makassar metropolitan district police operational division head Assistant Superintendent Darminto almost being hit by the students who were resisting the police.
"The police should [just] oversea the course of our action", said one of the demonstrators on Saturday.
As of 5.47, the protest action was still continuing with students setting fire to old tyres in the middle of the road.
[Translated by James Balowski. The original title of the article was "Sindir MK dan Jokowi saat Orasi, Aksi Sumpah Pemuda di Makassar Berujung Ricuh".]
